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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Jun-2026 17:16 ET (3-Jun-2026 21:16 GMT/UTC)

New AI tool developed by Stowers Institute and Helmholtz Munich scientists predicts how cells choose their future — helping uncover hidden drivers of development

Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Helmholtz Munich have developed RegVelo, a new AI framework that predicts how cells acquire their identities and identifies the genetic regulators guiding those changes. Published in Cell, the study used zebrafish neural crest development to show RegVelo can uncover early drivers of cell fate, including regulators of pigment cell formation, and then support those predictions experimentally. The researchers also applied the framework across multiple biological systems, suggesting its value extends beyond neural crest cells as a broadly useful tool for studying how cells change over time. The team says the new model could pave the way for future cell therapy treatments.

Journal: Cell
Funder: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Wellcome Trust, ERC Deep Cell Project, Wellcome Leap, Horizon 2022, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through the HOPARL project, Joachim Herz Foundation, EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, National Natural Science Foundation of China

Telemedicine has not led to increased use of medical care or higher health care costs

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Telemedicine has not significantly increased visits and medical spending across all payer types, which could ease concerns among lawmakers that the telemedicine expansion that occurred during the COVID pandemic would result in large utilization and spending increases.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: Arnold Ventures

Agentic AI systems may transform nutritional care in oncology

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY – May 11, 2026 – A new editorial was published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on May 4, 2026, titled “Artificial intelligence in nutritional oncology: From isolated screening tools to agentic intervention systems.”

Journal: Oncotarget

Partners of women with gestational diabetes have more illnesses and risk factors

University of Oulu, Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Partners of women with gestational diabetes have more health-related risk factors and morbidity than partners of women without gestational diabetes.

Journal: European Journal of Public Health

Hastings Center Report, May-June 2026

The Hastings Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The ethics of describing gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease; banning gender-affirming treatment for minors, mandated drug treatment, and more

Journal: The Hastings Center Report

Pennington Biomedical contributes to global study on physical activity and well-being

Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is part of a major international study published in Nature Human Behaviour that offers new insight into how physical activity and emotional well-being are connected in everyday life.

Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim analyzed data sets from more than 8,000 people to investigate how physical activity is related to good mood and positive emotions. For most people, the result was that mood improves with everyday movement. At the same time, people are more physically active when they are feeling better.

Journal: Nature Human Behaviour

The precise bioenergetic map of ocular tissues: Research on TCA cycle intermediate distribution and sexual dimorphism

Eye Discovery
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As a highly differentiated sensory organ, the maintenance of the eye's physiological functions relies on rigorous metabolic regulation. The Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) cycle within mitochondria serves as the core pathway for ocular energy metabolism, providing essential metabolic substrates and reducing equivalents for corneal homeostasis and retinal phototransduction. However, a critical scientific question remains: is there significant heterogeneity in energy utilization across different anatomical tissues of the eye? Furthermore, how does biological sex regulate the ocular metabolic profile through distinct biological pathways? A study recently published in Eye Discovery (2026) utilized high-sensitivity Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) to achieve absolute quantification of TCA cycle intermediates in mouse ocular tissues. Conducted by a team from West Virginia University, the research aims to construct a standardized ocular metabolic reference model, revealing dual differences in metabolic characteristics based on spatial distribution and biological sex.

Journal: Eye Discovery

Positive emotion and reward disturbance in mood disorders

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Meeting Announcement

In a free webinar hosted by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, “Positive Emotion and Reward Disturbance in Mood Disorders” on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 2pm ET, Dr. June Gruber, Ph.D., will discuss her lab's work to delineate the nature of positive emotion disturbance in people with and without a history of mood difficulties. By studying healthy people, people at risk for mood disorders, as well as adults and adolescents with mood disorders, she seeks to develop new ways of understanding positive mood disturbance as well as treatments to enhance emotional well-being and sustainable happiness. This webinar will be hosted by Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., President & CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and host of the Emmy® nominated television series Healthy Minds.

$12 million grant will advance Henry Ford Health's suicide prevention model across the US

Henry Ford Health
Grant and Award Announcement

Henry Ford Health has received a $12 million grant from the Four Pines Fund to expand its Zero Suicide Model across the U.S. This proven approach has reduced suicide rates by up to 25% in health systems. The funding will enhance suicide prevention services at Henry Ford Health, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and HealthPartners in Minnesota, and establish a new suicide prevention center at Henry Ford Health. With over 49,000 U.S. suicides in 2023, this initiative addresses a critical public health issue.

Funder: Four Pines Fund