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New mRNA adjuvant dramatically boosts T-cell vaccine responses in mice

MIT engineers have developed a new way to amplify the T-cell response to mRNA vaccines - an advance that could lead to much more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

13 May 2026

Targeted ultrasound stimulation alters brain processing to reduce chronic pain

Using ultrasound to stimulate a specific part of the brain could offer a non-invasive therapy that benefits those experiencing chronic pain, a new study has suggested.

13 May 2026

Study challenges structural explanation for gut symptoms in hEDS patients

A study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that persistent and distressing upper gut symptoms experienced by people with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), are not due to structural problems with the gullet (esophagus), as previously assumed.

13 May 2026

Researchers uncover nuclear organization mechanism linked to Friedreich's ataxia

Researchers have uncovered a fundamental rule that governs how genes are physically arranged inside the cell nucleus, and how disruptions to that organization can contribute to human disease.

12 May 2026

Gene mapping highlights strong immune and brain connections in depression

Neurons and white blood cells differ greatly in shape, function, and location within the body. However, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil discovered that certain genes are equally dysregulated in both cell types in people with depression.

11 May 2026

Ibasho concept offers a community-led approach to disaster psychiatry

As disasters increasingly disrupt lives through displacement, conflict, and climate-related emergencies, addressing long-term mental health recovery remains a major challenge.

11 May 2026

Scientists discover immune cell control switch to destroy fungal infections

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UK) have contributed to discovering a "control switch" inside our immune cells that helps the body destroy dangerous fungal infections.

11 May 2026

Daily orforglipron treatment reduces weight and blood sugar in seniors

A new analysis to be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026, Istanbul, Turkey, 12-15 May) examined daily oral orforglipron treatment for the treatment of obesity, with or without diabetes, in users aged 65 years and over, with results and a safety profile similar to that seen in the ATTAIN clinical trial programme population.

11 May 2026

Researchers uncover how bacterial toxin damages colon lining cells to trigger cancer

Since a landmark 2009 study, researchers have known that a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon.

8 May 2026

Cardiometabolic diseases remain leading cause of excess American mortality

Between 1999 and 2022, the US had substantially higher death rates than other wealthy nations, largely due to cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases (including diabetes), Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and drug and alcohol complications.

8 May 2026

Tiny cellular structure found crucial for brain development processes

A largely overlooked structure inside our cells may play a crucial role in how the brain forms, offering new insight into developmental disorders and potential therapies.

8 May 2026

Cash prescription program associated with fewer infant maltreatment investigations

A new peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Pediatrics provides rigorous, population-level evidence that Michigan State University's Rx Kids program, the nation's first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, is associated with substantial reductions in child maltreatment investigations among infants.

8 May 2026

Researchers call for deeper studies on wildfire smoke health risks

As wildfires increase in frequency and intensity across regions like the western United States, smoke exposure is becoming more widespread and prolonged.

7 May 2026

At-home blood and brain tests could identify dementia risk earlier

A finger prick blood test combined with online brain testing - all done from home - could one day effectively identify people's risk of developing dementia, according to a new study.

6 May 2026

Big tech drives the rise of direct-to-consumer health AI assistants

JMIR Publications today released a timely new feature in its News and Perspectives section, providing one of the first comprehensive overviews of the rapidly expanding consumer health AI landscape.

5 May 2026

Ultrasensitive test detects protein clumps to diagnose rare dementia subtype

Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide, a number expected to nearly double in the next 20 years.

5 May 2026

Mapping brain circuits helps identify the causes of psychiatric symptoms

If a small stroke in one corner of the brain can tip a previously healthy person into mania or set off obsessions and compulsions where none existed before, then the circuit connected to that lesion is telling us something rare in psychiatry.

5 May 2026

Scientists find that human embryos are vulnerable to COVID

A University of California, Riverside study reports that cells in the earliest stages of human development could be susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, offering new insight into how the virus interacts with developing human tissues and why that may matter for pregnancy research.

4 May 2026

New genomic study tracks rare blood disease in children

Aplastic anemia is a rare, life-threatening blood disorder where patients are unable to make enough blood cells due to the immune system's attack on blood stem cells. The condition can progress to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia. A study led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with multiple collaborating institutions, used state-of-the-art genomic techniques to profile 619 children and adults with aplastic anemia.

4 May 2026

American Heart Association warns of growing health care cost crisis

With health care costs constituting a major source of concern across the U.S., the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone, everywhere, today released a Presidential Advisory warning that health care affordability in this country has reached crisis levels and outlining key principles to address the problem.

30 Apr 2026