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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Oct-2026 16:15 ET (31-Oct-2026 20:15 GMT/UTC)

AI and robotics accelerate search for better gut microbiome therapies

Duke University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat various gastrointestinal diseases.

Journal: Nature Chemical Biology
Funder: Army Research Office

New study finds upward trend in alcohol use during pregnancy in the U.S.

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Prenatal alcohol exposure—a contributor to adverse pregnancy outcomes and the leading preventable cause of neurodevelopmental disability worldwide—has increased in the United States over the past decade. The new paper is by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Journal: JAMA

$6.5 million grant advances high-tech imaging for lymphatic diseases

University of Virginia Health System
Grant and Award Announcement

A University of Virginia School of Medicine scientist has received a $6.5 million grant to develop the “lymphatic medicine exam of the future” to improve care for chronic swelling, known as lymphedema, and other lymphatic diseases.

A daily multivitamin may help older adults maintain functional health

American Society for Nutrition
Reports and Proceedings

The ability to perform everyday activities free of debilitating symptoms profoundly affects quality of life as we age. In a new study, older adults who took a daily multivitamin had significantly better measures of functional health after 3 years compared with those who took a placebo.

Meeting: NUTRITION 2026

Rutgers researchers lead study tracking risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and dementias in South Asian Americans

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center within the Rutgers Brain Health Institute, reviewed 25 years of data on dementia prevalence and risk factors in India. The findings, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, paves the way for the South Asian Middle Age Risk Tracking for brain Health (SAMARTH) study at Rutgers, the first research initiative in the United States dedicated to tracking the brain health of South Asian Americans and identifying modifiable risks and protective factors for Alzheimer’s Disease and related Dementias.

Journal: Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Funder: Leroy Schecter Foundation

Senolytic PROTAC slows age-related intervertebral disc degeneration in male mice

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY — July 27, 2026 — A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging on July 13, 2026, titled “Slowing intervertebral disc aging in mice through long-term systemic treatment with the senolytic BCL-2/BCL-xL proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) 753b.”

Journal: Aging-US

Different GLP-1 therapies could be tailored to patients’ individual metabolic needs

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new analysis shows that GLP-1 therapies can deliver distinct benefits to different heart and metabolic health needs beyond just weight loss

Journal: Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism

University of Tennessee names Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Medicine

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Business Announcement

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomes Carolyn J. Anderson, an internationally recognized radiopharmaceutical researcher, as a UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair. In this role, Anderson will research the potential of ORNL-produced radioisotopes for cancer treatment and will translate new knowledge and discoveries into solutions, often in collaboration with colleagues at the UT Health Science Center.

Researchers discover natural replacement for artificial food dyes

University of Missouri-Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Missouri researchers are turning a variety of purple colored corn traditionally grown in South America into an effective natural alternative to artificial food dyes. Unlike artificial dyes, which are petroleum-based and added purely for appearance, these natural pigments are rich in antioxidants known for reducing inflammation and supporting heart health.

Journal: npj Science of Food