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Policing the Immune System
Not all T-reg cells are equally effective in policing immune responses. Credit: iStockphoto
By Erika Cretney and Stephen Nutt
The discovery of cells that regulate the body’s immune response will help scientists to interpret the effectiveness of newly developed drugs and have wide-ranging repercussions for the treatment of conditions including cancer and multiple sclerosis.
Erika Cretney is a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow and Stephen Nutt is Division Head in the Molecular Immunology Division at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
How HIV Hides in the Brain
HIV-positive people are particularly susceptible to the early onset of dementia. Credit: Mehau Kulyk/Science Photo Library
By Lachlan Gray
With the introduction of the latest drugs and treatments, infection with HIV no longer represents a death sentence. However, HIV-positive people are particularly susceptible to the early onset of dementia and several other conditions of ageing, such as cardiovascular disease, frailty, cancers and bone disease. New research has found that when the HIV virus gets into the brain, it infects a key cell type, the astrocyte, leading to its dysfunction. This, in turn, triggers the development of HIV dementia, and at the same time provides HIV with a hideout where it is protected from the immune system and antiviral drugs.
Lachlan Gray is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Burnet Institute and Monash University.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
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By Stephen Luntz
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The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Dolphins Go Fishing with Conch Shells
By Stephen Luntz
One of the remarkable behaviours of the bottlenose dolphins of Shark Bay in Western Australia appears to be becoming more common, opening up exciting questions about these intelligent animals.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Multiple Risks for Multiple Sclerosis
By Stephen Luntz
Genes and Epstein-Barr virus increase MS risk
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Tumour Is Devilishly Complex
By Stephen Luntz
Devil facial tumour disease, which is threatening the survival of the largest carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian devil, is proving more complex than originally recognised.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
The Olympic Dam Story
It’s easy to think that the sheer size of Olympic Dam made its discovery inevitable. Image courtesy BHP Billiton
By David Upton
The discovery of the Olympic Dam mine is a story of innovative geologists who defied conventional thinking, and the corporate leaders who maintained faith in them.
David Upton is author of The Olympic Dam Story. This is an extract.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Vitamin Danger for Cancer Patients
Might vitamins actually be harmful for cancer patients? Image: iStockphoto
By Ray Lowenthal
Cancer patients need to think twice before adding vitamins to their treatment.
Ray Lowenthal is Professor of Oncology at the University of Tasmania. This article was first published in The Conversation (theconversation.edu.au).
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
The Perfect Pill?
Sunflower seeds are an attractive system for making protein drugs.
By Joshua Mylne
A protein found in sunflower seeds could be the key to developing plants as pharmaceutical factories.
Joshua Mylne is an Australian Research Council QEII Fellow based at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
Ageing Young
iStockphoto
By Dannon Stigers, Samuel Fraser & Christopher Easton
New evidence suggests that age-related diseases can begin to develop much earlier than we expect, making prevention more important than cure.
Dannon Stigers is a Postdoctoral Fellow, Samuel Fraser is a PhD student and Christopher Easton is a Professor at the Australian National University’s Research School of Chemistry.
The full text of this article can be purchased from Informit.
