Wider Use of Convalescent Plasma Might Have Saved Thousands More Lives During Pandemic

Authors say findings support considering convalescent plasma deployment for future infectious diseases emergencies A new study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimates that thousands of lives could have been saved during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic if convalescent plasma had been used more broadly, particularly in outpatients

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Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Reveal New Insights into Non-Inflammatory Causes of Rare Neurological Symptoms in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Following CAR-T Therapy

Study marks the first time these side effects were reported in children Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) revealed for the first time that children, adolescents and young adults may experience very rare neurological issues of paraparesis and quadriparesis following chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, a type of immunotherapy used to treat B-cell Acute

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Pfizer Voluntarily Withdraws All Lots of Sickle Cell Disease Treatment OXBRYTA® (voxelotor) From Worldwide Markets

 Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced today that it is voluntarily withdrawing all lots of OXBRYTA ® (voxelotor) for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) at this time, in all markets where it is approved. Pfizer is also discontinuing all active voxelotor clinical trials and expanded access programs worldwide. Pfizer’s decision is based on the totality of

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NIH scientists discover gene responsible for rare, inherited eye disease

NIH-supported findings pave the way for genetic testing, clinical trials, and therapy development Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their colleagues have identified a gene responsible for some inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), which are a group of disorders that damage the eye’s light-sensing retina and threatens vision. Though IRDs affect more than

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Antiviral-Resistant Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Can Emerge in Immunocompromised People

Researchers isolated SARS-CoV-2 strains, which are drug resistant with mutations to the nsp12 protein that is the target of remdesivir and another variant with mutations to the nsp5 protein, the target of Paxlovid. These mutations help the virus persist in people with compromised immunity despite common antiviral treatments. Individuals with compromised immunity and persistent COVID-19

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New study shows durability of minimally invasive procedure to combat knee pain

Patients reported significant reductions in pain that lasted for at least 2 years after the procedure A new study shows that a minimally invasive treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) in the knees may have a lasting benefit of at least 2 years. Published today in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology during Pain Awareness Month, the study of genicular

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Single-Dose Gene Therapy is Potentially Life-Changing for Adults with Hemophilia B

Study results formed the basis of the therapy’s FDA approval in April 2024 Adults with hemophilia B saw their number of bleeding episodes drop by an average of 71 percent after a single infusion of gene therapy, according to the results of an international Phase III clinical trial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from the University of

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Cells programmed to target brain tumors

Scientists from UNIGE and HUG have developed CAR-T cells capable of targeting malignant gliomas while preserving healthy tissues. Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor—average survival after diagnosis is less than two years—and current treatments remain ineffective. In recent years, immunotherapies have been giving patients hope, albeit with relatively modest success. A

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