First-in-human trial primes immune system to accept donor livers
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-May-2026 05:16 ET (31-May-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh clinician-scientists have weaned and kept multiple liver transplantation patients off of all immunosuppressant drugs for more than three years through a first-in-human clinical trial of a unique “immune priming” therapy.
Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have revealed the detailed workings of a cell membrane protein that has essential roles in all animals. The discovery could lead to new therapeutic strategies for blood coagulation disorders, cancers and other conditions in which the protein, called a TMEM16 scramblase, works abnormally.
Researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) investigated mobile pharmaceuticals in Hong Kong's rivers and estuaries and introduced a novel holistic paradigm to prioritize these contaminants for environmental management. They identified common over‑the‑counter medicines (OTC), particularly painkillers and antihistamines, as the main pollutants and as the highest‑risk drugs for marine ecosystems. To reduce their ecological and health risks, proper disposal of unused or expired drugs and control measures such as interception of contaminated stormwater for treatment and upgrade of sewage treatment systems.
This study explores the bidirectional skin–brain axis in 305 Brazilian adults, revealing strong correlations between anxiety, depression, and stress. Women exhibited significantly higher psychological symptom scores than men. Although dermatology-related quality of life showed weak correlations with mental health, nearly half of participants reported skin disorders and over half were at risk for a mental health condition. Probiotic intake showed no significant association with mental health outcomes, likely due to low consumption levels. Stress and depression independently predicted anxiety. The findings underscore the greater psychological burden on women and highlight the need for longitudinal, culturally tailored research on gut–skin–brain interactions.
POSTECH Professor Sung-Min Park’s team develops technology to reconstruct speech through movements of neck muscles.
*Note – this is an early press release from the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey, 12-15 May. Please credit the congress when using this research*
In new research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) and published in The Journal of Nutrition, a 42-year old theory as to why children’s body mass index (BMI) decreases post-infancy before then rising continuously from age six years –‘the adiposity rebound’ is refuted using new analyses – rather than decreasing body fat, the real reason is proposed as increasing muscle mass. The study is by Professor Andrew Agbaje, physician and associate professor of clinical epidemiology and child health at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
The Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT)—led by Illinois Institute of Technology faculty Thomas Irving, Professor of Biology; Weikang Ma, Professor of Biology; and Jesse Hopkins, Professor of Physics—has received the first installment of $2.6 million of a renewal award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to continue operating the BioCAT beamline at Sector 18-ID at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory for the next five years.
MIT chemists have found that changing the composition of the cell membrane can alter the function of EGFR, a cell receptor that promotes proliferation and is often overactive in cancer cells.