https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers from Amsterdam UMC have overturned a key assumption in the biological pacemaker field. In a new preclinical study, they show that the transcription factor TBX18 does not generate true biological pacemaker activity, while the ion channel Hcn2 does produce robust pacemaker function in the heart. The findings have been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-biological-pacemaker-dogma-tbx18-hcn2.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news700321047 Scientists have made great progress in harnessing the body's own immune cells to treat so-called liquid tumors, cancers of the blood and lymphatic system. Yet these powerful cell therapies have been no match for solid tumors, which are tough to access and secrete signals that can stifle immune cells that get too close. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-supercharged-natural-killer-cells-suppress.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:40:13 EDT news700395061 Countries across the globe are on high alert as health workers race to contain an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Central and East Africa that has killed more than 100 people and infected almost 570, according to data from the World Health Organization, or WHO. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ebola-quarantine-legal-expert.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:40:11 EDT news700393742 A prominent OB-GYN group announced vaccine recommendations on Wednesday that differ from what the U.S. government advises. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ob-gyn-group-vaccine.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 04:40:03 EDT news700370603 A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute has found that an ultrasensitive blood test called HPV-DeepSeek could help identify which people with HPV-associated head and neck cancer still had cancer cells in their bodies after surgery and may benefit the most from additional treatments. The results are published in Science Translational Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ultrasensitive-blood-neck-cancer-relapse.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT news700242001 In 2020, Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for her work on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology that allows scientists to precisely modify DNA by cutting it at specific locations. Six years later, a new study in Nature by a team led by Doudna has uncovered a powerful new approach to selectively kill cancer cells using a CRISPR enzyme called Cas12a2. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-crispr-enzyme-precisely-shreds-dna.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:20:01 EDT news700314843 Our brain prepares the body for an incoming meal before we even take the first bite. The aroma of food simmering on the stove, for instance, can trigger the brain to send signals to the pancreas, which in turn releases insulin into the bloodstream. A new Nature Metabolism study reveals how a key group of neurons helps mediate this process. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-mechanism-reveals-food-aroma.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:40:07 EDT news700234239 Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed what they describe as a fundamentally new type of vaccine using artificial intelligence (AI). The vaccine's key component was designed entirely by AI and has now been tested in people for the first time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-world-aidesigned-vaccine.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:40:09 EDT news700221361 Muscle spasticity is a common and often debilitating consequence of spinal cord injury that can significantly affect mobility and quality of life. Spasticity is a condition in which muscles become abnormally stiff or tight because of disrupted nerve signaling, often causing exaggerated reflexes, involuntary muscle spasms, and difficulty with movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gene-therapy-approach-muscle-spasticity.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:40:01 EDT news700203961 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, or CVD, report encouraging results from an early clinical trial that tested a new dual vaccine against Lassa fever and rabies. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found that the vaccine was safe and induced immune responses against both viruses. There are currently no vaccines against Lassa fever on the market. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-lassa-fever-vaccine-results-human.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:00:07 EDT news700129066 Growing up witnessing the devastating effects of HIV in her family and community in South Africa pushed Olwam Plaatjie to start using preventive HIV medications three years ago. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-highly-effective-drug-south-africa.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 04:19:34 EDT news700197503 "From burden to solutions—safe food everywhere." This is the message of World Food Safety Day 2026, where the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are focusing on how new knowledge about illness, lost lives and societal consequences can be translated into practical solutions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-countries-food-safer.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:20:02 EDT news700143853 A technological platform developed by Brazilian researchers could revolutionize the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis and vitiligo. The group, affiliated with the NanoGeneSkin laboratory at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Ribeirão Preto, is developing nanoparticles capable of delivering therapeutic RNA molecules directly to skin cells. These nanoparticles can precisely silence the genes responsible for chronic inflammation at the molecular level. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-nanoparticles-psoriasis-genes-aiming-million.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:40:01 EDT news700133160 When the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, 2026, matches will be played across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Millions of fans will arrive through multiple airports and will pack into stadiums, airports, hotels, bars and public transit systems over five weeks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-world-cup-conditions-infectious-diseases.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:20:03 EDT news700146346 The ongoing Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda has now killed 61 people, with 359 confirmed cases. The Bundibugyo strain of the virus has a fatality rate of between 30% and 50%, and there is currently no vaccine approved for it. Two scientists at the University of Oxford, Teresa Lambe and Rebecca Makinson, are part of the group who are working to develop one. In early June, Oxford was one of three organizations to receive funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations for this work. They spoke to The Conversation Weekly podcast about what it takes to make an Ebola vaccine. This is an edited version of that conversation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ebola-vaccine-scientists.