American Scientists Turn Stem Cells Into Killing Machines To Fight Brain Cancer
Scientists from Harvard Medical School have discovered a way of turning stem cells into killing machines to fight brain cancer.
In experiments on mice, the stem cells were genetically engineered to produce and secrete toxins which kill brain tumors, without killing normal cells or themselves. Researchers said the next stage was to test the procedure in humans.
A stem cell expert said this was “the future” of cancer treatment.
The study, published in the journal Stem Cells, was the work of scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
For many years, they had been researching a stem-cell-based therapy for cancer, which would kill only tumor cells and no others. They used genetic engineering to make stem cells that spewed out cancer-killing toxins, but, crucially, were also able to resist the effects of the poison they were producing. They also posed no risk to normal, healthy cells. (Romania Libera)
Youths Leaving Special Protection System Are Vulnerable And Low-Skilled, Study Says
Young people who leave the child protection system have no practical skills needed on the labor market, are not used to observing norms and sticking to a work schedule, know their rights very well, but do not know they also have obligations.
These are the main conclusions of a study conducted by the Romanian Research Institute for Quality of Life, at the request of the Scheherazade Foundation.
The study analyzed the opportunities enjoyed by youths aged 17 to 26 after leaving foster care. (Adevarul)
Finance Minister: Romania To Keep 16% Flat Tax Rate Unchanged
Romania’s Finance Ministry will keep the 16% flat tax rate unchanged and has no intention to increase taxes on the means of transportation and lands, said Finance Minister Ioana-Maria Petrescu.
Moreover, the government takes responsibility for the lowering by 5 percentage points of the social security contributions paid by employers and plans to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on vegetables and fruit to 9% from the current 24%. (Jurnalul National)
Bankers Say Still-Weak Economy Should Spark More Concerns
Although some banks operating in Romania failed the stress test conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB), bankers warned that everybody should be more concerned about the economy not showing signs of rebound.
The economic stagnation will also impact the banking system.
A check of banks across the European Union showed that 25 lenders, all from the euro zone, were too weak to withstand a three-year recession in a test aimed at drawing a line under the single currency’s area’s protracted debt crisis.
The European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU’s banking watchdog that coordinated the stress test of 123 banks, said the lenders that failed to maintain a core capital ratio of 5.5% at the end of the test, had a combined capital shortfall of EUR24.6 billion at the end of 2013. The euro zone banks now have two weeks to come up with plans for plugging any capital holes uncovered by the stress test within nine months. (Romania Libera)
BCR Revises Down Romania’s 2014 GDP Growth Forecast To 1.8%
Romania’s largest lender Banca Comerciala Romana, or BCR, revised downwards its forecast on Romania’s economic growth to 1.8% in 2014 and 3% in 2015, due to the very low public investments and gradual deceleration of Romania’s main trading partners, the bank said Monday.
BCR, a unit of Austria’s Erste Group Bank (EBS.RO), had previously estimated a GDP growth of 2.3% in 2014 and 3.3% in 2015.
In September, Prime Minister Victor Ponta stated that Romania should spend over $3 billion on public investments by the end of the year, but the funds, covered from the state budget, are difficult to spend due to procedural bureaucracy.
The convergence report submitted by Romania to the EC in the spring envisages a headline budget deficit of 1.4% of GDP in 2015 and a structural budget deficit of 1% of GDP, but BCR analysts consider it as “an ambitious fiscal consolidation”. (Adevarul)