Field: Medicine
One way to speed up clinical trials: Skip right to the data with electronic medical records
It takes around 17 years for medical research to translate into clinical practice — why not use EMR data to speed things up?
New drug delivery tech could ensure you never forget your meds
Rice University's new drug delivery tech uses biodegradable microparticles to administer medications exactly when and where they are needed.
Tuberculosis kills over a million people a year. New breakthroughs may help humanity fight back.
The world needs a tuberculosis vaccine, but the challenge trials that could help are impossible to run. Two new approaches look to change that.
Epilepsy surgery has a success rate of only 50%. This digital brain may change that.
Using patient data and AI, French researchers have created a digital model of the brain to figure out which brain region needs removed.
Viruses cause 200+ diseases. This one drug may be able to treat them all.
New Zealand-based startup Kimer Med wants to create an antiviral that would be effective against many known viruses — and unknown.
New mRNA therapy could bring an end to peanut allergies
A new peanut allergy treatment based on mRNA could potentially lead to therapies that prevent all types of allergies in people.
Narcan is now available over-the-counter in the US
Naloxone administered by nasal spray can be a lifesaving drug with minimal side effects. It's now approved for over-the-counter use in the U.S.
How close are we to reversing paralysis?
Thanks to groundbreaking innovations in neuroscience, we’re seeing that forms of paralysis long assumed to be permanent can be reversed.
This man is trying to live underwater for a record-breaking 100 days
Biomedical engineer Joseph Dituri is attempting to break a world record by living in an underwater habitat for 100 days.
3D-printing the brain’s blood vessels with silicone could personalize neurosurgery
3D printing could make blood vessel replicas with the soft feel and the structural accuracy surgeons need.
Saliva: The next frontier in cancer detection
Scientists are finding tumor signals in spit that could be key to developing diagnostic tests for various types of cancer
Spread of deadly cancer delayed by organ transplant drug
A groundbreaking discovery on how pancreatic cancer spreads could lead to better therapies for the hard-to-treat disease.
Bird flu is everywhere. Are the vaccines ready?
As avian influenza continues to devastate the bird population and jump into mammals, scientists are preparing to protect two important groups.
Pfizer’s nasal spray for migraines is heading to pharmacies
The FDA has approved Pfizer’s zavegepant, a nasal spray for migraines that can ease pain in as few as 15 minutes.
Here’s how your sleep affects your immune system
Researchers found that patients who slept less than six hours a night were 27% more likely to have an infection.
Canadian students discover EpiPens will turn toxic in space
Canadian students launched EpiPen solution into suborbital space, and what came back was no longer life-saving medicine.
A single injection of stem cells slashes risk of heart attack or stroke by 58%
An injection of stem cells reduced the risk of heart attack or stroke by 58% in a trial of people with heart failure.
Does online opioid treatment work?
A sudden shift to virtual health care has increased access — and possibly outcomes — for patients with opioid use disorder.
Volunteers were purposefully infected with COVID-19. Was it worth it?
It has been a year since the first COVID human challenge data was published. What did we learn, and can HCTs prepare us for the future?
New drug could extend lives of people with deadly bone cancer
A new drug might extend the lives of people with bone cancer without subjecting them to painful or unpleasant treatments.
Scientists inject stem cells into the brain of Parkinson’s patient
A new stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease has just been administered to the brain of a person for the first time.
New transplant technique cures type 1 diabetes in monkeys
Massachusetts General researchers have developed a new form of transplantation that cured type 1 diabetes in monkeys.
Tirzepatide: A novel obesity drug ushers in a new era of weight loss — because this one works (Updated)
Patients who received tirzepatide in a recent clinical study lost more than 20% of their body weight (52 pounds, or 23.6 kg).
Oral bacteria trigger rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups
Periodontal (gum) disease is more common in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, implicating the former in causing the latter.
First at-home test can tell you if it’s COVID or flu
The FDA has granted authorization to an at-home test that can tell COVID from flu, the first of its kind.
