University of Iowa researchers have successfully tested a gene-treatment technique to prevent craniosynostosis, a condition that causes infants’ skulls to close prematurely. The experiments, conducted in mice, may lead to clinical human trials in the next one to two years. Results published in the journal Science Advances.

A new global study has identified striking inequalities in disability caused by COVID-19 during 2020–2021, offering an early warning signal for the ongoing risk of long COVID in the years that followed — and even today. By examining across 920 locations worldwide, researchers found that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, showed disproportionately high rates of nonfatal COVID-related health loss. These findings highlight potentially hidden vulnerabilities and call for urgent action to address long-term pandemic effects in underserved populations.