Proteins from salmon blood can stop bleeding and alleviate pain. In pens and hatcheries along the coasts of New Brunswick, Canada, and Maine, USA, young salmon are growing into adults that will soon grace dinner plates around the world. But these fish have much more to offer than just their delicious pink meat. If on-going […]
biomedical research
Outlook: Addiction
Addiction is a chronic disease that can destroy the lives of individuals and their families. Researchers are teasing apart the complex neural, genetic and behavioural factors that drive people to lose the ability to resist damaging substances, and are looking for ways to treat, reverse or even prevent addictions. Read more in this special Outlook supplement […]
Tight budgets complicate Canadian health research reforms
A major overhaul of the grant and peer review system at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is underway. But will finances and objections from researchers hamper plans? The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) received some good news in the federal government’s pre-election budget this spring: a modest CAN$15 million increase in its $1 […]
Qatar forges ahead with science vision
Brian Owens visited Qatar to see how the tiny Gulf state is working to become a world leader in health and life sciences research as part of its broader national vision for 2030. Qatar might be small, but it has big ambitions in several realms, including science. The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community […]
Qatar is a research bonanza for foreigners
Qatar’s heavy investment in medical research is attracting Canadians. For Kim Critchley, dean of the University of Calgary’s Qatar campus, the biggest advantage to doing research in the tiny Arabian Gulf country is clear: the availability of research funding. “You have this large funding pool, and less competition to access funds,” she says. “Your chance […]
Outlook: Melanoma
Melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — is on the rise in many parts of the world. But new treatments, and efforts to tell people how to prevent it, could mean we will soon gain the upper hand on the disease. Read more in this Nature Outlook I edited.
Strategies to reduce the use of antibiotics in animals
New drugs that could eventually replace or reduce the use of antibiotics in animals are in development to help slow the rise of antibiotic resistance. Imagine a farm with over 100,000 head of cattle, each one receiving daily low-dose antibiotics in their food or water, not to treat illness, but to make them put on […]
Lasker Foundation announces 2014 award winners
Five researchers have been honoured for their clinical and basic science research, including the scientists who developed deep brain stimulation for neuromotor diseases. Read more in The Lancet.
Mapping biomedical research in the USA
An overview of biomedical research in the USA—the major funders, trends, and strengths and weaknesses facing the world’s major scientific superpower. The biomedical research landscape in the USA is so vast and comprehensive that it can be difficult to get a handle on specifics. But within the expanse of the biomedical specialty, there are a […]