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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-May-2026 20:16 ET (1-Jun-2026 00:16 GMT/UTC)

Reversing T cell exhaustion improves effectiveness of myeloma immunotherapies

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bristol Myers Squibb, and the University of Oxford have discovered a way to give worn-out immune cells a second wind in the fight against multiple myeloma. In two studies published this month in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology, (doi.org/10.1182/blood.2025030891 and 10.1182/blood.2025030873) they found that using the drug mezigdomide (a cereblon E3 ligase modulator developed by Bristol Myers Squibb) can help these cells regain their strength and better destroy cancer by restoring the immune system’s ability to attack cancer and significantly improving the effectiveness of next-generation immunotherapies.

Journal: Blood

PKU study in The Lancet Healthy Longevity highlights dementia risks from PM2.5

Peking University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Peking University, May 18, 2026: In a recent study from Peking University Health Science Center, doctoral student Kang Ning and colleagues found that air pollution reductions alone cannot offset the impact of rapid population ageing on dementia deaths in China. The study has been published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

Journal: The Lancet

PKU scientists develop first-in-class drug candidate for cholestatic itch

Peking University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Peking University, May 18, 2026: Chronic itch is often described as an "invisible torment." It can persist for weeks or months, severely affecting sleep, mental health, and quality of life. In patients with cholestatic liver disease, chronic itch remains a major clinical challenge, and current treatments often provide limited relief. A team led by PKU's Professor Lei Xiaoguang, together with Hepai-Tech Biopharma Technology and collaborators from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, has developed HEP-50768, a potent and selective small-molecule inverse agonist targeting the itch receptor MRGPRX4. The study was published in Nature Chemical Biology.

Journal: Nature Chemical Biology

New study finds surgical patients with mental health conditions who receive music therapy are more medically complex

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders who undergo surgery and receive music therapy are more medically complex and therefore may experience longer hospital stays compared to other patients receiving usual care.

Journal: Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine

Mizzou scientists discover a way to automate production of a cancer-fighting drug candidate

University of Missouri-Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Missouri, Cancer Targeted Technology (CTT) and Isotherapeutics Group (ITG) discovered an innovative method to speed production of a cancer-fighting drug candidate.

Journal: Nuclear Medicine and Biology
Funder: National Cancer Institute

Tezepelumab controls asthma in diverse patient population

American Thoracic Society
Meeting Announcement

The drug tezepelumab was shown to significantly reduce exacerbations in people with severe asthma in clinical trials. Now, a new study presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference shows that it is also safe and effective in real-world patients. “Tezepelumab in Real-World U.S. Patients with Severe Asthma Across Phenotypes and Underrepresented Populations: The Phase 4 PASSAGE Study” will be published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine online on May 18.

Polyendocrine metabolic syndrome doesn’t end at menopause and neither should its care

Florida Atlantic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Polyendocrine Metabolic Syndrome (PMOS), formerly PCOS, is the most common hormonal and metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age, affecting up to 13% and contributing to nearly 40% of infertility cases. FAU researchers reviewed more than 2,200 studies and identified 29 focusing on non-pharmacological care in midlife and reproductive aging. Findings of the analysis show lifestyle interventions – especially diet and exercise –are most consistently supported, while evidence for complementary therapies is limited and chronic pain and mental health remain largely understudied.

Journal: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine

Flawed but correctable research hindered progress in infection-triggered chronic conditions, including Lyme disease and Long COVID

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists, including Rutgers Health researchers, say studies of chronic symptoms after infections have been undermined by unproven diagnoses.

Journal: Brain

Spanish clinical trial demonstrates the potential of mesenchymal stem cells to reduce inflammation in "butterfly skin" patients

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells from family donors is safe and improves symptoms such as pruritus (itching), sleep disturbances, and fatigue associated with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB), popularly known as "butterfly skin". This is one of the primary conclusions of a clinical trial conducted by researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Fundación Jiménez Díaz Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD), the CIBER Rare Diseases (CIBERER), and the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid.

Journal: Frontiers in Immunology

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