Ed Cara

An experimental gene therapy that uses a modified herpes virus shows promise as a brain cancer treatment, according to new research. The Phase I study found evidence that the virus could safely induce an immune response that attacked the often-fatal cancer. It also seemed to extend the length of survival in those who had pre-existing antibodies to the virus. Brain cancers are some of the hardest to successfully treat, particularly glioblastomas (GBM), the most commonly diagnosed form. GBMs are…

New research links the rare neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome to covid-19. The study tracked millions of people in Israel, finding that those with a recent history of covid-19 infection were noticeably more likely to develop Guillain-Barré than those without one. Conversely, covid-19 vaccination appeared to be associated with a reduced risk of later having it. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system, the networ…

New research might complicate our understanding of ketamine as a potential treatment for depression. The study found that people with depression who were either given saline or ketamine before undergoing anesthesia for a surgery experienced a similar improvement in their symptoms afterward. The findings suggest that at least some of the therapeutic benefits seen with ketamine might be attributable to the placebo effect, though more research will be needed to confirm this. Many studies have fou…

Millions of Americans and their doctors are in the dark when it comes to early cognitive decline, according to new research from the University of Southern California. A study out this week suggests that most general physicians vastly under-diagnose mild cognitive impairment among their patients, following another recent study from the same authors which found that millions of Medicare patients with the condition slip through the cracks. The researchers say this diagnostic gap is worrying, given…

New research will provide plenty of fuel to the eternal cats versus dogs debate. The study surveyed pet owners across three European countries and found that dog owners generally seemed to care more about their dogs than cat owners did about their cats. However, the differences in pet attachment varied greatly between countries, and it’s possible that cats could become just as lovable as dogs over time, the researchers say. Looking at these data, there’s no reason to say that dogs will always h…

The UK is currently dealing with an alarming rise of crypto—the diarrhea-causing intestinal parasite, not the baffling currency. In a report this month, health officials documented a much higher number of cases than expected so far in 2023. It’s not clear yet why crypto is surging in the country, though the increase may be tied to international travel. In medicine and biology, “crypto” has long been the shorthand for Cryptosporidium, a genus of microscopic protozoa that usually infect the gut a…

A woman’s newly adopted cat may have brought her an unwelcome gift: a bacterial germ that caused her months of diarrhea. In a new case report this month, doctors say that the woman’s bout of recurrent Clostridioides difficile could have been fueled by her cat, who also tested positive for the bacteria. Thankfully, both the cat and the owner were eventually treated successfully, but the case might represent the first known instance of cat-to-human transmission of the infection. Clostridioides di…

A team of scientists at Northwestern University has developed a synthetic version of melanin that could have a million and one uses. In new research, they showed that their melanin can prevent blistering and accelerate the healing process in tissue samples of freshly injured human skin. The team now plans to further develop their “super melanin” as both a medical treatment for certain skin injuries and as a potential sunscreen and anti-aging skincare product. Melanin is a brown or black pigment…

Viruses are somehow even weirder than we thought. In a recent study published last month, scientists say they’ve discovered two new viruses that hijack the machinery of other bacteria-infecting viruses in order to replicate themselves. One of these vampiric viruses even acts the part, appearing to “bite” and latch onto their helper virus so that they can enter the bacteria at the same time. In the simplest of terms, viruses are tiny packages of genetic material, either DNA or RNA. The key chara…

New research seems to show the potential of a CRISPR-based gene therapy meant to neuter certain forms of cardiovascular disease. In the world’s first human trial of the therapy, people given the highest doses experienced significant and long-lasting reductions in their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The treatment could be used to help people genetically predisposed to high LDL-C and its accompanying health risks. The gene therapy is being developed by the company Verve Therapeutic…