News & Events
UNSW scientists unveil a giant leap for anti-ageing
UNSW researchers have made a discovery that could lead to a revolutionary drug that actually reverses ageing, improves DNA repair and could even help NASA get its astronauts to Mars.
In a paper published in Science today, the team identifies a critical step in the molecular process that allows cells to repair damaged DNA.
Working towards a drug to limit brain injury
UNSW researchers are teaming with an Australian drug development company to discover new treatments for the debilitating after-effects of brain injury, including stroke.
The research is focusing on the “cascade” effect that occurs after the primary injury, where damage continues to brain cells for hours and days after the primary injury event.
The collaboration with drug developers Noxopharm could result in the design of a neuroprotective compound that blocks the ability of calcium to enter healthy nerve cells, stemming the tide of damage.
Probiotics may not always be a silver bullet for better health
To combat the effects of a poor diet, probiotics may be just the thing. However, surprising new research from UNSW suggests probiotics are much less effective when taken alongside a balanced diet, and could even impair certain aspects of memory.
Researchers from UNSW Medicine studied the impact of a commonly used probiotic on the gut health and cognitive function of rats, which were fed either a healthy diet or a “cafeteria diet” high in saturated fat and sugar.
Head space workshop at UNSW is a no-brainer
How reliable are your senses? What neurobiology can you perform with your office chair and a roll of masking tape? What do growing nerve cells look like? What can a comparison of human brains with apes and other animals teach us about how the brain works?
Find out on Wednesday 15 March 2017 at the Museum of Human Disease at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) when researchers help people to get hands on with their brains (well, almost).
World Cancer Day: Uncovering pancreatic cancer’s genetic tricks
Understanding how tumours reprogram their metabolism to make the raw materials for building new cells is a burgeoning area in the search for new cancer therapies. Yet the underlying genetic changes that allow pancreatic cancer cells to reprogram their metabolism are not well understood.
Now, a UNSW-led research team have discovered that while individual pancreatic tumours share common metabolic pathways to meet the needs of rapid cell growth, each finds a unique genetic solution to drive this adaptation.
Scans reveal brain secrets of the long lost Tasmanian tiger
More than eighty years after the death of the last known Tasmanian tiger, scientists have used high tech imaging techniques to reconstruct the brain architecture of the apex predator for the first time, revealing new information about its intelligence and social life.
The UNSW and Emory University study, published in PLOS ONE, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to scan postmortem specimens of two thylacine brain specimens, both of which were about 100 years old.
Pain from nerve damage can be silenced, research finds
One person in Australia develops diabetes every five minutes, with up to half suffering peripheral nerve damage, meaning the slightest touch on the skin can cause pain. Now an international research team, led by Australian and German scientists, has discovered how to reverse this pain.
The study has been published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
The scientists have identified and successfully tested a molecule that can inhibit the function of a protein that turns touch receptors into pain receptors under the skin.
Research Check: can eating aged cheese help you age well?
Most people are interested in how to slow the ageing process, or at least they get more interested as the years tick by. So when new research promises to have discovered the secret, which happens to include eating more of a food that tastes great but often appears on “eat less” food lists, it is bound to make the headlines.
How the brain changes in Alzheimer's Disease: a new view
OPINION: Most people have heard of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. The disease has no cure and few, but inefficient, treatments. Despite their best efforts, doctors and researchers still don’t know the sequence of brain changes that causes this debilitating disorder.
Our new study challenges a commonly held view of how Alzheimer’s disease develops, and suggests a new clinical angle to reduce its impact.
So common, still no cure
Discovery opens door to new Alzheimer's treatments
Australian researchers have shed new light on the nerve cell processes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), overturning previously held ideas of how the disease develops and opening the door to new treatment options that could halt or slow its progression.
The study is published today in the prestigious journal Science.