Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that ‘locks’ patients in their own bodies, clear-headed but unable to move or speak. A research group at the University of Malta is looking for therapeutic targets to treat the disease while supporting ALS patients and their families through their condition.
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Malta depends on subterranean groundwater for agriculture, industry, and a large population. A University of Malta initiative, Project SIGMA, is monitoring groundwater sources not by digging for them, but by listening.
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We all agree that traffic can be exhausting. But it can also simply be exhaust. Vehicle exhaust emissions originate from their tailpipes and have been strongly regulated to tackle emissions of air pollutants. However, Maltese researchers recently found that this type of emission is not the major contributor to particulate emissions from vehicles. THINK takes a closer look under the hood.
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ALS is a motor neuron disease which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Genes play a major role in causing the disease. In her PhD project, Dr Rebecca Borg explored the cause of this debilitating disease in Malta, specifically identifying which altered genes are unique to Maltese ALS patients.
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In Malta, around 10% of the local population is affected by diabetes. This is especially alarming considering that diabetes can affect the blood and nervous system and eventually even lead to foot amputations. Researchers from the University of Malta (UM) and Mater Dei Hospital are trying to address this problem in their project Sit_Diab: Smart Insole Technology for the Diabetic Foot. They developed a novel method of detecting foot complications early enough to take action in time to help save limbs.
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Do you ever recall those moments in nature, where tiny insects seem to mistake you for a tree? Not only do they walk vertically upwards with incredible grip, but as they are brushed off and fall to the ground, they just nonchalantly walk away. No big deal. Except, when put into perspective, an ant falling from your arm is as though a person fell off a rooftop and walked away untouched. Why do small insects, and ants specifically, never seem to take any fall damage?
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To defeat your enemy, you must understand your enemy. We can’t confirm if Sun Tzu would agree with this, but the MPitNET group at the University of Malta (UM) certainly does. THINK dives into their efforts in understanding – and hopefully defeating – pituitary tumours.
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Over half the global population now lives in cities. As the march of urbanisation trudges on, cities across the globe face mounting pressure to think of urban and green futures for communities in the face of the climate crisis. But creating a plan for a sustainable future risks missing the green mark if citizens are not given a seat at the table to express their needs and desires, leading to a waste of resources or solutions that no one uses.
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On 21 October 2022, HUMS presented their first event of the new academic year! Four speakers explored ‘forensics’ in a variety of scenarios, from police work and literature to archaeology and medicine. Just in case you missed it, we’ve prepared an article to bring you up to scratch!
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COVID-19 vaccines are very good at equipping our bodies with immune defences required to fight the virus should we get infected. However, immunocompromised people may not be protected even if they have received all doses of a vaccine. An international project aims to engineer antibodies that tackle the virus. Bacteriophages can be an important tool to develop these.
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