EurekAlert! National Institutes of Health

Latest news releases from NIH-funded organizations

Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Oct-2026 03:16 ET (27-Oct-2026 07:16 GMT/UTC)

7-May-2026

Scientists discover how gut bacteria toxin invades colon cells to trigger cancer

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Since a landmark 2009 study, researchers have known that a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon. But until now, the exact mechanism the toxin uses to latch onto those cells remained a mystery.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Janssen Research and Development, Cancer Research UK, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

7-May-2026

New heart disease risk prediction tool validated globally

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study shows that a tool developed to accurately predict heart disease risk for Americans can be applied to the global population.

Journal: Nature Medicine
Funder: National Kidney Foundation

7-May-2026

Digital therapy outperforms referrals to campus clinics among college students

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

College students with anxiety, depression and eating disorders may be more likely to start and to respond more positively to therapy offered via a digital app compared to referrals to in-person campus clinics, according to a study led by Penn State researchers and published today (May 7) in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Journal: Nature Human Behaviour

6-May-2026

Heavy air pollution is linked to worse post-surgical outcomes

University of Utah Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research in the Wasatch Front found that when air pollution was higher than the EPA daily limit in the week before surgery, the risk of post-surgical complications increased.

Journal: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
Funder: University of Utah, National Science Foundation, National Science Foundation

6-May-2026

ERASur colorectal cancer trial reaches one-third patient accrual milestone

Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Business Announcement

The ERASur (Evaluation of Resection or Ablation for Limited Metastatic Colorectal Cancer) clinical trial has reached a major enrollment milestone, with more than one-third of its targeted patients now accrued, signaling strong momentum for this national study. ERASur (Alliance A022101) is investigating whether adding total ablative therapy—including ablative radiation, surgery, or thermal ablation of all metastatic sites—to standard chemotherapy can improve overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with newly diagnosed, limited metastatic colorectal cancer.

Funder: Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Foundation