Medical – Bianca Nogrady

How cancer genomics is transforming diagnosis and treatment

March 26, 2020March 26, 2020No Comments

From Nature Outlook, 25 March 2020: When cancer was first described by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, he identified just two forms: the non-ulcer-forming carcinos and the ulcer-forming carcinoma. In the late nineteenth century, physicians found, with the help of the microscope, that cancer had multiple cellular forms. Now, technology is once again transforming our … Continue reading How cancer genomics is transforming diagnosis and treatment

Stem-cell and genetic therapies make a healthy marriage

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019No Comments

From Nature, 15 May 2019: Aside from a 20-second exposure to the outside world at birth, David Vetter spent his entire life cocooned in plastic. Afflicted by severe combined immunodeficiency or SCID, a hereditary disease that severely compromises or destroys the immune system, the ‘boy in the bubble’ was exquisitely vulnerable to infection. Eventually, a … Continue reading Stem-cell and genetic therapies make a healthy marriage

Hunting for cancer of unknown primary

January 13, 2019January 13, 2019No Comments

From ABC Online, 13 January 2019: Ken Lee woke up one morning and couldn’t move his legs. The 72-year-old had been experiencing numbness for a few weeks, but his doctor hadn’t been able to find anything amiss. When he lost the use of his legs, his family took him straight to hospital where scans revealed … Continue reading Hunting for cancer of unknown primary

How Indian biotech is driving innovation

December 18, 2018No Comments

From Nature, 12 December 2018: Anu Acharya was in her twenties when the human genome was first mapped in its entirety. In 2000, the young Indian entrepreneur was just breaking into the biotechnology arena with her first start-up — the genomics and bioinformatics company Ocimum Biosolutions in Hyderabad. She saw the Human Genome Project’s achievements … Continue reading How Indian biotech is driving innovation

Genetically modified T cells target lymphoma

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018No Comments

From Nature Outlook, 14 November 2018: First-in-human trials are risky. That’s why they tend to involve the sickest of the sick — people whose disease has progressed beyond the reach of any existing treatment, and who have no other options. So it is a testament to the revolutionary nature of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy … Continue reading Genetically modified T cells target lymphoma

‘We need their brains’: donating to the brain bank in search of a dementia cure

November 21, 2018November 21, 2018No Comments

From The Guardian, 14 November 2018: It’s a rainy Wednesday morning and Dr Andrew Affleck is driving more carefully than usual on his way to the Neuroscience Research Australia building in Randwick. It’s not just the slick, crowded roads putting the edge on his caution; in the boot of his car, cocooned in several layers … Continue reading ‘We need their brains’: donating to the brain bank in search of a dementia cure

Stem cells can help us ‘build a human heart in a dish’ — but what are they, really?

September 24, 2018No Comments

From ABC Science, 22 September 2018: Stem cell transplants smell like creamed corn, apparently. Petras learned this as he was undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.He’d already received chemotherapy to kill the cancerous cells coursing through his lymphatic system, but the disease had bounced back. The best option to save his life was to carpet-bomb his … Continue reading Stem cells can help us ‘build a human heart in a dish’ — but what are they, really?

These mice have brains that are part human. So are they mice, or men?

July 29, 2018August 27, 2018No Comments

From ABC Science, 29 July 2018: In Greek mythology, the chimera was a beast of fire and fury; a terrifying creation part-lion, part-goat, part-serpent, and all destruction. It took demigod Bellerophon to slay the monster, driving a lead-tipped lance into its throat. One wonders what Bellerophon might have made of the chimeras running around Steve … Continue reading These mice have brains that are part human. So are they mice, or men?

Talking science with Dr Jessica Bloom & Linda Marigliano on Triple J

July 13, 2018No Comments

While the amazing Dr Karl tramps around the wilds of Mongolia, astrophysicist Dr Jessica Bloom and I joined Triple J presenter Linda Marigliano to answer Australia’s science questions. Listen to it here.

Nudge tactics spark drop in antibiotic scripts

July 5, 2018No Comments

From The Medical Republic, 5 July 2018: The most effective way to get GPs to reduce antibiotic prescriptions is to show them how much more they prescribe compared with their peers, according to a government-led behavioural economics intervention. Inspired by similar initiatives from the UK government’s Behavioural Insights Team – colloquially known as the “Nudge … Continue reading Nudge tactics spark drop in antibiotic scripts