https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. To think, feel, talk and move, neurons send messages through electrical signals in the brain and spinal cord. This intricate communication network is built of billions of neurons connected by synapses and managed and modified by glial cells. When neurons die, this communication network is disrupted, and since this loss is irreversible, neuron death causes sensory loss, motor impairment and cognitive decline. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-physical-pressure-brain-trigger-neurons.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:58:28 EST news689878682 A UCLA research team has identified the best design for a promising new type of immunotherapy that could be mass-produced to treat multiple solid tumors. The study focused on engineered invariant natural killer T cells, or NKT cells—powerful immune cells with a unique ability to infiltrate solid tumors—and systematically compared four targeting systems, called chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, that direct these cells to attack cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-shelf-immunotherapy-solid-tumors-ready.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:23:10 EST news689430122 New results from a clinical trial co-led by UCLA investigators demonstrate how treating desmoplastic melanoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with immunotherapy before surgery can dramatically shrink or even eliminate tumors, sparing patients from more aggressive surgeries and preserving their quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-immunotherapy-surgery-tumors-patients-desmoplastic.html Thu, 29 Jan 2026 05:00:01 EST news688752048 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said that it will stop funding all research that uses human fetal tissue, ending support for studies both inside and outside the agency. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-nih-funding-human-fetal-tissue.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:50:03 EST news688642182 The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has released "Charting the Translational Pathway: ISSCR Best Practices for the Development of Pluripotent Stem Cell (PSC)-Derived Therapies," a new paper highlighting some of the most critical aspects of the ISSCR's breakthrough interactive resource designed to transform how PSC-derived therapies are developed, evaluated, and advanced toward clinical and commercial success. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived-therapies.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:13 EST news688295821 New research co-led by Indiana University School of Medicine scientists has exposed a vulnerability in acute myeloid leukemia by identifying the blood cancer's reliance on a specific signaling pathway involved in the body's inflammation response. Their preclinical evidence suggests that blocking this pathway with a new drug compound can weaken acute myeloid leukemia during critical stages, paving the way for more effective and targeted treatments for this hard-to-treat disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-inflammatory-pathway-reveals-weakness-hard.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:43:42 EST news688059781 Which genes are required for turning embryonic stem cells into brain cells, and what happens when this process goes wrong? In a new study published today in Nature Neuroscience, researchers led by Prof. Sagiv Shifman from The Institute of Life Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Prof. Binnaz Yalcin from INSERM, France, used genome-wide CRISPR knockout screens to identify genes that are needed for early brain development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-crispr-screen-uncovers-hundreds-genes.html Mon, 05 Jan 2026 05:00:03 EST news686574901 A research team from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has uncovered a key biological mechanism that explains how exercise maintains strong bones, paving the way for novel treatments for osteoporosis and bone loss in people who are unable to engage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-protein-mimics-boost-bone-strength.html Mon, 29 Dec 2025 10:22:59 EST news686226126 SereNeuro Therapeutics, a preclinical biotechnology company developing non-opioid pain therapies, has unveiled new data on a novel approach to chronic pain management and joint tissue preservation. The data highlight SN101, a first-in-class induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-opioid-pain-sponge-therapy-chronic.html Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:10:02 EST news684665542 Researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a small molecule that can inhibit a cancer-driving protein long considered impossible to target with drugs—a discovery that could open the door to a new class of treatments for leukemia and other hard-to-treat cancers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-team-undruggable-protein-fuels-aggressive.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:30:01 EST news684508903 Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care by training the immune system to detect and destroy tumors. For many patients, it works very well in shrinking tumors and sending cancer into remission, an undetectable state of cancer. But that remission is short-lived in some cases, and the cancer can return more resistant than before. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-cancer-stem-cells-shield-immunotherapy.html Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:05:35 EST news684507901 Researchers around the world are studying how the human brain achieves its extraordinary complexity. A team at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim and the German Primate Center—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen has now used organoids to show that the ARHGAP11A gene plays a crucial role in brain development. If this gene is missing, key processes involved in cell division and structure become unbalanced. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-gene-architecture-human-brain.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:00:04 EST news683544308 An international research team led by scientists from Bern and Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin has identified a previously unknown function of the intestinal nervous system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-gut-brain-plays-central-role.html Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:29:04 EST news683303341 Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, with most patients diagnosed after the disease has already spread throughout the body. The five-year survival rate for metastatic cases hovers around 2–3%, and median survival is often measured in months rather than years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-scientists-product-immunotherapy-pancreatic-cancer.html Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:17:05 EST news683299021 Aging is defined as the deterioration of function over time, and it is one of the main risk factors for numerous chronic diseases. Although aging is a complex phenomenon affecting the whole organism, it is proved that the solely manifestation of aging in the hematopoietic system affects the whole organism. Last September, Dr. M. Carolina Florian and her team revealed the significance of using blood stem cells to pharmacologically target aging of the whole body, thereby suggesting rejuvenating strategies that could extend healthspan and lifespan. