Within recent years, there’s been an explosion of pet-related products and vigorous marketing campaigns to promote them – gourmet foods, designer outerwear, luxurious accessories. Mainstream media has aggressively promoted pets as valued family members, and most of us know a dog or two who is pampered and protected on par with a newborn baby! The status gap between domestic animals and their owners is quickly diminishing. So, it’s no wonder that clinical research and pharmaceutical drug discovery is devoting increased resources to pet meds – drugs that address conditions we would normally associate with humans, but that afflict that increasingly.. READ MORE »
April 15, 2014
Western medicine loves its pharmaceuticals. There are pills, injections, inhalers and patches for every conceivable ailment. It seems that each month brings a new drug delivery system to pharmacy shelves and medicine cabinets, promising to relieve or cure whatever ails us. Unfortunately, our dependence on chemical compounds has brought with it a slew of unwanted side-effects, the problem of antibiotic resistance, and in many cases has moved us no closer to preventing devastating disease. Looking instead to nature for answers, scientists from the universities of Bonn and Lille have presented groundbreaking clinical research on the cognitive benefits of caffeine. With.. READ MORE »
April 10, 2014
It’s like owning the world’s first spaceship; an incredibly powerful and cutting-edge device capable of speeding across the universe. But there’s no guidance system. So, you end up either flying in circles, or colliding disastrously with an interstellar object. Many of the most innovative compounds that enter clinical trials suffer a similar fate.
April 8, 2014
Most of us, even those who wouldn’t call themselves pet-friendly, would love to see an end to animal lab testing. But the truth is, the practice remains central to our discovery of essential new medicines. Every new therapy from cancer treatments to neurological therapies is first tested for safety on animals before being administered to humans. With few viable alternatives, clinical research and drug discovery has continued to rely on animal testing as an unavoidable evil. That is, until now. Focused on finding more humane solutions, scientists around the world are coming up with some astonishingly innovative animal-free testing options… READ MORE »
April 1, 2014
The safety debate over food colouring is nothing new. Most of us recall the recent Kraft dinner debacle that resulted in a widespread crusade against the retailer’s use of yellow dye #5 – the chemical that puts the neon in the noodles. Clinical research has linked the dye, otherwise known as tartrazine to numerous health problems, including migraines, anxiety, blurred vision, and hyperactivity in children. Tartrazine is considered to be the most allergenic of the dyes – and consumers have learned to avoid its telltale yellow glow. But now, recent tests have focused scrutiny on a new potentially dangerous colourant… READ MORE »
March 27, 2014
From applications in agriculture to forensics and pharmaceutical testing, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is an essential analytic tool across several market sectors. This year’s HPLC Conference will attract an interdisciplinary gathering of scientists dedicated to sharing experiences, exploring new techniques, and brainstorming solutions to challenges in the field of liquid-phase separation. From May 11-15, the New Orleans Hilton will host intensive HPLC courses, poster competitions and cutting-edge product demonstrations. HPLC 2014 presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest instrumentation and software while networking with industry experts and enthusiasts. Honouring the legacy of achievement While the conference focuses.. READ MORE »
March 25, 2014
When we think about our favourite apps, social media sites or video games, chances are we’re not considering how they might improve our health, further clinical research, or even save lives in the operating room. Doctors, healthcare professionals and patients are increasingly engaged with digital devices – technology that may have begun as entertainment, but has now evolved to hold a much more impactful place in our lives. Take a look at three of the most talked about tech trends that are changing the landscape of traditional health care. Quantitative Self and Personalized Big Data A new movement.. READ MORE »
March 20, 2014
Over the past 20 years, 3D printing has made incredible leaps forward – from paper products to spare parts for the space station, it seems there are few limits to what the technology can create. And those limits have been stretched even further by recent innovations in live tissue printing. Known as bioprinting, the process has enabled scientists to engineer bones and tissue from samples of a patient’s own cells, and it has tremendous potential in the areas of prosthetics, organ replacement and clinical research. With the power to change how drugs are tested and how disease is treated, 3D.. READ MORE »
March 18, 2014
Available in several Toronto wellness clinics and featured on a recent episode of Dr. Oz, intravenous vitamin therapy is gaining traction as a natural way to combat everything from low energy to advanced cancer. But does it really work? Nobel prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling thought so, and his well respected clinical research on the benefits of vitamin C goes back as far as the 1970s. Since then, researchers have continued to test the effects of super-high doses of vitamin C on terminal cases of cancer. And the results have meant years of successful remission for numerous patients. These days, vitamin.. READ MORE »
March 13, 2014
Most of us can relate to food label confusion. We’re already overwhelmed with the sheer number of options staring out from overstuffed grocery store shelves – and the chorus of instructions in our heads to watch out for gluten, dairy, soy, this fat, that sugar, and to quickly calculate how one serving would translate into amounts a real person actually eats…it’s exhausting. For the most part, consumers just end up giving in, throwing the can in the cart and moving on. It’s no wonder North America is plagued by epidemics of obesity, diabetes and general malnutrition – no one really.. READ MORE »
March 11, 2014
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