| Issue 2: 18 February 2020 |
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Every week, HEADlines brings you the latest news, stories and commentaries in education and healthcare. This week, get insights on the latest developments in healthcare. |
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Combating Conoravirus: A West + East Approach
As the world braces itself for the impact of the novel conoravirus (COVID-19), scientists around the world are racing against time to find a cure. Private companies and governments are working together at an unprecedented rate to reduce red tapes and accelerate drug development - a process that typically take years. Gilead, a US-based biotech firm is the first company set to test its antiviral drug (remdesivir) in Wuhan. Others on this quest include big pharmas like Johnson & Johnson, GSK, and biotech firms Inovio Pharmaceuticals and Moderna Therapeutics.
Perhaps only scientific testing will prove skeptics wrong, which is what the Chinese government is set to do. In addition to molecular drugs, it has pushed for TCM to be included in treatment plans and some of these are planned for clinical trials. The list of major vaccines and drugs in the pipeline for testing can be found here. |
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Healthcare in the Spotlight |
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A*STAR has developed a test kit for COVID-19 which reduces wait time for results and we are sending 20,000 of them to China. |
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Fancy a wearable device that can detect early signs of dementia before it's too late? Alzheimer's Research UK's project aims to do just that. |
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Vascular dementia, caused mainly by stroke, is the second most common form of dementia. Yet, there are no proven treatments thus far. Here, experts examine if Chinese herbal medicines can help. |
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The little seen DENV-3 dengue strain is making its rounds in the community, causing concerns of a fresh outbreak. |
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A vaccine in the horizon? US researchers found in a Phase 1 trial that the antibody MZ4, has a positive effect on Zika and dengue viruses. |
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Phase 3 trials show that acupuncture reduces xerostomia (dry mouth) symptoms in head and neck cancer patients who have undergone radiotherapy. |
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Renee Salas, Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine explains the role climate change plays in many of the illnesses she sees each day. |
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Experts are becoming increasingly concerned about a less obvious consequence of the escalating climate emergency - the strain it is putting on people's mental wellbeing, especially the young. |
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That's all for the week! |
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