Medical

ALS is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease with poor outcomes, but a pair of new studies may point towards a more optimistic future. In tests in human cells and live mice, scientists identified promising new targets for potential treatment.

In what sounds like sci-fi, transfusions of youthful blood can improve the health of older people. A new study has found that an existing arthritis drug can effectively rejuvenate blood stem cells, mimicking the benefits of young blood transfusions.

Using the same whipping siphon used in the culinary world, researchers have created a food-based foam that can be injected directly into tumors. The foam contains oxygen, which makes tumors more susceptible to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

When it comes to PTSD, much of the clinical research focuses on improving the condition rather than predicting it. However, a new study has uncovered a brain marker that seems to show who is more likely to develop PTSD when exposed to trauma.

While bioengineered skin holds promise for people such as burn victims, the material has so far only been produced in flat sheets. Now, scientists have devised a method of growing it in 3D forms, which could be slipped onto the body like clothing.

If people with glaucoma don't stay on top of their condition, blindness may result. An experimental new contact lens is designed to help, by both monitoring glaucoma symptoms and automatically releasing medication as needed.

For half a century beta blockers have been used to help patients with cardiovascular problems manage their abnormal heart rhythms, but a new study tracking over a million people has found the common drug may also reduce aggression and violent behavior.

After someone has suffered a heart attack, their body replaces the damaged heart muscle tissue with non-beating scar tissue, compromising the heart's function. A new injectable biomaterial, however, may help the heart heal better.

Promising results have been published from the first human trial testing an experimental vaccine targeting the deadly Marburg virus. Flagged as a potential pandemic-causing virus, this is the first Marburg vaccine to move into Phase 2 human trials.

Scientists at MIT have developed bottlebrush-shaped molecules that can carry groups of different cancer drugs in just the right ratios. Tests in mice showed significantly improved outcomes compared to just giving the drugs loose.

It's always good if the use of antibiotics can be avoided, to keep harmful bacteria from developing a resistance to them. A new wound-treatment spray could help, as it kills bacteria using peptides that occur naturally in our bodies.

Skin-applied microneedle patches are already used to painlessly deliver medication and detect chemicals in a patient's bloodstream. A new one, however, reportedly stops wounds from bleeding much more effectively than traditional bandages.

Researchers studying healthy centenarians have homed in on a gene mutation that plays a crucial role in maintaining cardiovascular health in old age. Across a series of experiments the researchers demonstrated how gene therapy could rejuvenate aging hearts.

It goes without saying that if someone has a blood clot in their brain, that clot should be cleared as soon as possible. An experimental new transducer could help, as it uses swirling waves of ultrasound to break up blood clots much faster than existing methods.

In a blow to researchers across the world, the only HIV vaccine currently in Phase 3 human trials has been deemed a failure. The experimental vaccine's failure turns the current research focus onto several other candidates only in early-stage human trials.