Innovations in Basic Research
Q: What about critics who say it’s a waste of time reading about what isn’t right?
A: Information, whether it supports or contradicts an idea, is what drives science forward. The philosopher Karl Popper pointed out that only one black swan was needed to repudiate the theory that all swans are white, which is what Europeans believed for thousands of years until the exploration of Australia introduced them to black swans.
Osteoarthritis: Why Joints Fail
What causes osteoarthritis? Not wear and tear, apparently, but bone lesions, misaligned joints and inflammation.
Protein Misfolding: Origami Medicine
When proteins misfold, cystic fibrosis and other ills ensue. New research aims to unwind the mistakes.
Longevity Research: Is Aging a Disease?
If illnesses that strike late in life have
a common root, similar therapies might help us avoid many of them.
The Time of Your Life
Do people who struggle with health problems as they age share biological similarities?
The Power of Platelets
Could self-donated plasma help soothe arthritic joints?
Folding Fixers
Misshapen proteins are implicated in a wide array of disorders. Here are just a few, and how drugs might restore function to errant proteins.
Where's the Money?
While U.S. scientists scramble for funding, Singapore’s may race ahead. But their carte isn’t entirely blanche.
Eating Away at You
Avoid gluten, and celiac disease loses its sting. But research continues, and breakthroughs might treat other disorders too.
The Science Factory
At Singapore’s gleaming Biopolis complex, researchers get all the money and lab support they need. What they don’t get is time.
green chemistry [grēn 'ke-mə-strē] n: the design of chemical products and processes that reduces the use or generation of hazardous substances, a move pharmaceutical companies are finding can save them millions.
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Tune in to Proto: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Medicine on ReachMD. Host Dr. Bruce Bloom interviews Mass General experts about evidence-based medicine, hormone therapy and more.
The most popular drug in the world—aspirin—might never have won FDA approval if the active ingredient hadn’t been isolated in 1828.
