Malaria vaccine.

3.2 billion people are currently at risk of contracting malaria, thus scientists have experimentally developed a live, genetically attenuated vaccine for Plasmodium. The vaccine made from plasmodium responsible for the disease by identifying and deleting one of the parasite's genes, the scientists enabled it to induce an effective, long-lasting immune response in a mouse model. An effective vaccine is needed to combat this disease, but the complex biological make-up of Plasmodium and the many strategies the parasite has evolved to outmaneuver the host immune response mean that developing a malaria vaccine is a difficult task. One notable feature of patients infected by the malaria parasite is the difficulty in mounting a long-lasting protective immune response. Premunition, or relative immunity, is only acquired after several years of exposure. An important feature during malaria infection is that the parasite prevents the establishment of immunological memory. continue

Surgeons in India Embrace 3D Technology.

22 surgeries have been conducted in the the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur, India . The country have relied upon advanced 3D technology to aid in precision medical interventions. Each of these cases involved a patient with cholelithiasis disease, the medical term for the presence of stones in the gallbladder. However, recently surgeons also relied upon a 3D printed model to provide valuable information for an operation to be performed on the craniovertebral junction – the first such neurosurgical application of the technology in the country. While gallbladder surgery may be less glamorous than, say, neurosurgery, it is still no casual undertaking. A botched gallbladder surgery can lead to a significant number of complications, including death, and surgeons are eager to utilize technology to its fullest advantage to minimize any difficulties. Technologies such as the CT scan and the insertion of miniature cameras have helped advance the positive outcomes of such surgeries and it is predicted the integration of 3D technologies can only further improve that performance. As explained by Dr. Jeevan Kankaria, Associate Professor of General and Laparoscopy Surgery at SMS. The 3D image that guides surgeons during the performance of the surgery is achieved by inserting two cameras into the area receiving the intervention, thereby creating a 3D image on the screen viewed by the surgeons during performance. Not only is it predicted that the use of these 3D technologies will help reduce the complications and other negative side effects of having this type of surgery, it is also believed that they will lower the overall cost for medical treatment as well as reduce the amount of time required to perform the surgery.Continue

New strategies against mosquitoes and other pests.

South America is fighting a battle against tiger mosquitoes that transmit yellow fever, dengue fever and the Zika virus. In Central Europe, wine and fruit growers fear another year of massive crop failures due to a type of vinegar fly known as the spotted-wing drosophila. Since the success rate of conventional methods continues to fall, researchers are developing new species-specific strategies that keep pests under control without resorting to environmental toxins. Fraunhofer researchers in Gießen are developing new species-specific strategies that keep pests under control without resorting to environmental toxins. Schetelig is an expert on the sterile insect technique, or SIT, in which the mass release of sterile males decimates the population of insect pests. With his team of researchers at the LOEWE Center for Insect Biotechnology & Bioresources, which is sponsored by the German state of Hesse, Schetelig is developing methods that increase the effectiveness of the sterile insect technique and allow it to be transferred to other insect pests. continue

GSK and Google just created a £540m bioelectronic health firm.

Google’s parent company and pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline have created a new company to research, develop and commercialise bioelectronic medicines. Galvani Bioelectronics will be based in Stevenage and receive investment of up to £540 million over the next seven years from Alphabet-owned Verily Life Sciences (formerly Google Life Sciences) and GSK. The two companies will take 55 per cent and 45 per cent equity in the new firm. Galvani will develop miniaturised, implantable devices that can monitor nerve signals in the body. These devices could tackle irregular or altered impulses that occur in many chronic illnesses such as arthritis, diabetes and asthma. The system works by using electrical impulses to alter nerve system signals triggered by chronic illnesses. Once developed, the bioelectronic devices are likely to be similar in size of a medical pill and would be implanted using keyhole surgery. The one-off treatment could potentially last decades, doing away with the need for regular medication. Major hurdles for Galvani include powering the devices and ensuring that can function for years inside the body. Continue

Barclays is ditching passwords for telephone voice recognition.

Barclays customers will soon be able to access their telephone banking account using voice recognition instead of a password. The update will be available to all customers by the end of August. The Voice Security technology will replace passwords and pins with a customer’s voice print to confirm identification. Barclays said voice prints would be made up of over 100 unique characteristics based on the physical shape of a speaker’s mouth and throat. Earlier this year, the Financial Fraud Action (FFA) revealed that losses due to telephone banking fraud rose by 92 per cent in 2015 to £32.3 million and greater adoption of technologies such as voice recognition could help stem the flow. In March TalkTalk also announced that it would use voice recognition technology to verify customers’ identities using voice prints following a large-scale hack on its internal systems. Each time a customer calls, the technology will compare their voice against the voice print to establish a match using the first few words spoken. Barclays was the first European bank to launch voice recognition technology to customers in May 2013. HSBC also revealed plans to use voice recognition software for telephone banking. Many banks, websites and apps, including Lloyds, Amazon and Evernote, are also now using fingerprints to verify identities through technology such as Apple’s Touch ID, Google Pay and Samsung’s Finger Scanner. Continue

Modern-day slavery at Thai poultry farms risks 'polluting' supply chain.

Modern-day slavery at Thai poultry farms risks 'polluting' supply chain: Poultry meat importers risk “polluting their supply chains” by relying on Thai producers that abuse workers’ rights and must press them to uphold the law, according to a prominent migrant rights activist. continue

Rapid- low-temperature process can add weeks to milk’s shelf life.

Rapid, low-temperature process can add weeks to milk’s shelf life, a study conducted by Purdue University found that the rapid heating and cooling of milk significantly reduces the amount of harmful bacteria present in fluid dairy milk, and can extend its shelf life up to seven weeks. continue