Novel blood test measures pulmonary arterial hypertension severity
- The test developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers, measures DNA fragments released by damaged cells
- Patients with the disease usually present with high levels of fragments in their blood, with higher levels correlating with disease severity
- Knowing the fragment levels in patients’ blood allows doctors to tackle the disease faster and the test itself has performed better than standard diagnostic methods according to clinical studies
https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/nih-blood-test-pulmonary-arterial-hypertension/
Researchers find genetic variants associated with Crohn’s disease
- A team of researchers from around the world have discovered genetic variants in 10 genes which directly increase a person’s risk of developing Crohn’s disease
- This includes genetic variations in in regions of the genome which have hitherto never been connected to Crohn’s disease
- The causes of the disease are not understood fully – it is assumed that it results from an immune response against gut bacteria by genetically susceptible individuals
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-zeroes-genes-involved-crohn-disease.html
Pre-pregnancy genetic testing could help spot risks before conception
- University of Zurich researchers have studied the effectiveness of genetic testing before a woman falls pregnant
- Their study showed they can detect the risk of the child having a severe developmental disorder in about 44% of cases if the parents are related by blood
- The genetic test also discovered 5% of cases in couples who were not blood-related but only if all known recessive genes were investigated
- It is likely that developmental disorders are caused by unidentified genes – as 58% of cases of developmental disorders remained unexplained
Rishi Sunak vows to make UK a ‘science superpower’ if he wins PM contest
- In order to deliver his pledge, Mr Sunak declared he would establish a better alternative to the Horizon Europe programme which the UK is fighting to rejoin
- He also stated that “science and innovation will be at the heart of my government”
- Moreover, he would create a taskforce approach to science policy in his government following criticism of science’s importance (or lack thereof) in the Johnson administration
Policy Paper: Reviving Global Health Systems: How Technology Can Improve the Quality and Quantity of Life
- The Tony Blair Institute has produced an interesting policy paper which examines the role technology can play in improving global health
- It notes that biotech advances can produce a more ‘predictive, preventative, personalised and participatory’ model of health for patients – a vision which IVDs will play a key role
