The first NHS-led clinical trial for thyroid eye disease (TED), a disfiguring condition causing protruding eyes, double vision and swelling around the eyes, has shown that widely used, expensive and time consuming radiotherapy treatment does not help people who are also given steroid tablets. However, disease severity was reduced in people who also received antiproliferative … Continue reading First NHS-led clinical trial for thyroid eye disease

Concussion has become such a problem that researchers have now found players are more likely than not to sustain a concussion after twenty five matches in a single season. This rate, which came from an analysis of the 2015/16 rugby union data, was three times higher than the second most frequent injury, thigh haematoma (dead … Continue reading Concussion more likely than not after 25 rugby matches

The home of one of Europe’s most powerful MRI scanners has also become the home of the world’s first virtual artist in residence, as an autonomous computer artist takes its place amongst researchers at Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC). Cardiff University reports The Painting Fool, a computer program and aspiring painter on a … Continue reading Painting Fool at CUBRIC

A team at Cardiff University, led by Professor Jeremy Hall, has been awarded a £1m grant to harness the power of data science to improve early interventions and treatment in mental health. In recent years major progress has been made in understanding the genetic basis of many psychiatric disorders, and a substantial part of this … Continue reading £1m grant for data science mental health research

Researchers from Cardiff University have created the world’s first synthetic, non-biologic vaccine. Cardiff University reports the non-biologic influenza vaccine, which can be delivered orally, could herald a revolution in vaccine delivery. Stable at room temperature, the new type of vaccine, which could be given in pill form, does not require refrigeration, a process that can … Continue reading First step in development of pill-based vaccines

Cytox, an emerging precision medicine leader providing genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease, has announced that, in partnership with Cardiff University, they have been awarded funding by Innovate UK. The award is £800,000 out of a total project value of £1m over two years. BusinessWire reports the project will evaluate and validate the clinical utility of … Continue reading Cytox awarded Innovate UK funding for Alzheimer’s testing

Older people in Wales are being urged to think about donating their brains after they die to help scientists researching dementia. The BBC reports researchers at Cardiff University are not actively recruiting at the moment but are still keen to hear from people over eighty five without a diagnosis of dementia. While they also recruit … Continue reading Older people urged to donate their brains

Researchers at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University have discovered fifty new gene regions that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. They have also used state of the art information about brain development to accurately pinpoint new genes and biological pathways implicated in this disorder. Cardiff University reports the study, the … Continue reading Genetics reseachers close in on Schizophrenia

Cancer Research UK is planning to invest more than £5.5m over the next five years in groundbreaking research at Cardiff University’s Centre for Trials Research. Cardiff University reports the grant will allow doctors and scientists to continue researching and testing better and kinder treatments for patients. The Centre for Trials Research combines world class research … Continue reading £5.5m to help develop better and kinder cancer treatments

How the size, shape and structure of bones and joints contribute towards the development of common age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis will be investigated by an international research team thanks to a £1.6m Wellcome award. Musculoskeletal disorders are a leading cause of disability for older people in the UK, primarily due to low … Continue reading Understanding the causes of musculoskeletal diseases