Fecal transplant increases tolerance to peanuts sixfold in small food allergy trial
Fecal transplants can increase tolerance to peanuts sixfold in people with food allergies, new research out of Boston Children’s Hospital has suggested.
Month: October 2026
YouTuber MrBeast welcomes Amgen to the channel, kicking off pediatric cancer funding effort
Amgen, LeBron James, and the world’s top-subscribed YouTuber MrBeast may sound like a Mad Lib of unrelated influences; however, the unlikely trio has one thing in common: a drive to fight childhood cancer.
Study Offers New Clues to Severe Preeclampsia, Points to Future Treatment Targets
Researchers learn more about mechanisms of preeclampsia: Severe preeclampsia appears to be more than a placental disease, involving changes in maternal tissues and immune cells, according to a study in Science Advances. Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to map nearly 293,000 cells across the fetal-maternal interface, identifying 27 distinct cell populations and how they communicated with one another, says researcher Sara Hillman. “What surprised us were several pathways that emerged in severe preeclampsia, particularly leptin signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction across the fetal-maternal interface,” Hillman said.
Drug temporarily reverses autism-like brain changes in adult mice within hours
Mouse research points to autism targets: Rapamycin temporarily reversed autism-like brain changes and improved behavioral symptoms of adult mice exposed to maternal inflammation, researchers reported in Nature Communications. The drug improved brain signaling within hours, although the effects were short-lived, pointing to potential new therapeutic targets for autism.
FDA finalizes three guidances to broaden cancer clinical trial eligibility
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) has finalized a trio of guidance documents to promote greater participation and diversity in oncology clinical trials. The documents address three areas: a patient’s performance status, laboratory values, and washout periods.
Brain implant enables paralyzed man to regain movement
A brain-computer interface that bypasses a spinal cord injury allowed a man with paralysis to move his arms and hands, regain some sense of touch, and perform tasks such as feeding himself after months of training. Some improvements persisted even when the device was turned off, suggesting the therapy may promote lasting nervous system recovery.
Why animal models still matter in drug development: Patient advocates warn that political momentum to reduce animal testing is outpacing the scientific validation of alternative methods.
Patient advocates urge caution on reducing animal research: A patient advocacy group is urging regulators to validate alternative research methods alongside animal models rather than replacing them prematurely, arguing that current non-animal approaches cannot yet replicate the complexity of whole-body responses. The group warned that moving away from animal research too quickly could leave important safety gaps for vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children, and people with rare diseases.