Medical research news covering clinical trials, drug development, treatment breakthroughs, and advances in medical science.
A Harvard study found that eating over two pounds of ultraprocessed foods daily is tied to a 58% higher risk of dementia and a 46% higher risk of cognitive impairment. Even moderate consumption was associated with brain health risks, with processed meats like bacon and ham posing the highest danger. Ultraprocessed foods include packaged cookies, hot dogs, and chips.
Scientists at the Allen Institute in Seattle launched the Brain Health accelerator to develop genetic therapies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and Huntington's. The accelerator, an outgrowth of the BRAIN Initiative, includes researcher Jeff Carroll, who carries the Huntington's gene, working on gene therapy for the disease.
University of Oxford researchers received MRC funding to develop personalised cancer vaccines using AI. The UK Cancer Vaccine AI & Supercomputing Project involves over 2,500 scientists and will use supercomputers to analyse cancer data and manufacture experimental mRNA vaccines.
Researchers discovered that H3N2 and H1N1 flu viruses enter human cells differently. Depleting the protein Rab11B blocked H3N2 entry but not H1N1, challenging the assumption of a universal entry mechanism. The finding could lead to strain-specific treatments.
A clinical trial found that AD109, a new pill, reduced breathing interruptions by 44% in sleep apnea patients, compared to 18% for placebo. Over 40% of patients saw improvement, and 18% achieved normal sleep. The drug could offer an alternative to CPAP machines, which many patients find uncomfortable.
A study in Menopause found that women with unexplained infertility or endometriosis face a higher risk of early menopause. Those with endometriosis reached menopause 2.75 years earlier on average, while unexplained infertility was linked to a 1.45-year earlier onset.
A new study in JCO Oncology Practice suggests GLP-1 medications may reduce breast cancer risk by 30% in overweight or obese women aged 45-80. Researchers analyzed records from over 111,000 women, noting potential mechanisms include weight loss and reduced inflammation. The findings are observational and warrant further investigation.
A small study of 22 women with anorexia found that a supervised ketogenic diet for 14 weeks led to 72% of participants falling below the clinical diagnosis threshold for both anorexia and depression. Participants maintained a healthy to slightly underweight BMI and did not relapse.
Dr. Jennifer Knox of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre plans to open clinical trials in Canada for daraxonrasib, a daily pill that doubled survival time in a U.S.-led Phase 3 trial. Patients taking the pill survived over a year versus six months with chemotherapy. Health Canada has not yet received a licensing application.
The UK government announced £4.75 million for ME/CFS research, the world's largest study of its kind. However, patients like Helen Stout, 67, call it "a drop in the ocean" given the disease burden. The DecodeME study previously identified genetic markers for the condition.