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GLP-1 obesity drugs mainly reduce fat while preserving muscle mass

New research to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12–15 May) shows that following treatment with GLP-1 drugs for obesity, most weight loss is fat mass (80–85%) and relative muscle mass is preserved.

13 May 2026

Expert questions benefits of new UK drug approval pathway

A new UK drug approval pathway, designed to speed up the availability of new medicines, benefits industry over patients and the NHS, argues an expert in The BMJ today.

13 May 2026

New drug carrier improves cancer treatment by anchoring to tumors

Medications are designed to treat diseased tissues while sparing healthy ones, often by attaching the drug to something that helps guide it directly to its target. But drugs also need time to work, which means they need to stay near the diseased tissues long enough.

13 May 2026

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

AI-based generative framework create all-atom models of proteins in motion

Many drug and antibody discovery pathways focus on intricately folded cell membrane proteins. When molecules of a drug candidate bind to these proteins, like a key going into a lock, they trigger chemical cascades that alter cellular behavior.

13 May 2026

New gene editing approach improves survival in epileptic mice

In a world first, a research team at the University of Zurich has successfully treated mice carrying an inherited form of epilepsy.

13 May 2026

Adding GLP-1 drugs to behavioral interventions silences food noise

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey, shows that use of obesity drugs alongside behavioral interventions leads to a larger drop in so called 'food noise' than in those using the behavioral therapy alone.

13 May 2026

Teen smoking risks vary between disadvantaged rural and urban communities

Teens in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to smoke, but it depends on whether they live in rural or urban areas.

13 May 2026

Endometriosis increases risk of some birth defects in infants

Research indicates women with endometriosis may face a higher risk of congenital anomalies in infants, emphasizing the need for further investigation.

13 May 2026

Combined workouts and HIIT significantly lower daily blood pressure

Aerobic and resistance training combined, and high intensity interval training (HIIT), are associated with significant reductions in blood pressure over 24 hours, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence for several different types of structured exercise, and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

13 May 2026

New compound shows promise as single-dose malaria treatment

A Portland State University-led research team has developed a novel chemical compound that shows promise for the treatment and prevention of malaria, one of the world's deadliest diseases.

13 May 2026

Worms help researchers tackle rare childhood genetic disease

A new worm model developed by Brown University researchers could play a key role in treating a rare genetic disease that causes paralysis in children and worsens with age.

13 May 2026

Researchers find new way to deliver drugs directly into cancer cells

National University of Singapore Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a high-throughput method to identify gold nanoparticles capable of delivering therapies directly to mitochondria (the energy centres inside cancer cells).

13 May 2026

Scientists develop advanced lab-grown kidney organoids for disease research

A team led by USC Stem Cell scientist Zhongwei Li, PhD, has produced some of the most complex and mature lab-grown kidney models to date.

12 May 2026

Dual-pathway protein degradation approach could improve cancer treatment

Targeted protein degradation has become one of the most promising strategies in modern drug discovery, enabling scientists to eliminate disease-causing proteins instead of merely blocking them.

12 May 2026

Could GLP-1 drugs help breast cancer patients live longer?

A large retrospective cohort study of adult female breast cancer patients found that GLP-1 receptor agonist use was associated with better all-cause survival and recurrence-free survival in patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes. The strongest associations were seen versus non-use in obesity and versus insulin or metformin in type 2 diabetes, while comparisons with SGLT2 inhibitors were less consistent and require further study.

12 May 2026

Diabetes, weight-loss drugs not a perfect fit?

Type 2 diabetes affects millions of people worldwide and now a new international study, jointly led by Adelaide University, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, and Stanford University, has found one in ten people may not be benefiting from common medications used to treat the condition.

11 May 2026