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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 04:16 ET (23-Oct-2026 08:16 GMT/UTC)

Build-up of common enzyme stunts brain growth

WashU Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at WashU Medicine have shown in mice that slowed brain growth in Angelman’s syndrome is caused by elevated levels of a molecule called asparagine synthetase in neurons that triggers the brain’s stress response.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Simons Foundation, Whitehall Foundation, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders

Scientists reveal how deadly Andes hantavirus attaches to human cells

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Earlier this year, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship, which killed three passengers and sickened 13, highlighted the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the virus. In a study published today in Nature, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and collaborators from Institut Pasteur and LSU Health Shreveport show how the virus recognizes its target on a human cell, a finding that could lead to effective therapies against Andes virus and other hantaviruses.

Journal: Nature
Funder: European Union (EVH)

Fatal skin reaction following combination therapy for urothelial cancer highlights need for vigilance

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY — October 21, 2026 — A new case report was published in Volume 13 of Oncoscience on September 30, 2026, titled “Stevens–Johnson syndrome following combination therapy with pembrolizumab and enfortumab vedotin in a patient with metastatic urothelial carcinoma: A rare but serious adverse event.”

Journal: Oncoscience

Wildfire smoke warnings had only a modest impact on Montrealers' movements, study finds

McGill University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) urged Montrealers to limit outdoor activity during Canada’s worst wildfire smoke episodes, the city’s travel patterns shifted – but far less than public health officials might have hoped, according to a new McGill University study.

Journal: Health & Place

Jennifer Lewis elected to National Academy of Medicine

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

Harvard professor recognized for work in soft and living materials

Gustave Roussy at the ESMO 2026 Congress

Comprehensive Cancer Centre Gustave Roussy
Meeting Announcement

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is holding its annual congress from 23 to 27 October in Madrid, Spain. This major international event provides oncologists and researchers from around the world with an opportunity to present the latest findings from clinical studies aimed at improving cancer care and deepening our understanding of the disease. Once again, this year, physicians and researchers from Gustave Roussy have contributed to several dozen studies that will be presented during the five-day congress.

Meeting: ESMO Congress 2026

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal study highlights fatty acid metabolism as a target in glioma treatment

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Glioma, particularly glioblastoma, remains difficult to treat because tumor cells can resist conventional therapies. A review from the Chinese Neurosurgical Journal examines how altered fatty acid metabolism supports tumor growth, stem cell properties, immune suppression, and resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The researchers highlight emerging targets and combination strategies, while emphasizing that most approaches require further validation and must overcome challenges involving normal brain metabolism and drug delivery across the blood–brain barrier.

Journal: Chinese Neurosurgical Journal
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing Natural Science Foundation, Capital Medical University, Beijing Hospitals Authority

Researchers warn of growing threats to sleep health across Europe

Nottingham Trent University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sleep is being increasingly impacted by climate change, urban living, digital misinformation and modern working patterns, according to an international team of sleep researchers.

Journal: Journal of Sleep Research

Protein-probing nanobodies could unlock disease treatments

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

Supported by a National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award, Harvard professor Mo Khalil and team will lead the development of a new biotechnology involving synthetic probes that can precisely alter individual protein activity. The technology should enable large-scale experiments similar to genetic screens, but focused on proteins, rather than genes.

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