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Study links processed foods to targeted domain-specific cognitive decline

An unhealthy Western-style diet was associated with a faster cognitive decline in people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to new research led by Murdoch University and Alzheimer's Research Australia.

15 Sep 2026

More data, more answers? A 1.9 million-person health study shows why scale has limits

Researchers analyzed phenotypic and linked health-record data from more than 1.9 million adults in Our Future Health, comparing demographic characteristics, disease patterns, clinical associations, and rare-condition case counts with national data and other major cohorts. The cohort's size provides unusually large samples for many common and less common conditions, although its demographic composition and current data sources require careful consideration when interpreting population-level estimates.

14 Sep 2026

APOE genotype helps p-tau217 predict who may develop cognitive impairment sooner

A pooled analysis of 8,582 adults from seven prospective cohorts found that higher plasma p-tau217 concentrations were associated with greater cognitive impairment risk and earlier progression, with stronger associations among APOE-ε4 carriers. Each 1-SD increase in p-tau217 was associated with a 24% shorter time to cognitive impairment among carriers compared with 13% among non-carriers, suggesting that genetic background can refine the prognostic meaning of this Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarker.

14 Sep 2026

Cockroaches have a reputation for surviving almost anything, but this diet proved deadly

A laboratory study tested how ultra-processed, unprocessed, and mixed diets affected survival in 127 lobster cockroaches, Nauphoeta cinerea. Cockroaches fed only ultra-processed foods had higher mortality than those given unprocessed or mixed diets, although the study could not determine whether processing, ingredients, nutrition, or differences in food intake caused the effect.

13 Sep 2026

Distinct EFEMP1 variants cause different forms of vision loss

Scientists identified a new vision condition linked to a gene already connected to a different vision-loss disease. While the previously identified disease causes loss of central vision, the new condition affects peripheral and night vision.

11 Sep 2026

Video game offers new insights into autistic perception

People with autism often come at life from a different angle-seeing details others miss, focusing on patterns rather than faces, experiencing heightened or dimmed physical sensations.

11 Sep 2026

Lupus-linked genetic variants may boost antiviral immunity

Why do genetic variants that increase the risk of autoimmune disease remain so common in the population?

11 Sep 2026

Study links heritability and polygenicity across complex human traits

Researchers at the University of Oslo have mapped which parts of our DNA carry the inherited differences behind complex traits and disorders.

11 Sep 2026

Cancer treatments alter the landscape of genetic mutations in healthy body tissues

Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, give a growth advantage to cells with particular genetic changes in healthy tissue, new research finds.

11 Sep 2026

Proteomic signatures reveal early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt Health, UTHealth Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease (CKMD) in children as young as 8 years old that potentially can be reversed with a new class of weight loss drugs used widely by adults

11 Sep 2026

AI identifies hidden biological patterns to accurately diagnose migraines

AI can trawl vast amounts of health data which is not specifically related to migraines, but which can be used to identify people predisposed to the condition.

11 Sep 2026

Childhood chemotherapy leaves lasting DNA damage in healthy cells

Chemotherapy, which saves the lives of many children with cancer, causes previously unknown DNA alterations in the liver and leaves genetic footprints in other healthy cells as well.

10 Sep 2026

Chronic interferon exposure drives immunosuppression in tumors

Cancer biology and, in turn, cancer treatment have come a long way in the last few decades. Most people recognize this progress in breakthroughs like immunotherapy-a treatment strategy first deployed in 2011 that leverages the body's own immune cells to fight cancer and revolutionized the treatment landscape.

10 Sep 2026

Strength training shows no added arrhythmia risk in people with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

People living with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a heritable heart condition that can significantly increase risks for sudden cardiac death, are advised to avoid high-intensity aerobic exercise.

10 Sep 2026

Study reveals hidden DNA damage from childhood chemotherapy

The amount of DNA damage caused by certain chemotherapies used to effectively treat childhood cancer has been revealed, along with a hidden impact on the liver, paving the way for future research into new ways to mitigate these impacts.

10 Sep 2026

New genetic variant linked to previously unrecognized retinal disease

An international team of researchers led by the University Hospital and University of Bonn, as well as the universities of Edinburgh, Basel and Pennsylvania, has identified a previously unrecognized form of inherited retinal degeneration caused by a specific variant in the EFEMP1 gene.

10 Sep 2026

New funding supports LMU research on pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

The non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung supports LMU clinician-scientist Daniel Kotlarz through its Rise up! program.

10 Sep 2026

New AI tool predicts breast cancer risk using repeated 3D mammograms

An artificial intelligence model that analyzes women's past and recent annual 3D mammograms is more effective at predicting five-year risk of developing breast cancer than a tool that uses only the most recent, single 3D mammogram, as well as an AI model that analyzes 2D mammograms, a new study shows.

10 Sep 2026

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease research

Marcel Nelen discusses his team’s early evaluation of a new workflow for rare disease genomics.

From Illumina, Inc. 10 Sep 2026

Blood protein profiling could improve rare disease diagnosis

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) and Genomics England have shown that measuring proteins in the blood can provide important additional clues about the effects of genetic variants, helping to identify diagnoses and potential new disease-causing genes that genome sequencing alone has been unable to resolve.

9 Sep 2026