EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Jun-2026 18:17 ET (3-Jun-2026 22:17 GMT/UTC)

2-Jun-2026

Final reminder: Applications close June 9 for the 2026 Semmelweis–Richter Journalism Award

Semmelweis University
Grant and Award Announcement

There is still time to apply for the 2026 Semmelweis–Richter Journalism Award.

Journalists from eligible European countries may submit entries in two categories: Women’s Health and Pharmaceutical Strategies and Innovation, with a special focus on cardiovascular therapies.

2-Jun-2026

Predicting the financial strain of cancer

Medical University of South Carolina
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center found that machine learning may help identify cancer patients at high risk of experiencing financial toxicity — the financial hardship and stress that often accompany cancer treatment. Using data from 793 patients, researchers tested six machine learning models and developed a web-based tool that can estimate a patient's likelihood of financial strain based on factors such as age, income, health status, treatment status and out-of-pocket costs. The best-performing model identified high-risk patients with 84% sensitivity and 75% specificity, offering a potential way for health care teams to intervene earlier with financial counseling and support services. The goal is to move financial toxicity screening from a reactive process to a proactive one, helping patients access resources before financial strain affects treatment decisions, quality of life or health outcomes.

Journal: JNCI Cancer Spectrum
Funder: American Cancer Society

2-Jun-2026

University of Cincinnati researcher secures $3.3M grant to study microplastics’ impact on heart

University of Cincinnati
Grant and Award Announcement

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded a five-year, $3.3 million grant to a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researcher to study the potential cardiovascular toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics.

2-Jun-2026

Phase 1 clinical trial set to begin on first leishmaniasis vaccine

Ohio State University
Reports and Proceedings

A phase 1 clinical trial testing the safety of a leishmaniasis vaccine is set to begin in the coming months – the first vaccine created to protect against the disfiguring skin disease common in tropical regions of the world and gaining ground in the United States. The researcher who led development of the vaccine is the senior author of a New England Journal of Medicine review article published last week describing the difficulties of treating most forms of the disease and reporting that the live vaccine, found to be safe in animals, is expected to be tested in humans later this year.

Journal: New England Journal of Medicine

2-Jun-2026

New hand sensors turn post-stroke rehab into an on-screen game

University of Houston
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New paper-thin piezoelectric patch sensors designed for at-home stroke rehabilitation may soon revolutionize post-stroke care by offering potential accessible, efficient rehabilitation and improving patient outcomes through self-motivated healthcare and entertainment.

Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials

2-Jun-2026

SwRI evaluates NASA medication storage protocols

Southwest Research Institute
Business Announcement

SAN ANTONIO — June 2, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute evaluated NASA’s medication handling practices, which currently call for removing medications from their original packaging and storing them in resealable plastic bags. Although this allows astronauts to economize stowage for spaceflight, SwRI’s investigation found that active pharmaceutical ingredients degrade at a higher rate when stored in bags.

2-Jun-2026

Adding immunotherapy to radiation improves disease-free survival in localized prostate cancer

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Results of a multicenter clinical trial found that adding the investigational adenoviral-based viral immunotherapy aglatimagene besadenovec (alglatimagene, CAN-2409) to standard radiation therapy improved disease-free survival for patients with intermediate- or high-risk localized prostate cancer. The study was led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, and Brady Urological Institute.

Journal: The Lancet Oncology

2-Jun-2026

Substantial variations in referrals for advanced heart failure therapies across UK and Ireland

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Substantial variations in referrals for advanced heart failure therapies are apparent across the UK and Ireland, with no obvious link to geographical location or social deprivation to explain the findings, reveals the first national audit of its kind, published online in the open access journal Open Heart.

Journal: Open Heart
Funder: Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity

2-Jun-2026

Researchers discover how to turn one germ's drug resistance into an Achilles' heel

Rockefeller University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rifampicin resistant tuberculosis is a major global health crisis. A new study shows that the most common rifampicin resistance mutation in tuberculosis rewires bacterial gene regulation in a way that creates specific metabolic vulnerabilities. The findings could guide the development of combination therapies designed not only to kill drug resistant tuberculosis, but to suppress drug resistance itself.

Journal: Nature Microbiology