The Lasker Foundation today announced the winners of its 2026 Lasker Awards: Emmanuel Mignot (Stanford University School of Medicine) and Masashi Yanagisawa (University of Tsukuba) will receive the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award; Kunihiro Hattori, Takehisa Kitazawa, and Tomoyuki Igawa (Chugai Pharmaceutical) will receive the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award; and Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research) will receive the Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Sept. 9, 2026)—Mood disturbances—depressed mood, irritability, anxiety, and mental exhaustion—are common during the menopause transition, affecting up to 68% of women. Although hormone therapy (HT) is FDA approved for hot flashes and genitourinary symptoms, its role in managing mood symptoms is less understood. A new study suggests HT may improve mood symptoms in midlife. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society.

On July 9, a symposium was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Hantaan virus. This symposium celebrated the historical achievement of the late Dr. Lee Ho-wang (Professor Emeritus of Korea University College of Medicine). The symposium also reviewed the historical significance of Hantaan virus research, its results, and future infectious disease response strategies.

A new Michigan Medicine led study takes a data driven approach and for the first time reveals that psychedelics and anesthetics create “mirror image” patterns of large-scale brain organization, with opposite network features.

The study, conducted by Biplab Debnath and Shaileyee Das and published in Current Agricultural Sciences, argues that combining microbial biofertilizers with biochar — both made from waste — offers more benefit to soil and crops than either treatment alone.

A multicenter randomized clinical trial led by researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that high-frequency spinal cord stimulation significantly reduced pain and improved sensory function in people with painful diabetic neuropathy.

Researchers from the Heidelberg Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité have identified a subgroup of CAR T cells that may serve as a biomarker to gauge the success of low-dose therapies. The findings are published in “Nature Communications.”