Medical

Open wounds on the stomach wall can be serious if left untreated, sometimes requiring surgery. In the not-too-distant future, though, it's possible that a small robot could bioprint new cells onto such injuries … from inside the body.

Scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea have found that key biomarkers in nasal discharge show potential as an early diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease that is cheap and non-invasive.

Immunotherapy is a promising form of treatment against cancer that can have incredible results – when it works. Now, researchers have found that blocking a certain protein boosts the effectiveness of standard immunotherapy drugs.

Although it's vitally important to keep wounds free of harmful bacteria, antibacterial ointments have to be regularly reapplied, requiring bandages to be removed. A new wound dressing, however, is claimed to continuously kill bacteria all on its own.

A study is offering more evidence that placebo drugs can still work even when people are aware they are taking inactive pills. The research builds on a growing body of study suggesting “honest” placebos could have a role in modern clinical practice.

Researchers have homed in on a specific brainwave measurement that can predict a person’s pain sensitivity. The research suggests this tool could be used to generate tailored treatment plans for patients based on their individual pain tolerance.

It was just a couple of months ago that we heard about an implantable material that electrically stimulates bone cells, causing them to reproduce. Now, scientists have created a similar substance that utilizes magnetism.

Scientists have shown how to activate energy-burning brown fat in mice, which helps shed weight and improves health. Results have been hard to replicate in humans, but a new study has found that we might be targeting the wrong receptor in our bodies.

Scientists investigating Alzheimer’s treatments at the Salk Institute have uncovered some key mechanisms that enable an experimental drug to reverse memory loss in mouse models of the disease, offering new targets for researchers in the field.

New research carried out in Singapore demonstrates how magnets can be used to pinch and apply pressure to the skin, which opens up additional pathways for drugs such as insulin to enter the body in safer, more efficient ways.

Treatments for blood clots in the body naturally come with a risk of excessive bleeding from an injury. But a new synthetic blood thinner bypasses this side effect, fighting thrombosis while still allowing blood to clot normally in a wound.

Bacteria are fast developing resistance to antibiotics, but we may soon have a new weapon to fight back. Bacteriophages are viruses that prey on bacteria, and now scientists have used them to treat Golden Staph infections in diabetic foot ulcers.