Month: June 2026

Genetically modified pig liver keeps man alive until human organ transplant:  First time the procedure has been performed on a living person.

In the first reported case of its kind, surgeons in China connected a liver failure patient to a genetically modified pig liver that filtered his blood for nearly three (3) days while he awaited a human transplant. The procedure served as a temporary “bridge” therapy until a donor organ became available, highlighting the potential of xenotransplantation to support patients with severe organ failure.

Stem cells provide a potent treatment for frailty:  Elderly people with frailty, which affects up to one-quarter (1/4) of over-50s, increased their endurance after a single dose of stem cells.

A study published in Cell Stem Cell found that a single dose of mesenchymal stem cells can improve endurance in older adults with frailty. The highest dose resulted in a 20% improvement in a six-minute walk test. The stem cells, derived from donated bone marrow, do not require immunosuppressive medications.

A titan of vaccine development sees his field’s achievements slip away:  Stanley Plotkin, the ‘godfather of vaccines,’ knows what comes next

Vaccine pioneer warns of resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases: Stanley Plotkin, a pioneering vaccine scientist often called the “godfather of vaccines,” reflects on his career developing the rubella and rotavirus vaccines and warns that declining vaccination rates could allow previously controlled childhood diseases to return. “In the absence of disease, people are less worried, and they ask themselves: Why should I vaccinate the child because there’s no disease around?” Plotkin said.

New injectable therapy helped paralyzed mice walk and it just passed a major test on human cells.   Researchers are using stem cells and nanotechnology to build a bridge for regrowing damaged spinal nerves.

Spinal cord organoids show promise for paralysis therapy: Research with mice previously showed that a single injection of a peptide gel helped animals regain walking after severe spinal cord injury, and new studies with human stem cell-derived spinal cord organoids found the same treatment reduced scar tissue and encouraged nerve fibers to grow after injury. The gel forms a soft scaffold that actively interacts with nerve cells to promote regrowth, targeting the scar barriers that normally prevent recovery after paralysis.

Decades-old anti-seizure drug shows promise in preventing Alzheimer’s before it begins:  Researchers identify how levetiracetam keeps neurons from producing harmful amyloid-beta, pointing to new ways to intervene before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear.

Decades-old drug may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease: A study published in Science Translational Medicine found that the decades-old anti-seizure drug levetiracetam reduced production of amyloid-beta 42 in research with engineered mouse models and human neurons. The Researchers found that levetiracetam works by maintaining amyloid precursor protein on the cell surface, favoring a non-amyloidogenic pathway.