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:40:06 EDT news700144802 HIV can damage the brain and cause memory and cognitive problems. And once HIV enters the brain, it does not leave. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hiv-brain-doesnt-drugs-inflammation.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:20:02 EDT news700144442 Our genomes contain hundreds of genes with antiviral jobs that are called into action when a virus succeeds in infecting one of our cells. By acting cooperatively, these genes provide defense against a wide range of viruses, comprising what scientists refer to as the innate immune system. However, viruses evolve more rapidly than we do, and many viruses have acquired their own genes—sometimes brazenly stolen from their animal hosts!—that counteract innate immunity. But does this mean that viruses always have the upper hand when it comes to infecting humans? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tiny-protein-tail-immune-gene.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:00:07 EDT news700149781 Researchers racing to develop a vaccine to fight the growing Ebola outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) say doses could be ready for human testing within "two to three months," while the more promising candidate could take up to nine months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-africa-ebola-vaccine-outbreak-outpaces.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:06 EDT news700134184 Antiretroviral drugs for HIV infection have enabled most people living with the virus to live long and healthy lives. However, a small portion of people experience detectable—and worrisome—traces of the virus that causes AIDS despite strict adherence to long-term treatment regimens and the absence of symptoms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-defective-hiv-persistent-blood-treatment.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 05:00:07 EDT news699868442 The first human clinical trial of a universal Sarbeco coronavirus vaccine, developed by the University of Cambridge and spin-out DIOSynVax (DVX) Ltd, has shown that the vaccine is safe and has no significant side effects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-universal-vaccine-human-trial.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:20:01 EDT news699866842 The TORCH complex is a group of pathogens that can cause infections with mild or silent symptoms in an expecting mother, but in a developing fetus can lead to serious complications that include stillbirth, lifelong disability, or birth defects. Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, recently assessed long-term trends in TORCH infections in a region where reliable data have been lacking. TORCH includes pathogens that cause toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus and other infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-highlights-maternal-fetal-torch-infection.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 10:00:06 EDT news699883458 Argentina on Friday said it was expanding its investigation into the origins of the hantavirus outbreak that struck an Atlantic cruise ship last month, sending scientists to trap and test rats in the western province of Mendoza while lab results are pending from the southernmost city of Ushuaia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-argentina-hantavirus-probe-teams-rats.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:20:02 EDT news699949248 The Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could grow to 20,000 cases or more, depending on how quickly infected people are isolated to slow the spread, according to a new analysis by U.S. health officials. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ebola-outbreak-central-africa-cases.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:40:02 EDT news699949215 A vaccine targeting a broad range of viruses that was designed using artificial intelligence had a "modest" effect on immune systems in a small, early trial, according to a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-universal-vaccine-humans-uk.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:28:24 EDT news699949669 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Hepcludex (bulevirtide‐gmod) injection to treat chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection in adults without cirrhosis or compensated cirrhosis. Approval of Hepcludex was granted to Gilead Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-fda-treatment-chronic-hepatitis-delta.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news699860042 Infections by hantaviruses are rare but dangerous, killing 30–40% of infected people. When cases occur, public health officials need rapid, detailed information about the virus to identify the strain and its origin, so they can stop others from being exposed to the disease. Whole genome sequencing is an integral part of this work, though the genomes of these viruses are difficult to sequence using existing approaches. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hantavirus-sequencing-tool-genomes-hard.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT news699882301 A study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC published in JAMA Network Open, found that vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during pregnancy reduced the risk of hospitalization in young infants by nearly 70%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-maternal-rsv-vaccine-infant-hospitalizations.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:08 EDT news699784921 A class of flu drugs may reduce cognitive decline and premature aging in people living with chronic viral infection, reports a new study led by Northwestern University that began with blood samples from people with HIV and extended into preclinical drug trials. The findings point to a potential new therapy for cognitive problems in people with HIV, with broader implications for other aging-related diseases, such as dementia. The study is published in Med. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-flu-drugs-cognitive-decline.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:03 EDT news699781862 When it comes to Ebola outbreaks, it's not often we have two pieces of good news in one week. First, we heard there's new funding of up to US$62 million to fast-track the development of vaccine candidates against the type of virus circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ebola-vaccines-infectious-disease-expert.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:00:03 EDT news699859801 There can be too much of a good thing, and that has been the case with Vitamin A in the U.S.. A recent study in JAMA Network Open has found that between January and March 2025, America's Poison Centers reported a 38.7% increase in vitamin A exposures during the measles outbreak across many states. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-vitamin-poisonings-rose-measles-misinformation.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:00:01 EDT news699808455