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-rejuvenating-blood-pharmacological-strategy-rhoa.html Mon, 24 Nov 2025 05:00:09 EST news682950242 In the ever-evolving world of beauty trends, few have sparked as much debate—and discomfort—as "menstrual masking." This is the practice of applying menstrual blood to the skin, usually the face, as a form of DIY skincare. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-period-blood-science-menstrual-masking.html Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:59:04 EST news682603142 Using human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids, researchers from Science Tokyo uncovered how abnormal Hippo signaling drives fibrosis in nephronophthisis, a genetic kidney disorder caused by NPHP1 deficiency. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-kidney-organoids-uncover-hippo-pathway.html Thu, 13 Nov 2025 20:20:01 EST news682250726 Gray hair is an inevitable hallmark of aging. It's a visual reminder of the passing years and all the bodily changes that accompany it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-gray-hair-cancer-linked.html Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:27:05 EST news681575222 Many cancer survivors live with the worry that their cancer might come back. This "recurrence" occurs when cancer cells hide somewhere in the body—like in the bone marrow—and start growing again, sometimes years later. Scientists have been trying to understand how to stop these cells from reactivating and causing cancer to spread. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-antibiotics-antimalarials-repurposed-drugs-cancer.html Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:20:05 EDT news681038402 Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers. The name tells the story: It lacks the three main targets that make other types of breast cancers more treatable with powerful therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-scientists-product-immunotherapy-breast-cancer.html Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:53:04 EDT news680356381 An experimental gene therapy developed by researchers at UCLA, University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital has restored and maintained immune system function in 59 of 62 children born with ADA-SCID, a rare and deadly genetic immune disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-gene-therapy-immune-children-rare.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 17:00:01 EDT news679657825 Stem cells in most organisms typically take cues from adjacent cells. But new research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research reveals planarian stem cells ignore their nearest neighbors and instead respond to signals farther away in the body. This discovery may help explain the flatworm's extraordinary ability to regenerate—and could offer clues for developing new ways to replace or repair tissues in humans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-tiny-regenerative-worm-insights-tissue.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:00:04 EDT news679657828 Chinese researchers have developed a novel method to efficiently engineer natural killer (NK) cells for cancer immunotherapy. NK cells are central to early antiviral and anticancer defense—among other immune system roles—making them well-suited for cancer immunotherapy. For example, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK therapy involves adding a lab-built receptor (a CAR) to an NK cell, enabling it to recognize a specific antigen on a cancer cell and attack it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-stem-cells-yield-millions-tumor.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:20:03 EDT news679309909 The body's tissues can get injured in many ways, but while some injuries heal perfectly, others don't heal at all. A cut in the skin, for example, usually heals all on its own, while internal organs, such as the heart after a heart attack or the kidney after an acute injury, remain damaged, leading to diminished function. Most tissues of the body repair themselves using the same processes, but until now, drugs that target these pathways to enhance tissue repair in slow-healing organs have not been identified. That's about to change. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-fda-heart-tissue-regeneration-drug.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:07:35 EDT news679309649 Cancer cells are relentless in their quest to grow and divide, often rewiring their metabolism and modifying RNA to stay one step ahead. Now, researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a single protein, IGF2BP3, that links these two processes together in leukemia cells. The protein shifts how cells break down sugar, favoring a fast but inefficient energy pathway, while also altering RNA modifications that help produce the proteins leukemia cells need to survive and multiply. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-protein-rewires-leukemia-cells-fuel.html Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:00:09 EDT news677951161 Thanks to in-utero blood transfusion technology, what was once a fatal diagnosis in the womb can now result in live births. However, this medical advancement created a new challenge: a growing population of children born with that diagnosis—the severe, inherited blood disorder alpha thalassemia—which requires lifelong specialized care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-gene-therapy-lifelong-transfusions-rare.html Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:47:04 EDT news677414821 By 3D bioprinting miniature placentas, scientists have provided a new way to study complications in pregnancy, with the research led by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-3d-bioprinted-mini-placentas-pregnancy.html Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:25:04 EDT news677150702 For families of children with severe epilepsy, controlling seizures is often just the beginning of their challenges. Even in cases where powerful medications can reduce seizures, many children continue to face difficulties with learning, behavior and sleep that can be just as disruptive to daily life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-stem-cell-reveal-epilepsy-genes.html Tue, 09 Sep 2025 04:17:11 EDT news676610225 Pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and preterm birth often arise during the late stage of pregnancy. However, researchers have primarily relied on placental cells from early pregnancy to study these conditions, which may not fully reflect the biology of late-stage complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-full-term-placental-stem-cells.html Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:10:01 EDT news676125743 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a vulnerability in certain blood cancer cells that makes it possible to eliminate the cancer cells with a drug, without harming healthy cells. The study is published in Leukemia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-weakness-blood-cancer-cells-pave.html Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:35:04 EDT news676031701