Articles related to MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS

Using data from nearly 450,000 people in the UK, a model that scores individuals based on a suite of variables found in combination to be highly predictive of dementia risk. These included age, low education level, sleep patterns, and comorbidities such as diabetes and cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, and respiratory disease.

The “super enhancer,” a complex region of DNA with a lot of transcriptional machinery that determines whether a cell is malignant, can be programmed by the environment around a colon cancer tumor for the first time, according to research. The PDZK1IP1 gene, which was not previously recognized as a cancer gene, is controlled by this super enhancer, which is the biggest 1-2% of all enhancers in the cell. Colon cancer growth was inhibited when PDZK1IP1 was deleted, indicating that PDZK1IP1 and its super enhancer may be targets for cancer treatments.

The researchers put a theory to the test by administering the compound CBL0137 to melanoma mouse models. This compound causes the same type of highly inflammatory cell death that the influenza virus causes, but it does so directly in cancerous tissue. The resulting antiviral response alerted the immune system. It heated up a “cold” tumor so that, when combined with immunotherapy, the host immune system recognized cancer as something to be destroyed.

Researchers have identified a small molecule, named as SHP656, that can target the brain’s clock proteins and may prove effective for treating glioblastoma.

On September 20, 2022, Alzheon Inc. announced promising results from its phase 2 trial of oral ALZ-801 (valiltramiprosate) in patients with early AD. The drug decreased p-tau181 levels, reduced brain atrophy, and improved cognitive skills in the trial.

A “breakthrough therapy” designation has been granted by the FDA to CLN-081 for the treatment of a subset of non-small cell lung cancer. The designation applies to use of the agent by patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-mutated NSCLC who previously received chemotherapy and comes as a phase 1/phase 2a clinical trial is underway.