Lori A Carr

Experts call for more research on older women’s health: Scientific research on older women’s health is “completely inadequate,” leaving clinicians unsure of how well or even whether drugs tested on men in clinical trials will affect postmenopausal women, who are biologically different, says Stephanie Faubion, Director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health. Experts say more research is needed on heart disease, brain health, mental health, cancer, and bone health in older women, and the White House’s new Women’s Health Initiative might narrow some of these research gaps.

Some companies want to adapt weight-loss drugs to pets: Overweight cats lost at least 5% of their body weight within 112 days after receiving an implant containing a glucagon-like peptide 1 agonist, the active ingredient in new human weight-loss drugs, according to Okava Pharmaceuticals, which is developing the implant designed by Vivani Medical. Better Choice, which acquired Aimia Pet Healthco, is also developing pet treats that replicate the benefits of human weight-loss drugs. Although pet obesity is a problem, it is frequently due to overfeeding, and veterinarian Jeanne Ficociello says it is best to try diet and exercise and to check for underlying endocrine disorders before turning to weight-loss drugs for pets.

Regions of brains linked to paranoia found in humans, non-human primates: By comparing data from humans and non-human primates, researchers identified specific regions of the brain involved in paranoia, finding that lesions in these areas were associated with negative behaviors linked to paranoia, according to a study in Cell Reports. Scientists hope that this research could translate to other species, like mice or invertebrates, and could ultimately help find treatments for paranoia in humans.

Personalized cancer vaccines show promise in preventing melanoma recurrence: As part of a 2020 clinical trial, melanoma patients had their tumors surgically removed and received a personalized mRNA vaccine that targeted their cancer to prevent recurrence, with three-year results from Moderna and Merck showing reductions in the risk of recurrence and life span extension. The drugmakers are conducting additional vaccine trials that address other cancers, which is made possible using Moderna’s “single use personalized RNA+” machine that churns out mRNA encoding up to 34 cancer mutations selected by AI.

Flexible film that senses neural activity to allow for safer neurosurgeries: Researchers have developed a flexible film embedded with microsensors that could be placed over the brain’s surface to detect neural activity, providing resolution that’s 100-times better than current technology and allowing for improved functional brain mapping for safer brain surgery. Researchers are developing a wireless version that could allow for better epilepsy monitoring and ultimately hope to use this technology as a brain-computer interface to aid people who are paralyzed.

Placenta-on-a-chip may be game-changer for women’s health: Mechanical Engineer Nicole Hashemi is one of the few people in the world developing a placenta-on-a-chip to help researchers study the impacts of drugs and toxins on a fetus. Pregnancy is a common clinical trial exclusion criterion, studies of pregnancy registries or retrospective cohort studies are prone to errors, and findings from animal studies and research on postpartum placental tissue does not always translate to real pregnancies. Placenta-on-a-chip technology is “going to be a game-changer for pregnancy studies,” said Ahizechukwu Eke, a Maternal-Fetal Research Team Leader.

Researchers ask if SARS-CoV-2, cancers could be linked: National data and some large cancer treatment organizations have indicated an unexpected rise in aggressive, late-stage cancers since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Some experts believe the trend is due to health care disruptions caused by the crisis; however, David Tuveson of the Cancer Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory said some small early studies suggest the viral infection can lead to inflammation and other responses that may factor into the growth of cancer cells.

New compound demonstrates reversible male contraception in mice: A new hormone-independent male contraceptive called compound CDD-2807 demonstrated reversible contraceptive action in mice, with reductions in sperm count and motility through inhibition of STK33, a protein known to be involved in infertility, according to a study in Science. Researchers plan to test this contraceptive in non-human primates as a next step, with the hope of providing more options for male birth control.

POMC (pro-opiomelanocortin) gene mutations linked to obesity in dogs: Researchers have found that mutations in the POMC gene lead to increased body fat in dogs, as a result of increased appetite and persistence during the “sausage-in-a-box test” and reduced resting metabolic rates. Eleanor Raffan, Senior Author of the study in Science Advances, hopes this work can be used to improve canine health and provide clues for understanding human obesity genetics.

Mice show infection after drinking H5N1-contamination raw milk: Lab mice that consumed 20 drops of raw milk from cows infected with H5N1 avian influenza developed ruffled fur and lethargy on the first day; high viral loads were found in the animals’ nasal passages, trachea and lungs; lower levels of virus were found in their other organs; and the virus was found in the mammary glands of two mice that were not lactating, researchers reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. Virus levels remained high in contaminated milk that was refrigerated for five (5) weeks; heating milk to 145 degrees F killed the virus in five (5) minutes; however, heating to 161.6 degrees F for 20 seconds killed some but not all of the virus.