Scientists from three universities have developed a non-invasive diagnostic tool that combines the functions of virtual biopsy and molecular imaging to significantly improve clinical diagnosis of skin diseases, researchers said on Thursday.
Experiments conducted on laboratory animals using the new tool have been successful and results show the tool can effectively detect indications of oral cancer in hamsters, team members said, adding that they were looking forward to conducting human testing.
The team — led by Shieh Dar-bin (謝達斌) of National Cheng-Kung University, Sun Chi-kuang (孫啟光) of National Taiwan University and Lin Kuan-jiuh (林寬鋸) of National Chung-Hsing University — has presented its findings in the journals Optics Express and Advanced Materials.
Shieh, an oral surgeon, said that it was very difficult to determine if a patient has oral cancer.
With the help of the new tool, surgeons can more easily locate a cancer nidus without invasive measures, Shieh said.
In related news, researchers at the National Health Research Institute said on Thursday that the Taiwanese subproject of a phase two clinical test for cancer drug ADI-PEG 20 has been successful and that following phase three clinical testing, the drug should be on the market some time next year.
They said ADI-PEG 20 is a protein drug that can break down the arginine in human blood to inhibit the development of cancer cells.
Arginine, an alpha-amino acid, plays a vital role in cell division, wound healing, ammonia removal, immune functions and the release of hormones.
Once the arginine in blood is removed, cancer cells will lose their most important source of nutrition, leading to their death. Normal cells will survive arginine deprivation because they can synthesize arginine within themselves, the scientists said.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS