It’s a common “medical” complaint: You switch to a new doctor and find that electronic health records from your old clinic or from urgent care or specialist visits have not moved with you – leading to a déjà vu of filling out the same forms you’ve filled out a hundred times before. But beyond the form frustration, what does it mean for your health when your providers aren’t seeing your complete medical history? Now, thanks to a $1.4 million NIH grant, co-led by the University of Maryland School of Public Health (SPH), researchers are working to answer that question.

Los Angeles, CA – September 3, 2025 - Dr. Vadim Jucaud's lab at the Terasaki Institute has developed a human vascularized liver cancer-on-a-chip model to evaluate vessel remodeling and cell death in response to embolic agents. This novel platform reflects the microenvironment of liver tumors, particularly a functional and perfusable microvasculature that can be embolized. This powerful in vitro tool aligns with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) efforts to reduce animal testing and promote alternative methods, including microfluidic devices that mimic human organs.

Engineers at Duke University have developed a wireless patch that can non-invasively measure skin and tissue stiffness at depths of up to a couple of inches. Already smaller than a smartwatch, the device could be a gateway into a wide array of medical applications such as the monitoring of wound healing, chronic conditions like skin cancer, fluid management during resuscitation efforts and muscle rehabilitation.

Researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center are developing a promising new drug to combat aggressive head and neck cancers. The drug works by targeting cancer cells’ mitochondria – their energy source – by boosting levels of a fat molecule called C18-ceramide. C18-ceramide triggers the destruction of mitochondria and starves cancer cells. It also blocks fumarate, a key energy molecule, creating a dual attack on cancer metabolism while largely sparing healthy cells.

In mouse models and patient-derived tumors, the drug significantly slowed tumor growth and caused cancer cells to collapse energetically. Because reduced ceramide is a hallmark of many cancers, this approach could one day lead to a new class of targeted therapies that are safer and more effective than chemotherapy or radiation. Although still in preclinical stages, the researchers are optimistic about advancing the drug to clinical trials as a potential lifeline for patients with treatment-resistant cancers.