December 12, 2025

Blocking collagen signaling boosts drug delivery in pancreatic cancer

December 12, 2025 / Research update / InnovateMed Author / pancreatic cancer

by Okayama University edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Collagen plays dual roles in pancreatic cancer: as a physical fiber that obstructs macromolecular drug delivery, and as a bioactive signaling molecule that activates discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) and drives a vicious fibrotic cycle. By blocking DDR1 signaling, researchers from Okayama and Tohoku Universities […]

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Missing myelin in key brain cells erases first wave of sensory signals

December 12, 2025 / Research update / InnovateMed Author / myelin

by Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Optotagging and characterization of L5–POm projections. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66157-1 Our nerve cells are surrounded by a protective layer (myelin). This protective layer allows signals to pass between cells incredibly quickly. But what happens when this layer goes missing from cells that transfer

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Hundreds are quarantined in South Carolina as measles spreads in 2 US outbreaks

December 12, 2025 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / measles

by Devi Shastri edited by Andrew Zinin Editors’ notes Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. Credit: AP Photo/Annie Rice, File Measles outbreaks are growing along the Utah-Arizona border and in South Carolina, where hundreds are in quarantine. Between Friday and Tuesday,

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CAR-T therapy yields long-term survival for patients with lymphoma

December 12, 2025 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / lymphoma

by Angela Yeager, Oregon Health & Science University edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology confirms that one of the first Food and Drug Administration-approved CAR-T cell therapies offers long-term survival and potential cures for adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, even years

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Enzyme linked to myelin damage may hold key to neurodegenerative diseases

December 12, 2025 / Research update / InnovateMed Author / myelin damage

by Erik Robinson, Oregon Health & Science University edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Immunostaining using a CEMIP antibody (purple) and in situ hybridization using a CEMIP probe (using RNAScope; red) reveal co-localization of both signals in sections of lumbar spinal cords from mice with EAE at 15 days post-inoculation. Scale bar = 50 µm. Nuclei

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Proton therapy shows survival benefit in Phase III trial for patients with head and neck cancers

December 12, 2025 / Research update / InnovateMed Author / proton therapy

by University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Credit: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center A study published in The Lancet showed a significant survival benefit for patients with oropharyngeal cancers who were treated with proton therapy (IMPT) compared to those treated with traditional radiation therapy (IMRT). The study,

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New clinical guidelines address gap in Adult-onset Still’s disease

December 12, 2025 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / still disease

by European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology, EULAR edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin Editors’ notes Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory disorder. Thanks to a new initiative, AOSD is now considered to be the adult counterpart of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, but in both cases the cause is

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Acupuncture may help improve perceived breast cancer-related cognitive difficulties over usual care

December 12, 2025 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / breast cancer

by American Association for Cancer Research edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Real and sham acupuncture were more effective at improving breast cancer survivors’ perceived cognitive impairment compared with usual care, while real acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in improving objective cognitive function, according to results from the randomized ENHANCE Phase

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Menopausal hormone therapy may not pose breast cancer risk for women with BRCA mutations, analysis suggests

December 12, 2025 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / menopausal hormone

by American Association for Cancer Research edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) was not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women with inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, according to the results of a matched prospective analysis presented at the San

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The key to increasing patients’ advance care medical planning may be automatic patient outreach

December 12, 2025 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / advance care

by University of California, Los Angeles edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin Editors’ notes Credit: CC0 Public Domain A strategy for advance care planning (ACP) that included automated outreach from staff who contacted patients to offer assistance significantly boosted the number of patients who completed documentation outlining their wishes in times of serious illness, new research

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