“It’s rare to get a standing ovation at a scientific conference. But on 22 October, cancer researcher Thomas Powles received two.
The first came in the middle of his talk, after he announced that a combination of treatments cut the risk of death in people with advanced bladder cancer by more than half — an unprecedented result in a cancer for which survival rates have been almost unchanged since the 1980s.”
From Nature.
“The biggest ever 3D map of the universe, featuring more than 6m galaxies, has been revealed by scientists who said it raised questions about the nature of dark energy and the future of the universe.
The map is based on data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (Desi) in Arizona and contains three times as many galaxies as previous efforts, with many having their distances measured for the first time.”
From The Guardian.
“A new strategy to fight an extremely aggressive type of brain tumor showed promise in a pair of experiments with a handful of patients.
Scientists took patients’ own immune cells and turned them into “living drugs” able to recognize and attack glioblastoma. In the first-step tests, those cells shrank tumors at least temporarily, researchers reported Wednesday.
So-called CAR-T therapy already is used to fight blood-related cancers like leukemia but researchers have struggled to make it work for solid tumors. Now separate teams at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania are developing next-generation CAR-T versions designed to get past some of glioblastoma’s defenses.”
From Associated Press.
New York Times | Conservation & Biodiversity
“A team of 21 scientists set off on an expedition in the largely uncharted waters of Bounty Trough off the coast of the South Island of New Zealand in February hoping to find a trove of new species.
The expedition paid off, they said on Sunday, with the discovery of 100 new species, a number that was likely to grow.”
From New York Times.
“Researchers from University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital in the United Kingdom collected cells from amniotic fluid samples taken during 12 pregnancies as part of routine prenatal testing. Then, for the first time, they grew mini-organs from cells taken during active pregnancies. They envision their approach could eventually help doctors monitor and treat congenital conditions before birth and develop personalized therapies for a baby in the womb.”
From Associated Press.
