Public urged to quit vaping as deaths, lung illnesses rise

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

The AMA urged the public to stop using e-cigarettes until scientists have a better handle on the cause of 450 lung illnesses and at least five deaths.

Cell repairs holds clues for cancer

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Nobel discoveries on DNA repair are now fueling cancer drug research

HIV girl in 12-year remission

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

A French teenager born with HIV and treated until age six is still free from infection 12 years after stopping treatments.

Transforming the hunt for new drugs

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Drug manufacturers have begun amassing enormous troves of human DNA in a move that could transform medicine.

NextCode stakes claim in pediatric market

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Startup NextCode Health will use gene-hunting tools to help a leading US hospital identify causes of rare diseases in children.

Genes could be key to Ebola survival

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

New study provides strong evidence that genetic differences play a major role in whether people die from the disease.

Why do some survive Ebola?

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

An analysis of the first Ebola cases helps draw a clearer picture of why some people survive, while others don't.

Bird flu mishap: CDC may never know

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

CDC Director Dr Thomas Frieden has called it 'the most distressing' in a series of safety breaches.

Gene tests offer hope for cancer patients

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

A new way of evaluating tumours may soon help cancer patients identify the underlying genetic link to their disease.

Silent witness: What about milder MERS cases?

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Since MERS is an entirely new virus, there are no drugs to treat it and no vaccines capable of preventing its spread.

Scientist to make humanised pig organs

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Genome pioneer J. Craig Venter to develop pig lungs that have been genetically altered to be compatible with humans.

Gene unlocked for mystery brain disease

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

A mutation responsible for a rare brain disorder that may have plagued Turkish families for centuries has been found.

Gates-backed TB drug shows promise

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

The first experimental drug that fights both conventional and drug-resistant forms of TB is advancing to late-stage clinical testing.

Scientists build synthetic chromosome

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Instead of just copying nature, the team did extensive tinkering with their chromosome, deleting unwanted genes.

Genome whiz takes on ageing

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

The US scientist who created synthetic life in 2010 is now on a quest to treat age-related disease.

Twin studies unlock mysteries of HIV

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

US scientists have discovered the basic mechanisms that allow HIV to wipe out the body's immune system and cause Aids.

Laureates worry about future of basic science

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

The kind of science that helped Randy Schekman win the Nobel medicine prize might never have been funded if he had applied today.

Mutation could cause ‘severe flu pandemic’

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

The head of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says the current strain of bird flu cannot spark a pandemic in its current form.

Even mummies had clogged arteries

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

CT scans of 137 mummies spanning four geographies and 4 000 years of history show that hardening of the arteries was commonplace.

Baby cured of HIV raises new questions

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Scientists say it will take a lot more research and much more sensitive diagnostics before this hope becomes a reality.

Early treatment key for HIV baby

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

A baby girl in Mississippi who was born with HIV has been “cured” after very early treatment with standard drug therapy.

Organ on a chip?

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Researchers have begun testing drugs using a microchip lined with living cells that replicates many of the features of a human lung.

Harvard affiliate apologises for promoting 'weak' study

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

A Harvard-affiliated hospital is backing away from its decision to promote a paper linking the artificial sweetener aspartame and cancer.

Rapid gene sequencing could save lives

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Typically, genetic testing on newborns using conventional methods takes four to six weeks, long enough that the infant has either died or been sent home.

Poking fun at real scientific oddities

Julie Steenhuysen|Published

Designers of a device that can silence blowhards are among the winners of Ig Nobel prizes for the oddest and silliest real discoveries.