New MS treatment targets the gut microbiome
We may be able to prevent chronic inflammation in multiple sclerosis patients by manipulating their gut microbiomes.
Small wonders: The antibodies from camels and sharks that could change medicine
A handful of animals make a pared-down version of our own antibodies. Scientists hope to harness them as treatments for human illnesses.
New light therapy could make cancer treatment better and safer
A new light-activated cancer treatment developed in the UK could make existing therapies better and safer.
A new look at the strange case of the first gene-edited babies
Did He Jiankui "Make People Better"? A new documentary leans toward a different narrative about gene-editing than we've heard before.
This $1 pill cuts binge drinking
Naltrexone, a medication that costs less than $1 per dose, helped people cut back on their binge drinking in a small study
A single dose of an old drug could save 2 million mothers from sepsis every year
A large international study has found that a single oral dose of a common antibiotic can “significantly” reduce the risk of maternal sepsis
How diet influences the conflict between cell “cooperators” and “cheaters”
Cancer-protective microbes support cooperative behaviour by bodily cells, but cancer-inducing microbes undermine it.
New CAR-T therapy shows promise against ovarian tumors
A CAR T-cell therapy that’s effective in mice with ovarian cancer may bring us closer to using the blood cancer treatment against tumors.
Scientists have discovered how to make almost any vaccine more potent
An approach called “rational vaccinology” could allow us to design more powerful vaccines, just by rearranging their ingredients.
“Brain-eating” amoeba beaten by old European drug
A man infected by a deadly brain-eating amoeba is on the road to recovery thanks to a decades-old drug used to treat urinary tract infections.
New evidence that teeth can fill their own cavities
Researchers find that, in some cases, tooth dentin can be regrown instead of needing to be replaced with man-made composite.
ChatGPT-like AI creates new bacteria-killing proteins
Using a large language model AI, biotech startup Profluent has created new antimicrobial proteins.
Simple tweak to cancer treatment reduces relapse risk by 28%
Delivering chemotherapy to colon cancer patients before and after surgery — instead of just after — reduces their risk of recurrence by 28%.
This “ultrasound vortex” can quickly clear blood clots
Using spiraling ultrasound waves, researchers hope to remove stroke-causing blood clots faster and safer.
Microbiome-safe method could head off Staph infection
A microbiome-friendly method of controlling Staph colonization has aced phase 2 clinical trials.
New biomarker test accurately predicts who will respond to antidepressant
Alto Neuroscience’s depression drug seems effective in early trials, a proof-of-concept for biomarker-based design.
New mRNA vaccine factory is made from shipping containers
BioNTech is sending a modular mRNA vaccine factory that can produce 50 million COVID-19 vaccines annually to Africa.
Moderna’s RSV vaccine over 80% effective in early analysis
Moderna’s mRNA RSV vaccine for adults looks to be over 80% effective, based on early data from a large phase 3 trial.
Particles packed with mRNA reduce wrinkles in mice
A new delivery method for mRNA therapies could open the doors to better treatments for aging, cancer, and more.
Stanford nasal study could lead to “morning after” virus spray
A “morning after” antiviral nasal spray could be created using new knowledge about how SARS-CoV-2 invades your nose.
5 biotech trends to watch in 2023
After a monumental year of breakthroughs, scientists, investors, and CEOs share which areas of biotech they are eagerly watching this year.
New brain cancer treatment trialed in children for the first time
MRI-guided focused ultrasound has been used to deliver chemo into the brain of a pediatric cancer patient for the first time.
“Jumping genes”: A new model of Alzheimer’s
A new hypothesis suggests that Alzheimer's disease is the result of "jumping genes" in the brain, not inflammation or plaque.
Resurrecting a 2.6 billion-year-old ancient CRISPR system
Researchers have resurrected an ancient CRISPR system 2.6 billion years old, capable of editing genes in the modern day.
Google sister company aims to eradicate dengue from a tropical country
Verily, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, believes it can eliminate Singapore’s dengue problem.
