OCT News and Research

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Longevity gene offers hope for children with progeria

A new breakthrough in a rare genetic disease which causes children to age rapidly has been discovered using 'longevity genes' found in people who live exceptionally long lives - over 100 years old.

15 Oct 2025

UC Irvine develops human-like colon model for precision medicine

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a 3D human colon model integrated with bioelectronics to aid in colorectal cancer research and drug discovery.

15 Oct 2025

Aerobic exercise found to be most effective for knee osteoarthritis

For patients with knee osteoarthritis, aerobic activities such as walking, cycling, or swimming are likely to be the best exercise for improving pain, function, gait performance, and quality of life, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

15 Oct 2025

SGLT-2 inhibitors offer protection against autoimmune conditions

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors used to treat type 2 diabetes are associated with an 11% lower risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, compared with another group of diabetes drugs called sulfonylureas, finds a study from South Korea published by The BMJ today.

15 Oct 2025

Gene therapy shows long-term success in children with rare immune disorder

Results from the largest cohort of children who received a gene therapy for a rare immunodeficiency condition have shown the long-term safety and efficacy of the curative treatment, in a study led by a UCL researcher.

15 Oct 2025

Discovery explains why women face higher risk of Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis

New research by UCLA Health has identified a sex-chromosome linked gene that drives inflammation in the female brain, offering insight into why women are disproportionately affected by conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis as well as offering a potential target for intervention.

15 Oct 2025

Ancient lead exposure may have shaped human evolution and language

A groundbreaking international study changes the view that exposure to the toxic metal lead is largely a post-industrial phenomenon.

15 Oct 2025

Astrocytes revealed as key players in stabilizing long-term emotional memories

Why are we able to recall only some of our past experiences? A new study led by Jun Nagai at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan has an answer.

15 Oct 2025

Study provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve lung cancer screening rates

Lung cancer screening might be the best-kept secret in health care today. Only about 16 percent of those who are eligible in the U.S. get screened for lung cancer, but a study coming out in NEJM Catalyst on Wednesday provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve those numbers.

15 Oct 2025

ALS and MS share striking geographic patterns, research shows

A new study published in Nature's Scientific Reports indicates that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) have an extremely high geographic association, even after controlling for race, gender, wealth, latitude, and access to neurological healthcare.

15 Oct 2025

Living environment may influence dementia markers in the brain

The conditions where you live may influence your brain health and risk for dementia, according to a new study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine

15 Oct 2025

Low-fat vegan diet shown to reduce insulin use and costs in type 1 diabetes

A low-fat vegan diet that doesn't limit calories or carbohydrates could help people with type 1 diabetes reduce insulin use and insulin costs, according to new research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in BMC Nutrition.

15 Oct 2025

GLP-1 medications found to slow alcohol absorption and lessen intoxication

There's mounting evidence that popular drugs prescribed for diabetes management and weight loss - better known by trade names like Ozempic and Wegovy - could be effective in reducing alcohol use.

15 Oct 2025

Combination therapy shows promising results in patients with rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Combining an epigenetic therapy with an anti-PD-1 antibody, which uses the body's natural response to viral infections, showed promising results in patients with relapsed or refractory natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (R/R NKTL), a rare and aggressive cancer with limited treatment options.

15 Oct 2025

Study provides new framework for understanding domestic violence

Before going on to commit violence, domestic abusers use a mix of intense affection and emotional cruelty, combined with tales of their own childhood trauma, to generate a deep psychological hold that can feel like an "addiction" according to some victims.

15 Oct 2025

Revolutionary structures show how chaperone proteins prevent diseases caused by protein misfolding

The first full-length structures of two heat shock chaperone proteins in a complex reveal the key structural region regulating their function, according to a new study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

15 Oct 2025

Pioneering personalized medicine by deciphering depression's complex biological web

In a compelling Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Najaf Amin unveils transformative insights that fundamentally reshape international understanding of depression genetics.

15 Oct 2025

New insights into MDMA therapy for PTSD and beyond

A comprehensive peer-reviewed invited review published today in Psychedelics by Dr. Kenji Hashimoto and colleagues (Dr. Mingming Zhao and Dr. Jianjun Yang) synthesizes the evolving landscape of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, examining robust clinical evidence in treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder while identifying promising applications in autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, and existential distress

14 Oct 2025

New model tracks disease spread through daily commuting

For countless millions across the globe, commuting to work or school is an everyday routine. But during a pandemic, the practice can contribute enormously to the spread of infectious disease, a fact that many traditional metapopulation models often overlook because they are designed primarily for migration and treat people as if they rarely move locally.

14 Oct 2025

Breakthrough enables large-scale cultivation of blood vessel cells

Scientists have discovered a method to induce human endothelial cells from a small biopsy sample to multiply in the laboratory, producing more than enough cells to replace damaged blood vessels or nourish organs for transplantation, according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

14 Oct 2025