February 5, 2026

Testing menstrual blood for HPV could be ‘robust alternative’ to cervical screening

February 5, 2026 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / cervical screening

by British Medical Journal edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Testing menstrual blood for human papillomavirus (HPV) could be a “robust alternative or replacement” for current cervical cancer screening by a clinician, finds a study from China published by The BMJ. The researchers say using […]

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New blood donation rules: Most vaccines, tattoos and travel may not disqualify you

February 5, 2026 / Patient education / InnovateMed Author / blood donation

by Ashley Smith, University of Cincinnati edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source Credit: University of Cincinnati So you think you can’t donate blood because of a tattoo, or you traveled overseas or maybe you got a vaccine recently? Chances are you CAN donate blood! In recent years, the U.S.

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AI-enabled stethoscope demonstrated to be twice as efficient at detecting valvular heart disease in the clinic

February 5, 2026 / Artificial Intelligence, Research update / InnovateMed Author / valvular heart disease

by European Society of Cardiology edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain New research shows that the use of an AI-enabled digital stethoscope more than doubled the identification of moderate to severe valvular heart disease during routine clinical examinations, compared to a traditional stethoscope. The

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Immune cells linked to Epstein-Barr virus may play a role in multiple sclerosis

February 5, 2026 / Immunology, Research update / InnovateMed Author / Epstein-Barr virus, multiple sclerosis

by University of California, San Francisco edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source This electron microscopic image of two Epstein Barr Virus virions (viral particles) shows round capsids—protein-encased genetic material—loosely surrounded by the membrane envelope. Credit: PloS Biology (2005), DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030430.g001 Researchers at UC San Francisco have uncovered a new clue

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300 experts in 35 countries map 25 priorities to curb gambling harms

February 5, 2026 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / gambling

by Flinders University edited by Andrew Zinin Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Hundreds of international experts in gambling addiction are urging a more coordinated approach to enhance interventions and therapies, while aligning research priorities to tackle the escalating problem. Gambling is now a legal activity in 80% of countries and

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AI tool predicts brain age, cancer survival and other disease signals from unlabeled brain MRIs

February 5, 2026 / Artificial Intelligence, Research update / InnovateMed Author / MRI

by Mass General Brigham edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source BrainIAC is a generalizable foundation model for neuroimaging that supports diverse downstream clinical tasks, from molecular subtype prediction to brain aging and survival estimation, by enabling efficient adaptation across a wide range of applications. Credit: Divyanshu Tak, Mass

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From Croatia to MAHA: How an unapproved drug became the next hot peptide

February 5, 2026 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / croatia

BPC-157 is touted as healing, but limited data raise safety concerns By Sara Talpos — Undark Feb. 3, 2026 STAT is co-publishing this investigation by Undark. IIn the spring of 2024, Flynn McGuire started to notice glowing references online to an unapproved drug that proponents claimed could help the body heal more quickly. McGuire is a chief

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Approved arrhythmia drug may slow MYC-driven lymphoma by blocking USP11 interactions

February 5, 2026 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / arrrhythmia

by Virginia Commonwealth University edited by Andrew Zinin Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source Hodgkin lymphoma, nodular lymphocyte predominant (high-power view) Credit: Gabriel Caponetti, MD./Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0 A team of researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center discovered an innovative way to use a drug already approved for treating irregular heartbeat to selectively target specific

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Eye movements help the brain see in 3D: Research challenges long-standing assumption

February 5, 2026 / Research update / InnovateMed Author / eye movement

by University of Rochester edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan Editors’ notes The GIST Add as preferred source Eye movements help the brain see in 3D: Research challenges long-standing assumption Professor Greg DeAngelis (left) looks on as postdoctoral fellow Vitaly Lerner performs a virtual reality task investigating how eye movements help the brain interpret 3D space.

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How Rheumatologists Are Making Smart Use of AI Platforms

February 5, 2026 / Clinical Practice / InnovateMed Author / rheumatologist

Jennifer Lubell February 03, 2026 When her patient needed canakinumab for gout, Julia Buchfuhrer, DO, struggled to get prior authorization approval. The insurer denied her repeatedly. Julia Buchfuhrer, DOTrying a different tactic, she used an artificial intelligence (AI) app to file the claim. It was approved in 24 hours. “Why this happened, I’m not sure. My guess is

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