Life

Autism and Intellectual Disability: new findings

New research by The Open University, King’s College London, the University of Cambridge and Birkbeck College suggests that the causes of autism and intellectual disability are mostly distinct.

Fellowship boosts ovarian and prostate cancer research partnership

Researchers at the University of Patras, Greece, have joined forces with a team at the OU to study different tumour markers with the aim of developing novel therapeutic and diagnostic reagents for use in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian and prostate cancers.

…from broken innocence to a healthy future

The fieldwork of PhD student Kgauhelo Lekalakala received a boost recently when she attended the Infant Trust’s conference in Limpopo, South Africa.  Her research topic is: An examination of community discourses about sexual abuse of preschool children in Limpopo – South Africa. The Trust, which helps to relieve the problems caused by the sexual abuse of infants and small children in South Africa, is funding Kgauhelo’s studies jointly with the OU and there are plans for another co-funded student.

Voluntary sector care homes are best

Residential care homes for the elderly that are run by the voluntary sector offer a better overall standard of care than public or privately run homes, according to a recent study by researchers Julia Johnson and Sheena Rolph of the OU’s Faculty of Health & Social Care. They also found that voluntary sector homes had the most stable histories.

Stopping Memory Decline in its Tracks

Potential drug candidates to treat memory deficits or prevent memory decline, are being developed by a multidisciplinary team of European researchers, including OU researcher Professor Mike Stewart.

New test for predicting risk of colorectal cancer

Open University researchers have been awarded a World Cancer Research Fund grant to develop a test to predict whether someone is at risk of colorectal (colon) cancer.