The first ever honey bee vaccine has arrived
The USDA has conditionally approved a honey bee vaccine to protect the important insects from American foulbrood, a brutal bacterial infection.
Chickenpox and shingles virus lying dormant in your neurons can reactivate and increase your risk of stroke
People with shingles have an approximately 80% higher risk of stroke than those without the disease, and researchers want to know why.
FDA approves new Alzheimer’s medication
Lecanemab, a new Alzheimer’s medication shown to slow cognitive decline in patients, has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA.
Mother’s mitochondria used to treat her child’s rare genetic disorder
A new therapy that treats children with rare mtDNA mutations using mitochondria sourced from their mothers has now been tested in patients.
New mRNA universal flu vaccine against all known subtypes takes promising first steps
A new universal flu vaccine candidate that uses mRNA to target all known flu subtypes looks promising in animal models.
New stem cell patches could repair babies’ heart defects permanently
Stem cell patches under development in the UK might allow surgeons to permanently repair infants congenital heart defects.
Seven science and tech breakthroughs you may have missed this year
A roundup of major science and tech achievements that flew under the radar in 2022, including new vaccines, advanced solar cells, and more.
How to use the brain’s own immune cells to stave off Alzheimer’s
Research suggests that microglia play a key role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases by helping to remove toxic waste.
New “future-proof” drug can fight COVID-19 and the common cold
Researchers have identified a compound capable of stopping multiple coronaviruses in cell and tissue models.
First-of-its-kind therapy sends girl’s incurable cancer into remission
A first-of-its-kind CAR T-cell therapy sent a UK girl’s blood cancer into remission when all other treatments failed.
Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine reduces risk of recurrence or death by 44%
Moderna’s new mRNA cancer vaccine reduced melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death by 44% compared to a standard treatment alone.
Cheap liver drug can prevent COVID-19
A cheap, readily available drug used to treat liver disease could also prevent COVID-19 infections — regardless of the variant.
A new class of antidepressant works in 2 hours
Most types of antidepressants work by increasing neurotransmitter levels throughout the brain, which take weeks. A new drug takes hours.
Breakthrough drug cures sleeping sickness with one dose
A new, one-dose treatment for lethal sleeping sickness was 95% effective at clearing the parasite from patients.
“DALL-E 2 of biology” designs proteins for new drugs
The Chroma AI's ability to design proteins with structures no one has ever seen before could revolutionize medicine.
These tiny bubbles are “warheads” for killing cancer
By combining tiny nanobubbles with ultrasound, Israeli researchers showed they can destroy tumors.
Old Parkinson’s drug helps teens with type 1 diabetes
The Parkinson’s disease drug bromocriptine lowered blood pressure and reduced aortic stiffness in young people with type 1 diabetes.
Scientists uncover key to future hepatitis C vaccine
While treatments are available for HCV-related infections, they are expensive, hard to access, and do not protect against reinfection.
FDA approves US’s first fecal transplant therapy
The FDA has approved Rebyota, a slurry used during fecal transplant therapy to treat recurrent C. difficile infections.
How flu got milder since 1918 pandemic
The risk of death from influenza has declined over time, but globally, hundreds of thousands of people still die from the disease each year.
Newly discovered gut bacteria may be a culprit behind rheumatoid arthritis
This bacteria is found only in the intestines of people with rheumatoid arthritis, and not in the intestines of healthy people.
How to fight Covid with light
Some wavelengths of light in a range called far-UVC kill microbes in experiments and appear to be harmless to people.
The (robotic) doctor will see you now
Study finds patients are receptive to interacting with robots designed to evaluate symptoms in a contact-free way.
New brain cancer vaccine completes clinical trial
Northwest Biotherapeutics reports that its new brain cancer vaccine can extend glioblastoma patients’ lives by months or even years.
New chemo pump for brain tumors could avoid side effects
A fully implantable chemo pump could help extend the lives of people with deadly brain tumors while minimizing treatment side effects.
