Author: healthadmin
An artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has demonstrated the ability to accurately predict the response to immunotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). If clinically validated, it could provide clinicians with much-needed insight into one of oncology’s most pressing challenges. Details of this model, called Path-IO, were presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2026 Annual Meeting by Dr. Rukmini Bandyopadhyay, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Jia Wu, associate professor of image physics and thoracic/head and neck oncology. There…
Angus Cheng covers all issues broadly related to cancer, including medicines, policy, science and stocks. She joined STAT in 2021 after covering health and science at NPR and NPR affiliate stations. His work has been recognized with the national Edward R. Murrow Award and the June L. Biedler Award for Cancer Journalism, among others. You can access Angus.08 on Signal.Damian Garde covers the global pharmaceutical industry as a general live and feature journalism reporter and contributes to STAT’s industry-leading events.You’re reading AACR in 30, the web version of STAT’s pop-up newsletter. This is your guide to what’s happening at the…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to require farmers to spray the cancer-linked herbicide glyphosate directly onto the surface of oats before harvest, endangering public health, according to a new lawsuit. Because of this practice, pesticide residue is common in common foods made with oats. The lawsuit, filed April 20 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to compel the EPA to respond to a 2018 petition asking the agency to ban the use of glyphosate to dry crops before harvest and reduce glyphosate residue levels in oats…
WASHINGTON — Democratic and Republican senators who oversee federal spending appear skeptical of proposed cuts to health research and public health in the White House budget, potentially pushing a congressional package that ignores many of the administration’s most dramatic proposals into its second year. At a Senate Appropriations and Health Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers questioned Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about how the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which cuts the Department of Health by 12%, would allow the department to address chronic disease, smoking cessation and cancer research. STAT Plus: President Kennedy emphasizes affordability, fights fraud…
An experiment with psychology students showed that stress increases the tendency to make unhealthy but palatable food choices. A prior commitment to making healthy food choices negated that effect. But in each case, study participants were far more likely to choose palatable but unhealthy foods than healthy but not palatable foods. The paper is psychoneuroendocrinology. Precommitment is a strategy in which a person makes decisions in advance to limit future choices. This is used when you anticipate that someone may act against their long-term interests at this time. By setting up barriers and rules in advance, precommitment helps protect a…
Digital health companies Covera Health and Medmo became a single entity on Tuesday, forming an end-to-end platform for managing diagnostic imaging. The companies say the platform will reach approximately 6 million Americans in all 50 states, ranging from Fortune 10 and 100 employers, three of the five largest national health plans, and thousands of values-based primary care physicians. Covera Health uses an artificial intelligence-powered platform to measure diagnostic accuracy at more than 1,100 diagnostic imaging facilities across the United States, analyzing completed images and flagging clinically important information back to clinical decision makers. The company’s website says it has analyzed…
Merck is uniquely positioned in the evolving HIV treatment field with the first to market novel islatravir and FDA approval of Idovinso, a combination therapy that is the cornerstone of the company’s lucrative HIV franchise. Idovinso is a once-daily oral combination drug of Merck & Co.’s doravirine and islatravir. Doravirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) that has been commercialized since 2018 as part of Merck’s Pifertro and Delstrigo, while islatravir is a new nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor (NRTTI) that represents the “anchor drug” in many of the company’s other HIV combos. Merck said in an April 21…
A long-standing mystery surrounding dozens of unusually small dinosaur fossils has finally been solved. A specimen once thought to be a small type of armored dinosaur is now confirmed to be a young ankylosaurid. The discovery gives researchers a clearer picture of how these heavily armored dinosaurs grew and developed. Liaoningosaurus fossils confused scientists for decades The fossil belongs to a species called Liaoningosaurus paradoxusa name that reflects the confusion it caused. Since it was first described in 2001, it has been classified as ankylosaurid, known for its strong armored body. However, all known fossils of this species are surprisingly…
In the small mountain town of Cinovec on the Czech-German border, plans to mine lithium have divided local residents. The area around Chinovec, known for its clean air, forests and spa tourism, is reportedly home to one of Europe’s largest lithium deposits, considered a vital resource for the transition to green energy. Geomet, the company behind the project, says mining will bring jobs and economic growth. But many residents fear it could harm the region’s fragile ecosystem, which is still recovering from decades of coal mining. They are also concerned about air pollution and the impact on tourism, the region’s…
Traumatic events early in life can cast a long shadow and significantly increase the risk of developing a combination of depression and chronic physical illness later in life. After following thousands of older adults over time, researchers found that cumulative childhood adversity predicted a significant increase in the burden of multiple diseases. The results of this research have recently Affective Disorders Journal. Medical professionals define childhood adversity through a wide range of negative experiences that occur before adulthood. These events include direct harm such as physical abuse, emotional neglect, or severe bullying. This definition also includes family dysfunction, meaning that…