Author: healthadmin

A team led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai University of Health Sciences has developed a faster and cheaper way to determine which genes are expressed in cancerous tumors. The AI-based tools they describe in Cell could make personalized cancer treatment available to more patients. The new tool, called Path2Space, predicts gene expression across tumor areas based on digital images of biopsy slides containing thin sections of tumor tissue that can be examined under a microscope. Because tumors do not have the same composition and gene expression throughout, Path2Space predicts so-called “spatial” gene expression and extrapolates it at many different points within…

Fitness wearables company Whoop has announced several new health and artificial intelligence features. Starting this summer, Whoop members will be able to connect directly with clinicians through the app, including live, on-demand video consultations. Additionally, members will be able to sync their electronic health records (EHR). The company says these updates will give users “a deeper understanding” of how medications, symptoms and treatments can impact performance. In addition to these health updates, Whoop also announced the release of two new AI-driven features. The “My Memory” feature allows users to provide context to manage personalized coaching, and the “Proactive Check Ins”…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. My colleagues and friends Isabella Cueto and Lev Fascher have been talking about alcohol for years. As STAT’s chronic disease and addiction reporters, respectively, we sit at the very intersection of these issues, which are rarely addressed as public health issues. I’m excited to share that all of their conversations have turned into a report and now a great series. The first part has already been completed. Scroll down or go ahead and start reading. Supreme Court extends mifepristone…

Until now, it has been technically almost impossible to rotate highly sensitive samples in all directions under a microscope without contact. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new laser-based technique that allows microscopic samples, such as cells, to be rotated in all three spatial directions without contact. The laser creates a small temperature difference within the liquid, which causes a gentle liquid flow that moves the sample. This protects delicate samples and allows for more accurate three-dimensional images. This is an important step for basic medical research. Although modern optical microscopes can produce extremely sharp images…

The Secretary of Health and Human Services is said to be campaigning behind the scenes amid the Trump administration’s apparent bid to suppress public criticism of vaccines ahead of this fall’s midterm elections. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is quietly overseeing a cross-agency effort to study vaccines’ potential role in America’s rising rates of chronic disease (a common rallying cry among vaccination skeptics), according to people The New York Times spoke to with knowledge of the effort. The anonymous sources said the investigation is a top priority for the HHS secretary. The research study is reportedly being led by Dr. Martin…

Marking a quick clinical win with its $2.37 billion acquisition of Avadel, Alkermes reported on Tuesday that its Phase 3 trial of its sodium oxide salt Lamuris met its primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints in a rare sleep disorder. The positive results from Revitalyz’s clinical trial for idiopathic hypersomnia come three months after Alkermes acquired Lumryz in completing its acquisition of Avadel. By demonstrating the ability to significantly reduce daytime sleepiness and other symptoms, Lumryz is one step closer to helping Avadel investors realize the full value of this transaction. Alkermes’ $2.37 billion offer includes a cash payment…

Pfizer and Alvinas have found a buyer for their newly approved breast cancer drug Vepanu, selling an exclusive worldwide license to Rigel Pharmaceuticals for $85 million upfront, with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars more in milestone and royalty payments. The agreement includes an initial upfront payment of $70 million and an additional $15 million upon completion of certain “development and manufacturing transition activities.” All payments to Rigel, including up to $320 million in future development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, plus tiered royalties, will be split equally between Alvinas and Pfizer. Rigel, a South San Francisco-based company that sells…

Since Roche launched Babismo, a long-acting eye disease treatment, in 2022, Bayer and Regeneron have hit sales of competing treatments Eylea, further hurting the U.S. biotech. Bayer has been able to keep Eyrie’s annual sales relatively stable, as they have hovered between 3.1 billion euros and 3.3 billion euros over the past four years, respectively. But biosimilar competition is hitting German companies with all their might as the year draws to a close. In the first quarter (PDF), Bayer’s Eylea sales were 623 million euros ($731 million), down 24% year over year. It was also down 11% quarter over quarter.…

Scientists have discovered a molecular “switch” in mice that turns on an energy-burning system hidden inside brown fat. This discovery could ultimately help researchers develop new treatments for bone diseases. The survey results are natureprovides new insights into how brown fat functions. Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat burns calories and produces heat. Scientists have long believed that this heat production relies on a single biological pathway. But in recent years, researchers have identified a second pathway that functions in parallel to the original, but it was unclear what activates it. A team led by Lawrence Kazak of…

SkillCare, a manufacturer of specialty healthcare products, on Tuesday announced the launch of the SkillCare Clinical Innovation Partnership (SCIP). The program is designed to help healthcare providers commercialize cutting-edge clinical needs and ideas. The program allows clinicians and organizations to work with the New Rochelle, New York-based company to develop products by identifying needs, refining concepts, and evaluating feasibility. Skill-Care CEO Jonathan Treiber told Fierce Healthcare that the program has been “nearly 50 years in the making.” “Skillcare has been around for nearly 50 years,” Treiber said. “And my father-in-law, who started the company, always felt that developing products in…