UK study suggests single dose of monkeypox vaccine is 78% effective
A new analysis by the UK Health Security Agency has determined that one shot of a monkeypox vaccine is 78% effective at preventing infection.
$3.5 million treatment for hemophilia wins FDA approval
The FDA has approved biotech company CSL Behring's Hemgenix, a hemophilia B treatment that costs $3.5 million per dose.
New CRISPR cancer treatment tested in humans for first time
A new personalized CRISPR cancer treatment modifies the immune system's T cells to help them recognize a specific patient's tumor cells.
Good and bad memories are stored in different neurons, study finds
Positive and negative memories are stored in different parts of the brain, raising the possibility of therapeutic memory manipulation.
Injectable gel repairs severe spinal cord injuries and enables mice to walk
An injectable gel that prevents scar formation and stimulates regeneration successfully repaired severe spinal cord injuries in mice.
Study finds mindfulness as effective as medication for anxiety
An intensive form of mindfulness was found as effective as Lexapro in treating anxiety in adults in the first head-to-head comparative study.
Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines for Ebola
Moderna is reportedly nearing a deal with the DoD to develop mRNA vaccines for biological threats like Ebola
Cheap blood pressure med could help treat alcoholism
Spironolactone, a cheap medication used to treat high blood pressure, might also be able to help people overcome alcohol use disorder.
Brain implant translates neural activity into letters, letting a paralyzed man “speak”
A new device allowed a paralyzed patient to "speak," spelling out full sentences in real-time with an error rate of about 8%.
Old herpes drug helps kill deadly superbug
The anti-herpes drug edoxudine can weaken the deadly superbug K-pneumoniae, potentially offering a new weapon against antibiotic resistance.
Doctors may not be ready for blood tests that screen for multiple cancers at once
MCED tests are different from existing ones because they are trying to detect early-stage cancer, when there aren’t that many tumor cells.
African researchers push for a human challenge trial to fight TB
Tuberculosis kills over a million people a year. Researchers in Malawi are pushing for a clinical trial that may help change that.
A new therapy sends lupus into remission
Five patients in Germany had their lupus wiped out by CAR T-cell therapy.
Engineered bacteria may fight this brain-damaging genetic disorder
A possible phenylketonuria therapy using engineered bacteria has shown positive results in a small phase 2 trial.
A malaria-fighting antibody has passed phase 2 trials
An antibody designed to prevent malaria infection has proven effective in phase 2 trials in Mali.
UK trials world’s first lab-grown blood transfusions
UK researchers have launched the world’s first trial in which lab-grown blood cells are being transfused into another person.
New mRNA vaccine for flu and COVID-19 enters human trials
Pfizer and BioNTech's new mRNA vaccine designed to protect against COVID-19 and the flu has entered human trials.
New study will put the leading theory about Alzheimer’s to the test
Washington University in St. Louis is embarking on a drug trial that may also put the amyloid hypothesis to its ultimate test.
Organ regeneration could overcome liver failure, without a transplant
Patients wait from 30 days to over five years to receive a liver transplant in the U.S. What if the liver could regenerate itself instead?
New exercise study could find drugs that mimic working out
MIT and Harvard researchers mapped out many of the cells, genes, and cellular pathways that are modified by exercise or high-fat diet.
Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for pregnant women protects newborns
Pfizer plans to begin the regulatory approval process by the end of the year.
AI-discovered drug for ALS enters human trials in just four years
Verge Genomics has begun a trial of their AI-found ALS drug candidate, one of the first tests for this new method of drug discovery.
Understanding cancer’s “dark matter”
Researchers have discovered that cancer’s epigenome — changes to how genes are expressed that aren’t mutations — may play a key role in its behavior.
FDA approves first-of-its-kind blood cancer treatment
The FDA has approved Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli, a new blood cancer treatment for people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Australian researchers have manufactured a living blood vessel
A blood vessel isn’t just a simple tube. Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed an implant capable of mimicking its complexities.