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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 20:16 ET (30-Oct-2026 00:16 GMT/UTC)

MIT engineers find a way to deliver drugs directly to the esophagus

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MIT engineers developed a gel-like oral drug formulation that can deliver drugs directly to the esophagus to treat inflammation there. The gel coats the mucosal lining of the esophagus after being swallowed, allowing drugs to pass through the tissue.

Journal: Nature Biomedical Engineering
Funder: Karl van Tassel Career Development Professorship, Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, Division of Gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)

Greater food safety and risk assessment thanks to international knowledge exchange

BfR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
Reports and Proceedings

“By experts, for experts”: this is the motto under which the Summer Academy of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is taking place again this year. From 15 to 19 June 2026, participants from a total of 40 countries will gain insights into various areas of food safety, risk assessment and risk communication. In addition to knowledge transfer, international networking is at the heart of the Summer Academy. “Food safety does not stop at national borders – quite the contrary: food often passes through several countries. This is precisely why cross-border scientific exchange is essential for consumer health protection,” says Professor Andreas Hensel, President of the BfR.

Organ-preserving versus radical resection for ureteral urothelial carcinoma

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A propensity score-matched cohort study compared kidney-sparing surgery with radical nephroureterectomy in patients with ureteral urothelial carcinoma. After matching, radical nephroureterectomy was associated with better overall and cancer-specific survival, especially in selected subgroups. The findings support refined risk stratification and careful patient selection

Journal: Medicine Plus

Tracking infectious bacteria from raccoons via rivers to humans with DNA

Osaka Metropolitan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers investigated the prevalence of an emerging foodborne disease-causing bacterium in wild raccoons and environmental water. They found genetic similarities between the strains found in both, suggesting possible transmission between wildlife and water. Genomic analyses of samples taken from the raccoons showed that many strains found in the animals carried virulence genes associated with diarrhea outbreaks in humans.

Journal: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

HKUMed finds effective use of hearing aids may help reduce dementia risk in older adults

The University of Hong Kong
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The School of Public Health at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), together with a multinational team, has found that the effective use of hearing aids is associated with a lower risk of probable dementia among older adults with hearing loss. The findings highlight the importance of quality hearing rehabilitation for healthy ageing and were published in Cell Reports Medicine.

Journal: Cell Reports Medicine

HKUMed develops innovative tool to repair genetic errors, offering new hope for neurodegenerative diseases

The University of Hong Kong
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the School of Biomedical Sciences at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has achieved a significant breakthrough in biotechnology that could revolutionise treatment strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. The team has developed a novel tool called RNA Segment Editing (RSE), which functions like a ‘cut-and-patch’ tool for RNA. This innovative approach allows scientists to precisely remove or replace faulty segments of genetic messages within living cells without permanently changing a person’s DNA. The findings pave the way for a new generation of reversible, targeted therapies for neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington’s disease. The study was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications

HKUMed develops novel combination therapy to reduce leukaemia relapse rate, extending window for bone marrow transplants

The University of Hong Kong
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has developed a novel combination therapy that significantly improves treatment outcomes and survival in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with FLT3 gene mutations. The study found that the combined use of the FLT3 inhibitor Quizartinib and the protein synthesis inhibitor Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate (collectively termed QUIZOM) effectively suppresses the growth of cancer cells and activates the patient’s immune system, achieving a composite complete remission (CRc) rate of about 83% while reducing the risk of relapse.

Journal: Nature Communications

HKUMed scholar Professor Kathryn Cheah Elected Foreign Member of Academia Europaea

The University of Hong Kong
Grant and Award Announcement

Professor Kathryn Cheah, Emeritus Chair Professor of the School of Biomedical Sciences at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been elected as a Foreign Member of Academia Europaea (Academy of Europe). This prestigious international honour recognises Professor Cheah’s lifelong dedication to the field of biomedical sciences and her transformative contributions to the understanding of developmental genetics.

Low-cost mental health tool helps refugees in limbo

University of New South Wales
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research led by UNSW found a simple, community-led intervention can significantly reduce psychological distress among refugees living in prolonged uncertainty.

Journal: JMIR Mental Health
Funder: Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council