New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Breakthrough biomarker discovery reveals whether metastatic breast cancer is dormant or deadly

Rich Haridy October 15, 2018

Scientists have discovered a protein than can predict whether a patient’s metastasized breast cancer is dormant or about to turn deadly. The research points to new treatments that may be able to stimulate dormancy in cancer cells before they metastasize.

A specific protein, called NR2F1, could improve treatment of breast cancer and spare patients from unnecessary ...

Medical

Portable "tricorder" device spots cancer or heart attack biomarkers in minutes

Michael Irving September 24, 2018

Scientists have developed a small handheld device that can scan for biomarkers to quickly and easily diagnose people with certain diseases and illnesses. Inspired (as always) by Star Trek’s tricorder, the new “multicorder” is designed to help doctors track illness from just about anywhere.

Researchers have developed a handheld device that can detect molecules in fluid samples that indicate illness

Science Audio available

Early warning sign of Alzheimer’s may be found in blood-brain barrier

Rich Haridy September 24, 2018

A new review article from a team at the University of Southern California is suggesting leaks in the blood-brain barrier could be a useful early warning sign signaling the onset of everything from Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis before visible symptoms appear.

A leaky blood-brain barrier may be an effective biomarker for early-stage Alzheimer's disease

Medical

Unique blood and microbiome profiles pave way for test for chronic fatigue syndrome

Rich Haridy July 9, 2018

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is one of those big unsolved medical mysteries but scientists from Columbia University is bringing us closer to understanding this elusive disorder. They've found a specific metabolic fingerprint for the condition that could lead to a new diagnostic tool for doctors.

Medical

Follow-up study verifies accuracy of experimental autism blood test

Rich Haridy June 20, 2018

Last year an impressive study suggested a reliable set of blood biomarkers has been isolated that could successfully diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder in children. Now a follow-up study has verified those results pointing towards further clinical trials and potentially a commercially available test.

A blood test that can diagnose autism in children has passed another early trial reporting more ...

Science

Blood-based biomarker may predict whether you’ll get the flu

Rich Haridy June 14, 2018

A team of scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine has discovered a blood-based genetic biomarker that could predict how likely a person is to become ill when exposed to the flu virus.

A blood-based biomarker could identify how likely you are to contract influenza

Medical

Blood test promises rapid and portable diagnoses of heart attacks

Rich Haridy June 5, 2018

A new blood test that can rapidly diagnose heart attacks has undergone further testing verifying it can nearly immediately identify whether a patient has had a heart attack or not.

A new blood test promises near instant diagnosis of a heart attack using a newly discovered ...

Medical

Quantum dots made from tea leaves lay waste to lung cancer cells

Michael Irving May 21, 2018

New research led by Swansea University has found a novel way to wring more health benefits out of tea, by making quantum dots from tea leaves and using them to slow the growth of lung cancer cells.

Quantum dots made from tea leaves have been found to inhibit lung cancer growth

Science

Smells like malaria: Study finds body odor markers can identify infection

Rich Haridy May 14, 2018

Diagnosing symptomatic carriers of malaria is difficult enough, needing careful examination of blood samples, but picking up asymptomatic carriers is even more challenging. A team set out to find a way to diagnose those asymptomatic malaria carriers and the key turned out to be in body odor.

This new method can identify those infected with malaria even when they are not displaying visible ...

Medical

Lung cancer biomarker discovery hoped to lead to early detection blood test

Rich Haridy March 8, 2018

Scientists have uncovered a novel molecular signature for an aggressive form of lung cancer. These cancers were also found to produce specific metabolites that can potentially be identified in plasma samples, raising hopes that a diagnostic blood test for this condition can be developed.

The research could lead to a blood test that diagnoses an aggressive type of lung cancer ...