Latest news releases from NIH-funded organizations

Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Nov-2025 18:11 ET (4-Nov-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)

18-Jun-2025

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers identify instances of SYNGAP1-related disorders caused by inherited genetic variants

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have found that in rare instances, variants responsible for SYNGAP1-related disorders – a group of disorders characterized by developmental delay and often associated with epilepsy – can be inherited from a parent, which could help influence family planning, genetic variant interpretation, and other aspects of clinical care.

Journal

Epilepsia

Funder

Center for Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, American Epilepsy Society, Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundations, SynGAP Research Fund, American Academy of Neurology, The Epilepsy Foundation, American Brain Foundation

18-Jun-2025

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers identify novel gene associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers identified a novel gene associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy. The study leveraged large data depositories, state-of-the-art computational techniques and community-based gene matching to identify this new gene, which is a critical early step in improving diagnosis and eventually developing new treatment methods.

Journal

American Journal of Human Genetics

Funder

Perelman School of Medicine, Smilow family gift, NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Medical Research Future Fund, Health Innovation Challenge Fund, Wellcome Trust, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Hartwell Foundation

18-Jun-2025

Addictive use of social media, not total time, associated with youth mental health

Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study finds that preteens with addictive patterns of social media, video games, or mobile phones use are more likely to experience worse mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. 

Journal

JAMA

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Google, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity

18-Jun-2025

Targeting Pol 1 could rewire cancer cells and suppress tumor growth

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences uncovered a new tumor-suppressive response that could lead to novel therapies targeting hard-to-treat cancers.

Journal

Cell Chemical Biology

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Blue One Biosciences LLC, Commonwealth Foundation, Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, Academy of Finland, Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund, Harrington Scholar-Q9 Innovator Award

18-Jun-2025

MapID-based mapping of chemical modifications and expression of human transfer RNA

Boston College
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An engineered enzyme powers a new method to visualize molecular details in human cells, and how these molecules change in cancerous versus benign cells, Boston College researchers reported recently in Cell Chemical Biology. The method – dubbed “MapID-tRNA-seq” – allowed researchers to examine all tRNAs and their changes within human cells at once.

Journal

Cell Chemical Biology

Funder

NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences