Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center-led phase 3 clinical trial shows that pembrolizumab before and after standard-of-care surgery significantly extends event-free survival, representing the first advance for these patients in over 20 years Immunotherapy before and after surgery improves outcomes in head and neck cancer   Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center-led phase 3 clinical trial shows that pembrolizumab before and after standard-of-care surgery significantly extends event-free survival, representing the first advance for these patients in over 20 years Patients with locally advanced head…

Patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial who received sotorasib and panitumumab lived longer, suggesting the combination therapy could become the new standard of care. A novel combination therapy offers better outcomes for patients with KRAS G12C metastatic colorectal cancer that have stopped responding to chemotherapy, according to a Phase 3 clinical trial by researchers at City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S., with its National Medical Center named…

At-home testing and patient choice credited for reducing racial disparities A 20-year initiative that offered flexible options for colorectal cancer screening at a major integrated health system doubled colorectal cancer screening rates, cut cancer incidence by a third, halved deaths, and brought racial differences in outcomes to nearly zero, according to a study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025. “By offering an effective screening approach equally to everyone, we were able to eliminate much of the disparity,”…

One of the challenges of fighting pancreatic cancer is finding ways to penetrate the organ’s dense tissue to define the margins between malignant and normal tissue. A new study uses DNA origami structures to selectively deliver fluorescent imaging agents to pancreatic cancer cells without affecting normal cells. The study, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign mechanical science and engineering professor Bumsoo Han and professor Jong Hyun Choi at Purdue University, found that specially engineered DNA origami structures carrying imaging dye…

A Kobe University team was able to edit the DNA of Lactobacillus strains directly without a template from other organisms. This technique is indistinguishable from natural variation and enabled the researchers to create a strain that doesn’t produce diabetes-aggravating chemicals. Humans have improved the microorganisms we rely on for millennia, selecting variants that are better able to produce wine, yogurt, natto and many other products. More recently, direct genetic modification has emerged as a tool to exert more precise and…

Researchers from The University of Osaka discover that specific white blood cells and the amount of an inflammation protein in the blood can predict relapse of an autoimmune blood vessel disease Neutrophils, one of the immune system warriors that were thought to be all the same, turn out to be diverse. Unfortunately, these cells are also active in autoimmune diseases. New research from Japan has found that a certain subpopulation of these white blood cells can predict disease relapse at…

Multicenter study suggests stroke prevention guidelines may underestimate risk in patients with symptomatic mild carotid stenosis Ischemic stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide, with narrowing of the carotid artery due to atherosclerosis contributing to up to 30% of all cases. For decades, medical practitioners have primarily relied on the degree of carotid narrowing (stenosis) to assess the risk of stroke and determine the best treatment options. However, mounting evidence suggests that this approach…

Noninvasive method detects anemia in children by analyzing smartphone photos of the eye’s conjunctiva Anemia, a condition marked by low levels of hemoglobin in the blood, affects nearly 2 billion people worldwide. Among them, school-age children in low- and middle-income countries are particularly vulnerable. Left untreated, anemia in children can interfere with growth, learning, and overall development. Detecting the condition early is essential, but standard diagnostic methods require blood samples and lab equipment—resources that are often unavailable in low-income areas….

Amsterdam UMC-developed algorithm, based on the data of more than half a million patients, may soon offer GPs the chance to accelerate a diagnosis GPs may soon be able to identify patients with an increased risk of lung cancer up to 4 months earlier than is currently the case. The GP should be able to simply identify patients during a consultation with an algorithm created by researchers at Amsterdam UMC based on the data of more than half a million…

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and collaborating institutions reveal in Nature Cell Biology a strategy that helps medulloblastoma, the most prevalent malignant brain tumor in children, spread and grow on the leptomeninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. They discovered a novel line of communication between metastatic medulloblastoma and leptomeningeal fibroblasts that mediates recruitment and reprogramming of the latter to support tumor growth. The findings suggest that…

Researchers at Tulane University have identified a potential new way to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a deadly and currently incurable lung disease that affects more than 3 million people worldwide. IPF is rapidly progressive and causes scarring in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Approximately 50% of patients die within three years of diagnosis, and current treatments can only slow the disease — not stop or reverse it. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Tulane scientists…

Many bird species are monogamous. However, genetic studies have shown that the social partner is often not the genetic father of all offspring. Some studies found biased sex ratios: more males than females among extra-pair fledglings. This has been interpreted as evidence of adaptive sex allocation by females: if an extra-pair mate is of high quality and this quality has a genetic basis, fitness can be optimized if offspring with the extra-pair mate’s “good” genes are predominantly male. However, there…

Data could inform federal, state and private employer policies regarding GLP-1 drugs and others A large majority of older Americans feel that health insurance – including Medicare – should cover anti-obesity medications, according to a new University of Michigan study. And more than half of older adults who meet criteria for obesity say they’re interested in trying one of these drugs to manage their weight. Current law prevents Medicare from covering medications to treat obesity, and most private plans don’t…

The human brain can learn through experience to filter out disturbing and distracting stimuli – such as a glaring roadside billboard or a flashing banner on the internet. Scientists at Leipzig University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have used electroencephalography (EEG) to show that early visual processing in humans changes with repeated exposure. Their joint study has just been published in The Journal of Neuroscience. Distractions are often easier to ignore after we have encountered them multiple times. This learned suppression…

Researchers at the HIPS decipher novel mode of action of natural product antibiotic The development and spread of antibiotic resistance represents one of the greatest threats to global health. To overcome these resistances, drugs with novel mode of action are urgently needed. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) have now uncovered the mode of action of a promising class of natural products – the chlorotonils. These molecules simultaneously target the bacterial cell membrane and the bacteria’s…

Psychology: Publication in PNASAre there areas of the brain, which regulate prosocial, altruistic behaviour? Together with colleagues from the universities in Lausanne, Utrecht and Cape Town, researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have studied a very special group of patients and established that the “basolateral amygdala” (part of the limbic system) plays an important role in this. In the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they describe that this region calibrates social behaviour. Prosocial behaviour,…