Advancements in Research

Looks do matter, at least when it comes to immune system performance, suggests a new study.

Why do roughly 1 in 3 COVID-19 patients experience symptoms lasting a month or more? And which newly diagnosed patients will develop so-called “long COVID”? Researchers may be approaching answers with the discovery that reduced levels of certain antibodies in the blood may help predict who will suffer long COVID.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, making up nearly 25% of all cancer deaths (not all of which are smoking-related), but only 5% to 6% of at-risk Americans undergo recommended CT screening, with many concerned about radiation exposure and invasive procedures.

Irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS), characterized by stomach pain, bloating, cramping, constipation and diarrhea, is diagnosed in an estimated 1.3% of U.S. adults. In a country of 330 million, that’s a lot.

We’re seeing encouraging progress in cancer diagnostics with news of positive results from an innovative blood test to detect circulating tumor DNA.

Innovators have bestowed upon the world powerful tools for advancing precision medicine – including genomic sequencing, electronic health records, artificial intelligence, and wearables – but how do we put them to work?

Harvard scientists reported earlier this month that they essentially cured blindness in lab mice by delivering youth-restoring genes into the animals’ retinas, thus “turning back the clock” on their cells. The achievement perfectly parallels the breakthroughs medical researchers are pursuing for humans in the field of regenerative medicine – the repair, rejuvenation and replacement of diseased or damaged tissues and organs.

Supercomputing analysis of cellular gene expression data from COVID-19 patients’ lung fluid samples suggests potential new paths of investigation into treating the disease.

The Nobel Prize in medicine this week went to two researchers credited with opening up an exciting avenue of cancer treatment – immunotherapy – where the body’s natural disease-fighting agents can be unleashed to fight cancer cells. In simple terms, the prizewinning researchers discovered ways to take the foot off “brakes” in the immune system.…

For many of us, spring means laboring to shed winter weight and doing penance for rich holiday food and drink and “forgetting” to exercise. A new study, however, suggests winter weight gain may in part be beyond our control – and rather a function of winter’s sunlight deficit. The study found that sunlight can shrink…