A scientific technique that rapidly increases the body's production of anti-inflammatory cells promoted healing from heart attacks in mice, according to a new study by investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. Once adapted to treat humans, the technique could potentially be used to repair heart muscle damage after a heart attack and be applied to a variety of inflammatory disorders.

The investigators' findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Bayer and Suzhou Puhe BioPharma Co., Ltd., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced that they have entered into a global license agreement for Puhe BioPharma's oral, small molecule PRMT5 inhibitor that selectively targets MTAP-deleted tumors. Under the agreement, Bayer obtains an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize the MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor.

Scientists have long struggled to target proteins that lack defined structure and are involved in cancer, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease, and other serious illnesses. Now, a new study from Scripps Research demonstrates a proof of concept for a new strategy: engineering proteases - enzymes that cut proteins at specific sites - to selectively degrade these elusive targets with high precision in the proteome of human cells.

Among other functions, the NK cells (Natural Killers, a type of lymphocyte forming part of the immune system) have the capacity to detect and eliminate cancer cells. But in some cases they cannot overcome the tumour’s defense mechanism and the cancer grows. Now, a study published in Nature Immunology, with the involvement of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Pompeu Fabra University, proposes a new approach to strengthen NK cells in their fight agaist tumour cells.

Scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine and eight other institutions in the United States, Africa and Europe say they have identified a potential new gene target that could be edited to treat sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder marked by sickle-shaped red blood cells that cause intense pain and shorten lifespans.

The potential target, the FLT1 gene, contributes to the production of a protein, fetal hemoglobin, whose presence is already known to improve the lifespan of people with sickle cell disease.

AstraZeneca and Alteogen Inc. have entered into an exclusive license agreement for ALT-B4, a novel hyaluronidase utilising Hybrozyme™ platform technology. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will acquire worldwide rights to use ALT-B4 to develop and commercialise subcutaneous formulations of several oncology assets. Alteogen will be responsible for clinical and commercial supply of ALT-B4 to AstraZeneca.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that it has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement with Zealand Pharma (Nasdaq Copenhagen: ZEAL) (CVR-no. 20045078). Under the terms of this agreement, the two companies will collaborate to co-develop and co-commercialise petrelintide, Zealand Pharma's amylin analog as a standalone therapy as well as a fixed-dose combination with Roche’s lead incretin asset CT-388.

Physical fitness and increasing muscle strength could reduce the mortality rate for cancer patients by between 31% to 46%, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found.

Around 20 million new cancer cases were reported in 2022, with 9.7 million cancer deaths reported world-wide during the same period, with experts expecting the trend to increase in the coming decades.

Patients who have been treated for heart failure and experience an improvement of their pump function, are still at higher risk of heart-related death or hospitalisation if they stop taking heart failure medications. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the top-ranked journal Circulation.

"Our finding raises awareness about the importance of implementing and not withdrawing medical treatments in daily clinical practice even if patients with heart failure experience an improvement in symptoms and pump function," says the study's last author Gianluigi Savarese,

A previously unknown protein in a family of bacteria found in soil and the human gut microbiome has been discovered - which could help drug delivery in cancer treatment.

In a paper published in PNAS, researchers at King's College London and the University of Washington describe the unique 3D structure of this protein, which is now being used to develop cancer drug delivery systems that can target drugs to tumour sites.

The human gut is home to trillions of bacteria that play vital roles in digestion, immunity, and overall health. When this microbial balance is disturbed, it can contribute to the development of chronic diseases like ulcerative colitis (UC), an inflammatory condition of the large intestine. For some patients, current treatments offer limited relief or carry significant risks, including immune suppression. Researchers are now exploring alternative ways to restore gut health, focusing on the microbiome’s ability to heal the intestinal lining.

Bayer and Hurdle have published groundbreaking research that represents a great advancement in aging research. The research introduces and validates a novel saliva-based DNA methylation biomarker designed to quantify systemic chronic inflammation (SCI), that the researchers have named, InflammAge. This innovative approach provides a non-invasive method for quantifying and tracking inflammation-related epigenetic biomarkers associated with aging.

A common perception is that not all alcoholic beverages are alike. Red wine, for instance, is often considered a healthier choice, with many believing its high resveratrol content - an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties - offers protection against cancer. Researchers from the Brown University School of Public Health and the Warren Alpert Medical School, however, have put this assumption to the test.

The herb rosemary has long been linked with memory: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance," says Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet. So it is fitting that researchers would study a compound found in rosemary and sage - carnosic acid - for its impact on Alzheimer's disease. In the disease, which is the leading cause of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death in the US, inflammation is one component that often leads to cognitive decline.

Innovative insights into the role of ferroptosis, a unique form of programmed cell death, are reshaping the landscape of disease treatment. This growing field highlights how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can effectively modulate ferroptosis, offering novel therapeutic approaches for various conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and organ injuries. The powerful bioactive compounds in TCM have demonstrated the ability to regulate iron metabolism, lipid peroxidation, and redox balance, positioning them as key players in advancing modern medicine.

The NHS could prevent thousands more heart attacks and strokes every year by offering everyone in the UK aged 50 and over a single "polypill" combining a statin and three blood pressure lowering drugs, according to academics from UCL.

In an opinion piece for The BMJ, the authors argued that a polypill programme could be a "flagship strategy" in Labour's commitment to preventing disease rather than treating sickness.

A naturally occurring molecule identified by Stanford Medicine researchers appears similar to semaglutide - also known as Ozempic - in suppressing appetite and reducing body weight. Notably, testing in animals also showed that it worked without some of the drug's side effects such as nausea, constipation and significant loss of muscle mass.

The newly discovered molecule, BRP, acts through a separate but similar metabolic pathway and activates different neurons in the brain - seemingly offering a more targeted approach to body weight reduction.

Cancer cells have an insatiable appetite for energy as they multiply more rapidly than normal cells. Greedy cancer cells hijack various cellular functions to find and exploit energy and other resources, including a group of enzymes that help normal cells maintain a balance of energy.

These enzymes, called creatine kinases (CK), allow cells to transport energy produced at the mitochondria to where it is needed throughout the cell.

A research team led by Prof. LIU Chenli from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Prof. XIAO Yichuan from the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health of CAS elucidated the mechanism behind bacterial cancer therapy using a genetically engineered bacterial strain.

Exploring the use of antitumor bacteria in cancer therapy dates back to the 1860s.

Can a drug that's used to treat malaria be repurposed to fight cancer? Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have secured a patent for the anti-malarial drug pyronaridine to do just that. Pyronaridine has been used to treat the mosquito-borne infectious disease for over 30 years.

The discovery is the result of a serendipitous encounter at UTEP.