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Researchers improve CRISPR technology for detecting HIV and other RNA viruses

Scientists have long used a powerful gene-editing tool called CRISPR to make precise changes to DNA. But a different version of the technology, known as Cas13a, targets RNA, the genetic material found in viruses such as HIV.

13 Oct 2026

$5.8 million study explores gut-brain inflammation in people with HIV

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have secured a $5.8 million, five-year federal award to investigate whether damage to the gastrointestinal tract contributes to neuroinflammation in people living with HIV - raising the potential for new treatments to preserve brain function in people with HIV and older adults.

13 Oct 2026

Pregnancy reshapes the maternal brain through remarkable neurological changes

For generations, women have been told that the forgetfulness, emotional shifts, sensory changes, and altered sense of self that accompany pregnancy and new motherhood are simply "mommy brain."

13 Oct 2026

CHOP researchers link MAP2K4 variants to a neurodevelopmental disorder

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have discovered the mechanisms of previously unknown changes in a gene that result in symptoms associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

13 Oct 2026

Scientists studied diet and lung cancer in 95,612 adults. One eating pattern stood out

A prospective study of 95,612 U.S. adults found that those with the highest sulfur microbial diet scores had a 23% higher adjusted lung cancer incidence hazard and a 19% higher lung cancer-related mortality hazard than those with the lowest scores. However, the associations weakened after accounting for overall dietary quality and competing causes of death, and the findings do not establish a causal relationship.

13 Oct 2026

Doctors avoided two common words when talking about weight with patients

Researchers analyzed 123 recorded primary care consultations involving adults with type 2 diabetes and elevated BMI, finding that weight was discussed in just 39% of visits. Clinicians avoided potentially stigmatizing terms such as "overweight" and "obesity," while weight-related conversations occurred more frequently among patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists.

13 Oct 2026

Pancreatic cancer cells continuously reshape DNA to evade treatment

A new analysis of nearly half a million cells from dozens of pancreatic tumors, led by researchers at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and New York University (NYU), reveals how pancreatic cancer cells continuously reshape their genetic makeup over time, enabling them to evade treatment.

13 Oct 2026

Enhanced CAR T-cell therapy may improve treatment options for patients with B-cell blood cancers

Results from a phase I clinical trial led by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) show a possible way to improve therapy options for patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant B-cell blood cancers.

13 Oct 2026

Maternal opioid use in pregnancy linked to childhood hospitalizations

Children whose mothers received opioid prescriptions during pregnancy have a higher rate of hospital admission in childhood than unexposed children, including unexposed siblings, according to a new study published October 13th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Dong Keon Yon of Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, South Korea, and colleagues.

13 Oct 2026

Extended Medicaid coverage increases postpartum care for high-risk women

Extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months after childbirth increased postpartum health care utilization among women with pregnancy complications such as diabetes and hypertension, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

13 Oct 2026

Charity funds Aston University research into childhood cancer MRI

Aston University's Dr Jan Novak has accepted funding of £45,000 from cancer charity Help Harry Help Others (HHHO) to support a PhD student to research new ways of using MRI scans of children with cancer to better inform their doctors and improve treatment.

13 Oct 2026

Consumer smartwatch helps identify adults with severe sleep apnea

New research suggests that a consumer smartwatch can help identify adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, offering a way to screen for a common sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed.

13 Oct 2026

Hybrid AI architecture improves seizure prediction using EEG signals

Epilepsy affects about 50 million people worldwide and can seriously affect patients' quality of life. Electroencephalography (EEG), which records the brain's electrical activity in real time, plays an important role in epilepsy diagnosis and monitoring.

13 Oct 2026

ACLM launches resources to meet new medical nutrition requirements

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has launched two resources to help medical schools meet new federal nutrition requirements and to support practicing physicians seeking education relevant to state-level nutrition education requirements.

13 Oct 2026

Topical peptide spray outperforms placebo in healing burn wounds

Burn wound infections remain a major global health burden, often requiring hospitalization and delaying tissue repair.

13 Oct 2026

New AI tool distinguishes Ewing sarcoma with high accuracy

A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the University of Valencia (UV) has developed and validated an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of distinguishing Ewing sarcoma from other morphologically similar tumours with high accuracy.

13 Oct 2026

Major trial seeks to test semaglutide on adults with alcohol and opioid use disorder

The Center for Addiction Science, Policy and Research (CASPR) and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services are preparing to launch a major $13.3 million randomized controlled trial to test whether weekly semaglutide, as an additional support to existing care, can reduce alcohol and opioid use and reduce criminal-justice involvement while improving employment, health, and housing outcomes among people at elevated risk of criminal-justice involvement.

13 Oct 2026

FDA approves new Parkinson’s drug pioneered by UVA scientists

The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved a new Parkinson's disease drug that was based on research by UVA Health scientists.

13 Oct 2026

Childhood leukemia treatment causes rapid, lasting challenges for patient families

New research in the October 2026 issue of JNCCN-Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network finds that families of children receiving treatment for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) experience substantial and lasting challenges beginning early after diagnosis, according to a new multicenter study embedded in a Children's Oncology Group (COG) trial.

13 Oct 2026

Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome more likely to have Alzheimer's and dementia

Alzheimer's disease and dementia may be more common in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a review of existing evidence published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

13 Oct 2026