Medical Xpress news

Medical Xpress / Engineers sharpen gene-editing tools to target cystic fibrosis

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania and Rice University have refined a technology for editing individual genetic "base pairs" to a new level of precision, opening the door to safer, more reliable therapies for a wide ...

Medical Xpress / Proximity to nuclear power plants associated with increased cancer mortality

U.S. counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) have higher rates of cancer mortality than those located farther away, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Faster cancer screening? New AI system offers a better way to detect abnormal cells

One way cancer specialists detect the disease is by examining cells and bodily fluids under a microscope, a time-consuming and labor-intensive process called cytology. It involves visually inspecting tens of thousands to ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Biomedical technology
Medical Xpress / Silencing bacteria can actually worsen heart infections, study reveals

A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have challenged the widely held assumption in infectious disease research that blocking bacterial communication ...

Medical Xpress / New targeted base-editing tool corrects genetic brain disorder in mice

Researchers have found that a new base-editing gene therapy can help treat a rare neurodevelopmental disorder called Snijders Blok–Campeau syndrome caused by mutations in the CHD3 gene. A specialized gene-editing tool, ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Genetics
Medical Xpress / When influencers raise a glass, young viewers want to join them

An attractive influencer couple chats in a kitchen as they prepare dinner. A wine bottle sits on the counter. Someone takes a sip. It looks less like an ad than a slice of ordinary life, the kind of moment that can pass unnoticed ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Addiction
Medical Xpress / First evidence of a 'critical priority' fungal pathogen becoming more deadly when co-infected with tuberculosis

Cryptococcus neoformans is one of four fungi classified as "critical priority" on the WHO's Fungal Pathogens Priority List, which was published in October 2022 following decades of research and calls for fungal pathogens ...

Medical Xpress / Microplastics discovered in prostate tumors

Small fragments of plastic were found in 9 out of 10 patients with prostate cancer, and in higher levels inside tumors than in nearby noncancerous tissue, a new study finds. The small, single-center study was led by researchers ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Oncology & Cancer
Medical Xpress / Dry powder inhalers can improve patient outcomes and lower environmental impact

New research from UCLA Health suggests that certain inhalers used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not only less harmful to the environment but can also lead to slightly better patient outcomes. Inhalers ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Inflammatory disorders
Medical Xpress / Oxytocin-sensitive brain circuit may keep social bonds active under stress

The neuropeptide oxytocin is a special messenger substance that nerve cells use to communicate with each other. It is acting as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone and is best known for promoting social behavior. However, ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Psychology & Psychiatry
Medical Xpress / Preclinical or clinical? New obesity definition could reshape diagnosis and prevention

An international research group has examined how many people are affected by preclinical and clinical obesity and what health risks are associated with this. The team led by Prof. Matthias Schulze from the German Institute ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Overweight & Obesity
Medical Xpress / AI decodes tissue characteristics of type 2 diabetes

Researchers from several partner institutions of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) have collaborated with international colleagues to develop a new approach for visualizing subtle tissue changes in the pancreas ...

Feb 23, 2026 in Diabetes