The “red tide” algal blooms that are becoming more frequent along the Pacific coast produce one of the most potent neurotoxins known: saxitoxin, or STX. The toxin accumulates in shellfish and causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) when consumed.

Indefinite lenalidomide maintenance has long been standard care for standard-risk newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients not undergoing stem cell transplants, despite little evidence to guide the optimal duration of treatment. The ECOG-ACRIN ENDURANCE trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found more toxicity with no survival benefit from continuing maintenance beyond 2 years, providing evidence to change clinical practice.  

 University of Pittsburgh and University of Chicago researchers delivered 168 million pulses of brain stimulation in five individuals across 27 cumulative years without a single serious adverse event — clearing a key hurdle for clinical-grade brain-computer interface devices that could one day restore touch, hearing or vision.

In preclinical tests, the compound from UC San Diego startup Sinopia Biosciences boosted the standard treatment’s benefits while counteracting debilitating side effects.