People who feel supported by family, friends and colleagues tend to have better mental health, perform more effectively at work and experience positive outcomes in other areas such as physical health, education and risk-taking behaviors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

The Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology in Stuttgart has developed a pioneering therapeutic approach for breast cancer patients who respond poorly to the standard drug tamoxifen. The innovative combination therapy has been successfully tested in a clinical trial under the name TAMENDOX. The results have now been published in the renowned journal Clinical Cancer Research. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space.

The study, published in the journal Oncogene, shows how a specific molecular interaction determines the effectiveness of irinotecan in this type of paediatric cancer

Congratulations to Prof. Boaz Ben-David of the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology and Dr. Yulia Golland of the Dina Recanati School of Medicine on winning a BSF-NSF research grant for a study examining how brief, playful social interactions affect brain function and cognitive performance in older adults. Using advanced brain imaging techniques (fMRI at 3T and 7T field strengths), the researchers are studying how playfulness affects the brain’s salience network — the system responsible for identifying and prioritizing important information. In addition, their research explores how playful interactions alter this network’s connections with other brain systems involved in attention, language, and movement — connections that typically weaken with age

The Israel Science Foundation (ISF) recently published the list of individual research grant winners for the 2024-2025 academic year. ISF grants are awarded on the basis of scientific excellence and project quality in the fields of exact sciences and technology, life sciences and medicine, and the humanities and social sciences.