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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 04:16 ET (22-Jun-2026 08:16 GMT/UTC)

Blood marker from dementia research could help track aging across the animal world

DZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The protein “neurofilament light chain” (NfL) – studied in humans in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and aging – is also detectable in the blood of numerous animals, and NfL levels increase with age in mice, cats, dogs, and horses. Experts from the DZNE and the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH) at the University of Tübingen report these findings in the scientific journal “PLOS Biology”. In their view, this biomarker could help to assess the biological age of animals and estimate their life expectancy.

Journal: PLOS Biology

UT Health San Antonio researcher earns grant to study how the brain’s immune cells might actually contribute to Alzheimer’s

The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center
Grant and Award Announcement

A new grant award to a UT Health San Antonio researcher from the Cure Alzheimer's Fund will study how cells that normally protect the brain, microglia, might actually contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

Countdown to the Bial Award in Biomedicine 2025

BIAL Foundation
Grant and Award Announcement

The winning work for the Bial Award in Biomedicine 2025, selected from 58 nominations across18 countries, will be announced at the hybrid Award Ceremony on February 24, 2026, at 6 pm (WET), in Porto. With the amount of 350,000 Euros, this award was created to distinguish the most remarkable scientific discoveries in the biomedical field worldwide.

Funder: Fundação Bial

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine ahead-of-print tip sheet: February 20, 2026

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research has been published ahead-of-print by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM). JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Journal: Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Gastrointestinal toxicity linked to targeted cancer therapies in the United States

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY — February 20, 2026 — A new paper was published in Volume 13 of Oncoscience on February 6, 2026, titled “Gastrointestinal toxicity of targeted cancer therapies in the United States: Clinicopathologic patterns, FDA safety frameworks, and implications for national patient protection.”

Journal: Oncoscience

Massage Therapy Foundation awards $300,000 research grant to the University of Denver

Massage Therapy Foundation
Grant and Award Announcement

Massage Therapy Foundation is excited to announce the award of a $300,000 Research Grant to the University of Denver (UD) for their three-year study, “Prenatal Massage: A Complementary Approach for Maternal Health and Mental Health.” The study will be conducted through a partnership between UD and Thriving Families, a Denver-based nonprofit organization serving perinatal women and birthing people from under-resourced and minority backgrounds. The project will evaluate the impact of incorporating prenatal massage into MotherWise, a Thriving Families Program, an evidence based, trauma informed, and culturally responsive maternal wellness program.

Funder: Massage Therapy Foundation

ACS Central Science | Researchers from Insilico Medicine and Lilly publish foundational vision for fully autonomous “Prompt-to-Drug” pharmaceutical R&D

InSilico Medicine
Reports and Proceedings

What if a scientist could simply type: “Design a drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” and an autonomous system handled the target discovery, molecular design, and robot-led synthesis without further human input?

In a landmark paper published in ACS Central Science, researchers from Insilico Medicine and Lilly have unveiled the foundational framework for exactly that: Pharmaceutical Superintelligence. This isn't just a theoretical vision; it is a description of a sequentially orchestrated AI architecture that turns high-level prompts into clinical-ready assets.

Reduced alcohol consumption with Mounjaro’s active substance

University of Gothenburg
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time, researchers show that tirzepatide – the active ingredient in the diabetes and weight-loss drug Mounjaro – reduces alcohol intake as well as relapse-like behaviors in rats and mice. The findings are considered relevant in the search for new treatments for alcohol use disorder.

Journal: EBioMedicine

Physical function is a crucial predictor of survival after heart failure

Juntendo University Research Promotion Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Current models of mortality risk after heart failure (HF) rely primarily on cardiac-specific clinical variables and may underestimate risk in elderly East Asian patients. Researchers from Japan used machine learning to analyze data from a nationwide registry of elderly HF patients. Their new model includes metrics of physical function and improved risk reclassification by about 20% compared to existing models, and could improve treatment options for patients in the future.

Journal: The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific