Trine Juul-Kristensen and Celine Thiesen, Master's students at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG) at Aarhus University, are testing a new method based on saliva samples for diagnosing malaria at the Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné in Gabon in Africa as an integral part of their studies.
The development of DNA sensor systems is of great importance for advances in medical science. Now another piece of the puzzle for the development of personalized medicine has been found with the results of a highly sensitive monitoring of cancer-related topoisomerase II enzymes.
Danish researchers have developed a new and sensitive method that makes it possible to diagnose malaria from a single drop of blood or saliva. The method might eventually be used in low-resource areas without the need for specially trained personnel, expensive equipment, clean water or electricity. With the development of this method, the researchers hope to go one step further in identifying and treating all patients suffering from malaria.
The first step has been taken towards developing a nanorobot that – in the long run – will enable the targeted transport of medications in the body.
A collaboration between Danish and American researchers has resulted in the development of a new method that enables the measurement of enzyme activities in individual human cells. This method can be used to measure how cell-to-cell variation in tumours affects the overall response to chemotherapy and thus clarify some of the molecular causes of the chemo-resistance often seen in cancer patients. In the long run, the researchers hope that the method can be used to target chemotherapy to those patients who benefit from this treatment.
