http://ec.europa.eu//research/index.cfm?pg=whatsnew en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:08:19 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss For more RSS news feeds click the link above. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:08:19 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_06_14_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30393 Modern medicine has come a long way, but the mere thought of having a heart defect can still rattle us to our very core. The heart is a human body’s engine room. Each time its beat propels blood through our bodies, it is a reassuring affirmation of our existence.]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-06-14:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_06_14_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30393 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_06_12_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30353 Targeting existing proteins in the human body which contribute to the growth of cancerous cells can help researchers develop tailor-made treatments. A team of EU researchers is working on ways to trick the proteins which ordinarily aid cancer growth into delivering therapeutic treatments directly to the cancerous cells.]]> Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-06-12:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_06_12_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30353 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_06_04_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30253 DevelopAKUre is a European Union (EU)-funded research project which is working to establish a safe, reliable treatment for a rare and hitherto incurable disease. Caused by a genetic mutation, Alkaptonuria (AKU) leads to a severe and early-onset form of osteoarthritis and can also cause heart problems. ]]> Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-06-04:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_06_04_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30253 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=127&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30234 There are around 1.5 million sporting facilities in Europe helping people have fun, stay healthy, and have fun. ]]> Mon, 03 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-06-03:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=127&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30234 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_29_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30193 A potentially ground-breaking human drug trial is currently underway, which aims to discover whether blood pressure medication can slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). This is the latest in EU-funded studies, which are being made public to highlight the European Month of the Brain. ]]> Wed, 29 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-29:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_29_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30193 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30075 ENRAH-SME was a pioneering European Union (EU)-funded project which laid the crucial groundwork for a major breakthrough in the understanding and potential treatment of a rare childhood neurological disease.]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-22:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_22_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30075 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=126&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30073 The brain controls our thinking, feelings and movements and a new exhibition in southern France aims to reveal some of its secrets. ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-21:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=126&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30073 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30013 Two professors believe they may have a promising lead from which to develop a new treatment for obesity and diabetes. ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-16:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=30013 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-pancaresurfup&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30014 "If I have received radiotherapy to my abdomen (to treat cancer) and I have a heart problem or a new cancer 30 years later, to what extent is this linked to the radiotherapy I received?" asks Dr Lars Hjorth of Lund University in Sweden. ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-16:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-pancaresurfup&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30014 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_15_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29993 Psychiatric disorders are a major, though often "hidden", health problem. It is estimated that mental disorders affect more than 160 million Europeans - 38% of the population each year. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in four of us will suffer from at least one mental disorder during our lifetime. In addition to the direct impact this has on patients and their families, the impact on national healthcare systems is significant. In Europe, the annual cost is estimated to be more than €200 billion. ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-15:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_15_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29993 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_14_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29973 The ability to measure concentrations of oxygen inside living human cells is a key requirement to help advance our understanding and treatment of a range of serious medical conditions. These include ischaemic stroke (where the stroke is caused by a blockage in the artery, preventing sufficient oxygen from reaching the brain), neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. ]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-14:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_14_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29973 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_13_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29953 Cancer causes some 13% of deaths worldwide. Of these deaths, some 90% are caused not by the original cancer, but by its spread to other parts of the body. These secondary cancers, known as metastases, are most often caused by 'circulating tumour cells' (CTCs) which escape from the primary tumour and travel around the body in the bloodstream. In the process, CTCs often undergo modifications that make them more resistant to treatment than the primary tumours. ]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-13:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_13_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29953 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29920 Understanding how the brain processes new skills and actions can help to improve learning and aid research into neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. An EU-funded project has collected new data on the development of neural mechanisms of action learning and habit formation and addiction through the manipulation of the brain’s molecular networks. This could lead to breakthroughs in thought-controlled prostheses.]