Disease

A big flush of funding in the UK is pushing new research on ways to diagnose and treat long COVID. A University of Cambridge team is now working on a blood test to objectively diagnose this emerging chronic condition using immune biomarkers.

A landmark study is describing the successful results of a trial testing a targeted gene therapy for children with a rare genetic disease. The research demonstrates a novel method for delivering gene therapies to specific locations deep in the brain.

A large study tracking some four million patients has linked adult ADHD diagnosis with a higher risk of a range of other diseases, including nervous system, musculoskeletal, respiratory, gut and metabolic conditions. Only arthritis wasn't correlated.

Researchers have found the earliest known strain of the plague-causing Yersinia pestis bacteria, through genetic analysis of teeth and bone from a hunter-gatherer who was buried in present-day Latvia 5,000 years ago.

Japanese researchers have developed a new type of cholera vaccine by genetically modifying rice to carry a non-toxic cholera antigen. The vaccine needs no refrigeration with the rice simply ground into a powder, mixed with water and consumed.

New clinical data shows that CRISPR gene editing can be done safely and effectively inside the body. CRISPR was injected into the bloodstream of patients with a genetic disease, with better outcomes than current treatments and no side effects.

Introducing the concept of “microbiome architectures”, a new study has detected robust associations between several human diseases, including diabetes and liver cirrhosis, and patterns of bacterial genes.

Scientists may have identified three new subtypes of multiple sclerosis. Analyzing thousands of MRI scans, AI algorithms uncovered patterns regarding which areas of the brain are affected first, which could lead to more focused treatment options.

Researchers at the Burnet Institute have examined the potential to attack malaria infection before it gets to the liver – as soon as it enters the bloodstream from a mosquito bite – and they've identified an important mechanism for vaccines to target.

A new type of electronic nose developed by an international team of researchers is claimed to up the sensitivity and capabilities of these devices, by pairing them with machine learning to mimic the canine ability to interpret different scents.

A brand new type of particle has been discovered in the human bloodstream. The sausage-shaped structures were first found by researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology in mice with sepsis, and they appear to be related to inflammatory disease.

A new study is the first to investigate the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the gut microbiome. The preliminary investigation confirms patients suffering from COPD present with changes to microbial populations in the gut.