https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Many of the deadliest forms of cancer are caused by a pathological mutation in the RAS protein. Yet, to date, no effective treatment for this cancer protein has been found. A new research approach aims to prevent the protein from forming in the first place by destroying its blueprint—the mRNA. Based on this strategy, the research group led by Peng Wu at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology has now developed a new type of "molecular eraser" targeting the mRNA of the cancer protein NRAS. Their findings are published in JACS Au. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-molecular-eraser-destroys-cancerous-mrna.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:40:05 EDT news700316222 Sleep loss dulls alertness and coordination, and it can produce effects similar to severe intoxication, making actions like driving incredibly risky. But there's no clinical test for determining when someone is dangerously sleep deprived. Now, researchers report a step toward a non-invasive test for sleep deprivation in the Journal of Proteome Research. In a study of 20 men, they identified molecular differences in saliva after a full night's rest and 24 hours without sleep. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-deprived.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:50:02 EDT news699725402 A major international study led by researchers at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford has found that osteoarthritis (OA)—the most common form of arthritis worldwide—is not a collection of separate diseases, as many scientists had previously speculated, but rather a single condition with common core underlying biological pathways. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-largest-knee-osteoarthritis-tissue-reveals.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:20:02 EDT news699623101 Virtually every living thing on Earth, from Patagonian penguins to newborn human babies, has been touched by the synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a sample of human blood, tissue, or breast milk without detectable levels of at least one type of PFAS. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pfas-fingerprints-blood-clues.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news699528902 Researchers at Lund University have developed a blood test capable of detecting signs of breast cancer recurrence long before recurrence becomes visible on imaging or causes symptoms. It has previously been shown that this method can detect extremely small amounts of tumor DNA in blood samples with very high precision and specificity. In the current much larger study, patients were followed over time to evaluate how accurately the method could predict recurrence and monitor treatment response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-blood-early-breast-cancer-recurrence.html Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:01 EDT news699012841 Cancer diagnosis can be challenging, and delayed diagnosis can allow cancer to progress, complicating treatment. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the most common type of oral cancer, can sometimes mimic benign conditions, such as gum disease or oral infections, making diagnosis difficult. Therefore, identifying new diagnostic methods for OSCC is crucial. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-rare-burrowing-oral-cancer-distinct.html Tue, 26 May 2026 07:40:20 EDT news698999227 Scientists at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) at Wits University are exploring whether bacteria in saliva could offer a low-cost warning signal for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, where late diagnosis leaves palliative care as the only option. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-saliva-flag-deadliest-baffling-cancers.html Wed, 20 May 2026 11:40:06 EDT news698494321 Why do two people with the same cancer diagnosis—the same stage, the same cell type, and the same clinical profile—often have completely different outcomes? For decades, scientists have studied acquired mutations in cancer to find answers, but mutations alone explain only part of the story. Now, a study published in Genome Medicine helps answer that question, uncovering that every cancer is shaped by a unique combination of inherited and acquired disruptions across biological pathways. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-cancer-genetic-fingerprints-tumors.html Wed, 13 May 2026 07:41:41 EDT news697876862 Fingerprinting transformed police investigations by making it possible to place a suspect at a crime scene with physical evidence. Similarly, genome sequencing has changed how disease detectives study outbreaks by allowing them to read a pathogen's genes as a biological record of where it came from and how it spread. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-genome-sequencing-rewriting-history-disease.html Tue, 12 May 2026 13:20:06 EDT news697808762 A study recently published in Scientific Reports reveals that cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging. Researchers from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas have demonstrated that adults across the entire lifespan, from ages 19 to 94, can measurably improve their brain performance through continual and targeted brain-healthy practices. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-inevitability-cognitive-decline-brain-gain.html Thu, 07 May 2026 17:10:01 EDT news697391401 The cruise ship cluster of hantavirus cases continues to grow. The World Health Organization reports that as of May 6 there were eight cases, three of whom are confirmed by laboratory testing as hantavirus. In recent days, we heard three passengers had died. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ive-hantavirus-outbreak-cruise-ship.html Thu, 07 May 2026 09:40:06 EDT news697364761 What exactly happens in the hearts of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)—and how can this knowledge be used to develop new therapies? A research team led by Dr. Gabriele Schiattarella from the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité and a guest researcher at the Max Delbrück Center now has an answer: The heart muscle of patients with HFpEF and obesity shows a very distinct metabolic pattern—a kind of "metabolic fingerprint." This fingerprint, the researchers found, is distinct from people with obesity but who do not have symptoms of cardiometabolic diseases. The study is published in Cardiovascular Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-distinct-metabolic-signature-patients-heart.html Tue, 05 May 2026 16:20:03 EDT news697212421 When someone is infected with Ebola, the body mounts a strong immune response, as it does in response to many pathogens. Researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) have now made an important discovery that could help doctors tell Ebola apart from other infections more quickly. The findings are published in Frontiers in Genetics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-discovery-gene-pattern-doctors-ebola.html Sun, 03 May 2026 15:00:01 EDT news696694098 Advanced technologies are helping researchers identify environmental contaminants that could potentially be contributing to the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer. However, epigenetic studies on such associations should be interpreted with caution, according to researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who are leading experts in the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-experts-perspective-link-pesticide-exposure.html Fri, 01 May 2026 12:00:06 EDT news696853442 A new study is the first to show that two of our most sophisticated cognitive functions, using and understanding language and being able to sense how other people feel, have distinct origins in the brain in young children—matching what we know about the adult brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-children-born-complex-cognitive-functions.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:20:08 EDT news696519061 What if doctors could more accurately diagnose and monitor blood cancer with a simple blood draw? This vision is becoming a reality thanks to research at Rapid Novor, a Waterloo-based company co-founded by Dr. Bin Ma, a computer science professor at the University of Waterloo. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cancer-blood.html Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT news695900308 Researchers at WashU Medicine have uncovered new molecular insights into Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other forms of dementia by analyzing thousands of proteins in both cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma. The study, led by Carlos Cruchaga, the Barbara Burton & Reuben Morriss III Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and director of the NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center at WashU Medicine, represents one of the largest and most comprehensive multi-tissue analyses of proteins across multiple neurodegenerative diseases to date. The findings raise the possibility of developing blood tests for earlier and more precise diagnosis of these conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blood-spinal-fluid-proteins-reveal.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:40:03 EDT news696255301 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report that early-life exposure to common environmental metals may influence brain development and behavioral health more than a decade later. The study, published in Science Advances, is the first to combine naturally shed baby teeth with advanced brain imaging to pinpoint specific weeks during pregnancy and infancy when the developing brain appears most vulnerable to environmental exposures. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-baby-teeth-brain-imaging-reveal.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:00:06 EDT news696161701 Your brain is currently expending about a fifth of your body's energy, and almost none of that is being used for what you're doing right now. Reading these words, feeling the weight of your body in a chair—all of this together barely changes the rate at which your brain consumes energy, perhaps by as little as 1%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-brain-explanation-upends-knew.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:40:02 EDT news696076261 Some of the earliest warning signs of breast cancer risk may be hidden deep within the molecular makeup of breast tissue—long before anything appears on a scan. To uncover those signals, researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine and collaborating institutions mapped the architecture of healthy breast tissue to uncover early biological changes linked to cancer risk in the first-ever spatial mapping of the normal breast proteome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-hidden-breast-cancer.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:00:01 EDT news696051182 A study led by José A. Seoane, Head of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology's (VHIO) Computational Biology Group identifies for the first time the exposome footprint—the set of environmental and lifestyle exposures—in colorectal cancer in patients under 50 years of age through epigenetic signatures. By comparatively analyzing DNA methylation patterns in patients under and over 50, the work, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, confirms the influence of factors such as diet, education level, and smoking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-common-weed-killer-left-hidden.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:20:01 EDT news695995994 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital today report how lifesaving childhood cancer treatments leave "fingerprints" on DNA, which can lead to second neoplasms (cancers or cancer-like diseases) decades later. The discovery may provide a path toward reducing long-term risks of pediatric cancer therapy by improving surveillance and early detection of secondary disease for survivors. The findings were published today in Cancer Discovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fingerprints-childhood-cancer-treatment-clues.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:00:03 EDT news695911091 Researchers at the University of Sussex, in collaboration with scientists from different institutes worldwide, have identified a blood test capable of early diagnosis of the most aggressive form of brain tumor. The technology has the potential to save lives. Lead author Professor Georgios Giamas and his team have identified distinctive biomarkers (molecules that act as signs of normal processes, diseases, or responses to treatment) within patient blood samples, which could signal the presence of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blood-aggressive-brain-tumors-early.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:20:01 EDT news695918403 Researchers at the University of California San Diego have uncovered new insights into one of Alzheimer's disease's most puzzling questions: why some older adults remain mentally sharp despite having hallmark brain changes linked to the disease. This condition—known as asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AsymAD )—has long been observed but poorly understood. Decoding this natural resilience could pave the way for earlier detection and new strategies to prevent memory loss before symptoms begin. The work is published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-brains-alzheimer-stay-sharp.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:50:01 EDT news695921882 A machine learning model analyzing CpG-based DNA methylation accurately predicted the origin of many different cancer types in patients with cancers of unknown primary (CUP), according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17–22. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-machine-dna-methylation-patterns-cancers.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:40:08 EDT news695902502 The specific mix of bacteria living in a person's gut can predict the chances that melanoma will recur after surgery and immunotherapy, which helps immune cells target cancer cells. This is according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gut-microbial-fingerprints-melanoma-recurrence.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:05:21 EDT news695880238 The advent of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 changed the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the Nobel Prize–winning technology is being adapted to fight cancer, with mRNA vaccines in clinical trials for melanoma, small-cell lung cancer and bladder cancer, among others, opening the door to new ways of preventing and treating the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mrna-cancer-vaccines-destroy-tumors.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:00:02 EDT news695564913 A cancer drug target already being investigated in clinical trials turns out to be doing something even more consequential than researchers realized. Scientists at Scripps Research have discovered that the enzyme Pol theta (Polθ) drives a DNA repair mechanism directly at broken replication forks—one of the most frequent forms of DNA damage in cancer cells. The findings, published in Molecular Cell on March 16, 2026, help explain how tumors survive relentless replication stress and clarify why Pol theta inhibitors may be an effective strategy to selectively target cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-reveal-cancer-cells-survive.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news694789292 In recent decades, the zebrafish has become one of the most valuable model organisms in scientific research. For a variety of reasons, including their genetic similarities to humans, these tiny tropical fish have helped researchers unlock secrets to diseases ranging from muscular dystrophy to melanoma. Now, Yale researchers are hoping the zebrafish will do the same for autism spectrum disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-zebrafish-reveal-insights-biology-autism.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:20:01 EDT news694354332 Chronic wounds affect approximately 2% of the population in developed countries. Existing treatments are expensive and may cause side effects. In his doctoral thesis, Amal D. Premarathna shows that a promising alternative to synthetic wound care treatments may come from nature—namely, algae. Some beneficial algae species are also found in Estonia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-algae-derived-sugars-anti-inflammatory.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:10:01 EDT news694101836