Archives: 2023-01-31

T lymphocytes engineering: advances in treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, scarring and beyond

In recent months there have been some major jumps—unprecedented success stories—that indicate our ability to engineer T cells may well have a substantial impact for multiple medical conditions that have not been responsive to conventional therapies or for which there is no available treatment. This can be regarded as the quintessential individualized medicine intervention—specifically modifying

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Once-weekly efanesoctocog alfa beneficial in severe hemophilia A

Once weekly efanesoctocog alfa provides superior bleeding prevention to prestudy prophylaxis for patients with severe hemophilia A, according to a study published in the Jan. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Annette von Drygalski, M.D., Pharm.D., from the University of California in San Diego, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 study involving patients

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Report highlights cost of misinformation to healthcare services during COVID-19 pandemic

A new report has highlighted the consequences of misinformation, including loss of trust in public institutions, delayed action on pressing issues such as climate change, and the financial toll on healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Fault Lines’ report involved a panel of international experts, including leading cognitive scientist Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, from the University of

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Myocardial Involvement After Hospitalization for COVID-19 Complicated by Troponin Elevation: A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study

People hospitalized with COVID-19 may have an increased risk for heart damage, but not so much the type of inflammation previous research suggested, according to a new study. Early in the pandemic, several studies suggested many COVID-19 survivors experienced heart damage even if they didn’t have underlying heart disease and weren’t sick enough to be hospitalized. The

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90% reduction in COVID-19 deaths after booster dose: Hong Kong study

A booster (third) dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was associated with a 90% reduction in death in people with multiple health conditions compared to 2 doses, according to a new study from Hong Kong published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.221068. “We found a substantially reduced risk of COVID-19–related death in adults with multimorbidity who received a

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Decreased serotonin transporter activity in the mitral valve contributes to progression of degenerative mitral regurgitation

Serotonin can impact the mitral valve of the heart and potentially accelerate a cardiac condition known as degenerative mitral regurgitation, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University’s Department of Surgery in collaboration with the Pediatric Heart Valve Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the University of Pennsylvania, and the Valley

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NIH researchers are shedding light on a mystery medical condition called VEXAS syndrome believed to affect more than 15,000 people in the United States.

Identified in 2020, VEXAS syndrome is a rare, genetically linked disorder with a high death rate. VEXAS syndrome is a disease that causes inflammatory and hematologic (blood) manifestations. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the UBA1 gene of blood cells and acquired later in life. Patients do not pass the disease to their children. The syndrome

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Could a viral illness increase chances of developing Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative disease?

NIH biobank study suggests vaccinations against viruses may also reduce risk of neurological disorders Some viral illnesses may increase a person’s chances of later developing Alzheimer’s disease or another neurodegenerative disorder. Though a causal link cannot be confirmed, an NIH study in which researchers mined the medical records of hundreds of thousands of people in

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Results on 5 gene therapy trials expected in the first 2023 semester

Can gene therapy trials for vision loss, hemophilia, and melanoma break through in 2023? fter another turbulent year in gene therapy development, all eyes are on five major trial readouts set for H1 2023. The clinical studies target rare blood disorders, inherited retinal diseases, and metastatic melanoma—each of which poses distinct trial design challenges. First, two small

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