BioMedWire Stocks Archives - Page 2 of 77

TuesdayMar 31, 2026 10:00 am

Researchers Discover Mechanism Behind Deadly Pediatric Brain Cancer

A team of scientists from Texas Children’s Hospital, University of Pittsburgh and Baylor College of Medicine has discovered the primary driver of a deadly pediatric brain cancer, PFA (posterior fossa type A) ependymoma. They identified male sex hormones called androgens as playing a key role in promoting PFA ependymoma growth. The study, whose findings appeared in the journal Nature, shows that androgens don’t play a part in the development of any other kind of brain tumor. The team’s work shows that when the signaling of these hormones is blocked, the growth of the tumors is blocked. This discovery creates a possibility that treatments could be developed to block these hormones to…

ThursdayMar 26, 2026 10:00 am

Hackers Linked to Iran Target Another US Health Care Institution

On Tuesday this week, researchers revealed that a group of hackers linked to the Iranian government had targeted another United States medical institution toward the end of February prior to the onset of the current military conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran. This is the second such attack. This attack is noteworthy because this information comes on the heels of another attack in which Stryker, a medical device firm in America, was targeted and had its data deleted. Handala, a hacktivist group linked to Iran, claimed responsibility for this attack that resulted in about 80,000 systems being deleted. Stryker is currently restoring its systems and the attack has now been contained. It isn’t clear whether other attacks have happened…

TuesdayMar 24, 2026 10:00 am

Misinformation Could Thwart the Potential of Cancer Vaccines

For a long time, scientists have been working tirelessly to come up with vaccines against cancer. Significant progress is being registered in developing mRNA vaccines against cancer, but this progress has come up against a wall of misinformation that could thwart the prospects of this promising intervention. Most people first heard about mRNA vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic when these vaccines were widely used to bring the pandemic under control. However, misinformation soon spread that these vaccines were not only accelerating cancer rates but also causing cancer to be “turbo-charged.” Social media was awash with stories of “turbo cancer” starting in 2021 and mainstream media caught…

FridayMar 20, 2026 10:00 am

Oncolytic Virus Therapy is Set to Transform Cancer Care

Enormous resources are being channeled into studying different ways to support the immune system in its fight against cancer. One emerging approach is the use of oncolytic viruses. This approach seeks to leverage viruses to destroy cancer by attacking and killing its cells. The approach stems from the discovery that a number of cancers are linked to viral infections, such as HPV, which has been linked to the development of head and neck cancer, as well as cervical cancer. Liver cancer has also been linked to the hepatitis B virus. A number of vaccines have been developed to prevent some of these cancers by preventing infection by these viruses. Scientists are now looking to go a step further by…

ThursdayMar 19, 2026 10:00 am

Study Finds That Marijuana Legalization Lowers Crime Rates

David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, has revealed that a wide range of American healthcare workers, including doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses have flocked to the Canadian province in search of employment and have secured jobs. Speaking at BC Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, the premier pointed out that the progressive social values, lifestyle and public healthcare system have been instrumental in attracting U.S.-trained medical workers to B.C. He added that the province respected science while making public health policies, has a high standard of living and respects reproductive rights. These, he said, have made the province an attractive place for healthcare workers from America. He highlighted that the…

TuesdayMar 17, 2026 10:00 am

Mirror-Image Amino Acid Shows Promise in Starving Cancer Cells

Most existing cancer treatments not only attack cancer cells but also adversely impact healthy body cells. The resultant damage to healthy tissues usually triggers side effects that often become severe, necessitating discontinuation of therapy or making quality of life worse. Scientists have been looking for better treatments that only impact malignant cells and leave healthy cells unaffected. A new preclinical study documents one such discovery leveraging the use of a mirror-image molecule. The study, conducted by a team based at Marburg University and University of Geneva, created a molecule similar to a naturally occurring amino acid referred to as cysteine. It contains sulfur within its composition. The researchers found that some cancers have a transporter on their…

FridayMar 13, 2026 10:00 am

Microbial Ecosystems Play a Big Role in the Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

Significant strides have been made in leveraging checkpoint inhibitor therapy to combat a number of cancers over the recent years. However, not all malignancies respond to these therapies, and those that do often become resistant, or are discontinued due to adverse reactions within the immune system. Now, researchers have shown that gut microbiota are one of the key factors influencing the success of immunotherapy targeting PD-L1 and PD-1 gene expression. The study was published in the journal Cancer Biology and Medicine. The research team undertook a comprehensive review focused on seeking to understand how microbial ecosystems within the gut impact how patients respond to checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-L1 and PD-1. They analyzed clinical trials, preclinical studies and available multi-omics data to ascertain how bacterial…

FridayMar 06, 2026 10:00 am

OSU Researchers Develop Nanomaterial That Eliminates Cancer Cells

Oregon State University researchers have engineered a new nanomaterial from iron that kills cancer cells inside tumors and leaves normal cells unaffected. This new nanomaterial works by triggering two chemical reactions inside tumors and the cancer cells die off as a result of these reactions. In a study that appeared in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the scientists explain that the novel nanomaterial initiates two different chemical reactions that cause oxidative stress to kill cancer cells from the inside. Their work advances the field of chemodynamic therapy, also known as CDT. This field seeks to leverage the unique microenvironment inside tumors by altering the conditions that cancer cells thrive in in order to kill them off by denying the…

ThursdayMar 05, 2026 10:00 am

Researchers Say ICE Operations are Harming Public Health

The media has been awash with stories of intense sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted in different cities, such as Minneapolis. While a lot of focus has been on the sometimes high-handed methods used during these operations, a team of researchers is drawing attention to the adverse public health effects of these ICE sweeps. University of Iowa’s Asst. Prof. Nicole Novak and Associate Professor William Lopez of the University of Michigan write that these operations have far-reaching effects on public health that take a while to fully come to light, and that it will take years to roll back those adverse effects. One of the effects they point out is that…

TuesdayMar 03, 2026 10:00 am

New Treatment Dramatically Improves Survival for Patients with Deadly Brain Tumors

Researchers at Keck Medicine, University of Southern California (USC) have discovered that combining immunotherapy with laser heat therapy could significantly extend the survival of individuals diagnosed with deadly brain cancers. Astrocytoma, which includes cancers like glioblastoma, grows aggressively and usually recurs after patients have undergone surgery to remove the tumors. This makes the cancer difficult to treat, and patients rarely survive for more than 5 months once diagnosed with high-grade astrocytoma. Immunotherapies, treatments that leverage the body’s immune system to fight cancer, work remarkably well in addressing cancers found in other body parts. However, these treatments exhibit dismal results when used against brain cancers. This is because the blood-brain…