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29920 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29913 The health impact of indoor air pollution is a real environmental health issue, which is believed to have a bearing on respiratory conditions such as asthma. This has prompted a European study to take action. While outdoor pollution is often cited as the cause of many asthma related issues, indoor threats are also being addressed in the light of World Asthma Day.]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29913 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-syscilia&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29916 A world without hearing, sight or smell; without music, the light of the day or the scent of a delicious meal. This is the reality for those who suffer from congenital cilia diseases, a condition stemming from genetic defects; they go through life missing one or more senses. ]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-syscilia&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29916 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-multimod&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29915 There are some problems that are more complicated than others, and some problems that are more common than others. Unfortunately, when it comes to disease, complex diseases are also the most common ones. ]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-multimod&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29915 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_02_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29873 Despite a massive research effort, cancer is still a major killer in Europe. European researchers are working on a sugar-based drug-delivery system which they believe will boost the potency of anti-cancer drugs, helping them reach and destroy cancerous cells more effectively. The project team has developed particles tiny enough to invade cancer cells and deliver treatments to the very heart of the tumour.]]> Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-02:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_02_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29873 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_29_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29833 For Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, of the University of Uppsala in Sweden, news that the European Union (EU) was to provide funding for a project aimed at using research into canine genetics as a kind of 'fast-track' to help provide cures for many important human diseases marked the achievement of a long-held ambition.]]> Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-29:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_29_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29833 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_26_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29813 Age related hearing loss (ARHL) is far too easily ignored. Its onset is insidious. Its progression gradual. People with declining hearing often mistakenly believe the problem is that their conversation partners mumble or speak too quickly – and as hearing ability diminishes further, social exchanges slowly turn from fluid repertoires to too many non sequiturs. Frustrated from no longer being able to understand others well in social settings, people may stop going to the theatre or senior centres, or even just to a restaurant with friends or family. This social isolation, in turn, is associated with depression and cognitive decline. Disturbances of gait and balance have also been linked to ARHL.]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-26:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_26_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29813 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29753 Each year, twice as many people die in Europe from hospital acquired infections than from road accidents. These infectious diseases have developed antibiotic resistance and spread despite the best efforts of staff, mainly through textiles like bed linen. But the technology developed by a European research project helps fight back against the so-called superbugs, by using a revolutionary nanotechnology to treat bed linen and other textiles.]]> Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-23:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29753 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_19_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29713 European researchers have identified new biological indicators that can predict, among other things, the likely effectiveness of 'interferon-ß', a vital treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) that is only effective in 50% of patients, in the treatment of individuals with MS. The ‘UEPHA-MS’ network has also discovered that ‘natural killer cells’ can influence the effectiveness of certain drugs. These and other findings are helping to put MS treatment in sharper focus.]]> Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-19:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_19_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29713 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29673 The hardening of arteries – also known as 'atherosclerosis' – can cause cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. New evidence has been uncovered strengthening the link between inflammation – a defensive reaction of the body – and cardiovascular diseases. This could lead to new innovative preventive and therapeutic strategies, and perhaps ultimately to a cure for atherosclerosis.]]> Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-16:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_16_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29673 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_11_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29636 Parkinson's disease is the second most widespread neurodegenerative disease in the world, with an estimated 1.2 million sufferers in Europe alone. One Marie Curie Fellow is carrying out innovative genetic research that could one day lead to a better prognosis for patients.]]> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-11:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_11_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29636 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-mimic&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29635 A multidisciplinary EU-funded research team has successfully tested a pioneering HIV-detection technique that is ten times more sensitive than any identification method used to date. The new methodology, which offers a much simpler and cheaper naked-eye-based read-out and could be commercialised in future, has also achieved positive results in similar early detection tests for different types of cancer. ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-10:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-mimic&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29635 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29593 In countries with well-developed healthcare systems, dying as a direct result of a condition brought on by pregnancy is a remote and shocking possibility. Nevertheless, one such condition, pre-eclampsia, affects 2% of all first-time mothers, and, moreover, to date no viable screening test has been developed. ]]> Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-04-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_04_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29593