Senate Votes Down Two Healthcare Bills
The Senate has rejected bipartisan ACA subsidy bills as millions face doubled premiums when financial assistance expires at the end of 2025.
‘Major Gap’ in Many Randomized Controlled Trials of Major Depressive Disorder
Many depression trials exclude real-world patients, study finds: A new analysis presented at the 2025 European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress found that about one-third (1/3) of people with major depressive disorder would not qualify for most randomized controlled trials of antidepressants, revealing a major gap between research and real-world patients. Common exclusion factors included substance use disorder, prior suicide attempts, comorbid serious somatic disease and other psychiatric disorders.
FDA Clears First Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Disease: A new blood test simplifies Alzheimer’s detection, offering a reliable and less invasive alternative to PET scans and spinal taps.
FDA cleared Fujirebio’s Lumipulse G pTau 217/β-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio for marketing. The test measures two proteins in a blood sample to measure amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s. The results are highly reliable but must be interpreted in conjunction with other patient clinical information.
Poisonous sacs helped toads conquer the world
Iconic amphibians took an unexpected path across the globe, study finds — with toxins as a “game changer”. The Asian common toad, which was accidentally introduced to Madagascar by humans, secretes deadly toxins from specialized glands behind its eyes.
Lung cancer plugs into the mouse brain: New research adds to growing evidence that the nervous system plays a role in cancer growth
Mouse research shows lung tumor cells can hijack neurons for growth signals: Scientists working with mouse models found that metastasizing small-cell lung cancer cells can wire themselves into brain circuits, forming synapse-like connections that deliver growth signals to tumors. Disrupting these nerve interactions by severing a key nerve slowed tumor growth in the lungs, pointing to new strategies for treating lung cancer.
Embryos small but mighty, first live videos show
Human embryo implantation filmed for the first time: For the first time, researchers have captured live, real-time videos of human embryos implanting into a simulated womb made up of a collagen-based gel to mimic uterine tissue, which could help explain why implantation often fails and guide new fertility treatments. The study, published in Science Advances, showed embryos forcefully burrow into the matrix using enzymes and physical pressure, a process that may explain implantation cramps reported by many women.
Smart Pads Detect Disease Biomarkers in Period Blood: Sensors embedded in sanitary napkins screen menstrual effluent, offering an accessible, non-invasive tool to monitor health
Smart menstrual pads have potential to detect disease biomarkers: Inge Herrmann and researchers in her lab at ETH Zurich have developed MenstruAI, a menstrual pad embedded with test strips that change color when they come into contact with specific disease biomarkers in menstrual blood. The researchers also developed a companion smartphone app that analyzes an image of the pad before it is discarded.
The mini placentas and ovaries revealing the basics of women’s health: Lab-made organoids that mimic reproductive tissues could point to treatments for common conditions such as pre-eclampsia and endometriosis
Women create organoids to study reproductive health: Scientists Ashley Moffett, Margherita Turco, Linda Griffith, Mirjana Kessler, and Victoria Roberts are among the women leading research on women’s reproductive health, creating organoids of the reproductive system to understand normal biology and disease. The researchers have created models of the placenta, ovary, endometrium and vagina to learn more about pre-eclampsia, menstruation and endometriosis.
The brain fires up immune cells when sick people are nearby: When people viewed virtual avatars with coughs or rashes, their brains triggered an immune response.
Brain triggers immune response at sight of illness: Seeing virtual representations of people with signs of illness, such as coughs or rashes, activates brain regions linked to personal space and triggers an innate immune response that mimics the body’s response to a real infection. This brain-driven immune activation suggests potential uses of virtual reality to boost vaccine responses by priming the immune system before exposure, researchers reported in Nature Neuroscience.
World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life: Scientists used artificial intelligence to write coherent viral genomes, using them to synthesize bacteriophages capable of killing resistant strains of bacteria.
AI-designed viruses target antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Scientists at Stanford University have created the first AI-designed viruses capable of targeting and killing E. coli bacteria. This breakthrough, detailed in a preprint on bioRxiv, demonstrates AI’s potential in designing biotechnological tools and therapies. Using AI models Evo 1 and Evo 2, the researchers generated viral genomes that successfully infected antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains, showcasing a promising advancement for phage therapy. However, the study also raises biosafety concerns as the technology progresses toward AI-generated life.