All posts in Clinical Innovation

From an editorial commenting on a recent prostate cancer screening trial using polygenic risk scoring to stratify patients: “After decades of undergoing epidemiologic study, prostate cancer remains an enigmatic disease; the only established risk factors are older age, family history of prostate cancer, and African ancestry (apart from uncommon cases among men with variants in the genes associated with hereditary breast cancer and the Lynch syndrome). Of interest, then, is a study of a polygenic risk score as an adjunct to screening, the results of which are reported by McHugh et al. in this issue of the Journal. Currently, screening … Read More

A research group assessed plasma proteins between 1997 and 1999 from over 6200 middle-aged (45-69 years) individuals. They followed these people for 20 years and tracked 45 age-related diseases and multi-morbidity. They used SomaScan version 4.0 and 4.1. In addition to proteins for overall organismal age, they had clusters of proteins for arteries, brain, heart, immune system, intestine, kidney, liver, lung and pancreas. “[Results] Over 123 712 person-years of observation (mean follow-up 19·8 years [SD 3·6]), and after excluding disease cases at or before baseline, higher organ age gaps were associated with an elevated risk of 32 out of the 45 … Read More

“First synthesized by the drug company Merck in 1912, MDMA, also known as the party drug Ecstasy or molly, has both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. It also has the ability to foster feelings of connectedness and to seemingly dissolve a person’s mental boundaries, which advocates say can help patients revisit their trauma more comfortably during psychotherapy sessions in order to heal from it. Lykos has spent years conducting clinical trials testing whether MDMA-assisted psychotherapy could alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. Its most recent drug trial showed that more than 86 percent of people treated had a measurable reduction in symptom … Read More

“A daily dose of a widely used antibiotic can prevent some infections with syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, potentially a new solution to the escalating crisis of sexually transmitted infections, scientists reported on Thursday. Their study was small and must be confirmed by more research. Scientists still have to resolve significant questions, including whether S.T.I.s might become resistant to the antibiotic and what effect it could have on healthy gut bacteria in people taking it every day. [..] Previous studies have shown that the antibiotic doxycycline substantially cuts the risk of new infections if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. … Read More

Excerpt – In 2022, my investigation in Science showed evidence that the famous 2006 experiment that helped push forward the amyloid hypothesis [for Alzheimer’s Disease] used falsified data. On June 24, after most of its authors conceded technical images were doctored, the paper was finally retracted. Days later, a City University of New York scientist behind a well-financed, controversial Alzheimer’s drug was indicted on charges alleging research fraud. Such cases are extreme. Yet few of the multitude of honest Alzheimer’s papers offer much hope to patients. In reporting for my forthcoming book about the disturbing state of play in Alzheimer’s … Read More

“In 2012, Scott Zeller, who was then the head of psychiatric emergency services at the Alameda Health System, in Oakland, California, was growing frustrated with the status quo. Many observers blamed long wait times for psychiatric patients on a sharp decline in the number of psychiatric beds in public hospitals. Zeller thought they were missing a more fundamental point. “Why is mental illness the only emergency where the treatment plan is, Let’s find them a bed somewhere?” Zeller asked. “If someone comes in with an asthma attack, we don’t say, ‘We’ve got a gurney here in the back for you. … Read More

“Population genomic screening, which was envisioned almost 20 years ago with the publication of the draft human genome sequence, is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as having notable potential to improve public health. In 2014, the CDC’s Office of Public Health Genomics designated Tier 1 genomic applications as those with evidence-based guidelines and recommendations to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with genetic risk. The initial 3 autosomal dominant conditions assigned to Tier 1—Lynch syndrome (LS) (high risk for colorectal cancer [CRC]), hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC), and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)—cause a high lifetime … Read More

Excerpt – “When we started in 2010, we were appropriately concerned that genetic engineering would create so-called Frankenstein cells that would be uncontrollable,” [professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a CAR-T pioneer Carl] June said. “There were lots of regulatory issues put in that has slowed research. But 11 to 12 years in, more than 20,000 people treated, and it’s never happened — the Frankenstein cell turned into a CAR-T tumor hasn’t happened. Autologous cells are safe, they don’t need to be regulated as in experimental, early stage by the FDA.” [..] Innovation is needed in the CAR-T field, … Read More