Scientists search Palau's coral reefs for new anti-cancer drugs

Replanting and replenishing damaged ecosystems is crucial to mitigating further adverse effects of climate change. From the forests of the American Pacific Northwest, to the coral reefs around the globe, startups and scientists are working to increase the resilience of natural systems. DroneSeed, in Seattle, WA, leverages drone technology to increase reforestation efforts. Meanwhile, biologists in Thailand are working to cultivate hardy corals.

As corals die-off globally, research groups around the world are working on a suite of remedies. From Australia to Florida, scientists are breeding resilient corals strains, transplanting healthy corals to new areas, and even applying antibiotics. But the solutions aren't yet scalable. Unless stresses like global warming and pollution are also addressed, such research is likely not enough.

Immunotherapy has shown promise as an alternative to radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery for treating certain kinds of cancer. By modifying the body’s own immune system to fight lymphoma, Doctor Steve Rosenberg has seen success in clinical trials. The technique has benefitted from recent breakthroughs in genetic engineering that allows for the reprogramming of immune cells.

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that kill bacteria by latching on to and entering target cells and then multiplying and killing the host cell. Phages only attack bacteria, they can’t enter human cells, but the phage must be specific to the bacteria's DNA, which presents an obstacle because most health systems lack the capacity for such testing. To overcome this, researchers are developing phage cocktails that could be applied more widely, similar to antibiotics. A few locations around the world currently use phage treatment, particularly to treat the six most virulent antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

With many women skipping routine mammograms due to COVID-19 restrictions, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital are using an artificial intelligence algorithm to identify those at risk for developing breast cancer. The approach has proved successful in multiple instances, with those flagged by the algorithm three times as likely to develop cancer. “What the AI tools are doing is they're extracting information that my eye and my brain can't,” a doctor using the tool explained.

Across the world, research is being done to figure out if probiotics – live bacteria that hold numerous health benefits – can help animals other than humans. Thus far, such treatments have yielded success in labs working with amphibians, brown bats, and coral, demonstrating that humans can help treat wildlife diseases. While the research continues to show success, many are now figuring out how to give this sort of treatment in nature and on much larger scales.

Because of drastic reef declines globally, coral reef restoration efforts have gained support in recent years. To understand how to do it, a hardy band of conservationists in the Caribbean are looking at how corals reproduce. But as these scientists acknowledge, raising corals is challenging and complex. And such restoration is no silver bullet for continual habitat loss, pollution, and ocean acidification.

Kenya is among the first countries in African to have a cancer test machine that will help cut the time and cost it takes to diagnose cancer. A medical laboratory services firm acquired the IDYLLA lab machine that allows doctors to test for genetic markers for certain kinds of cancer, which helps doctors pinpoint specific medicines more accurately. That means fewer side effects and better chances for survival and cures.

Leafhoppers may sound like a harmless term to the untrained ear, but vineyard owners will quickly disagree. These insects have a history of invading and devastating vineyards across the U.S. and Europe. Entomologists may have uncovered a solution however, via studying how the leafhoppers mate. By replicating their vibrational mating calls, so to speak, they are able to hinder the species ability to mate, thus slowing down their reproduction rates.

New Zealand has an ambitious initiative in place to eradicate millions of evasive species by 2050, but that doesn't mean researchers have halted short-term actions to stabilized species and avoid extinction. The kakapo, a parrot-type of bird, is a prime example. While efforts have been taken for over a century to save the bird, most recently researchers have succeeded in not only moving the kakapos to three predator-free islands around the country, but also in aiding breeding efforts by monitoring the growth of chicks.