Doctors in the US performed ground-breaking keyhole surgery on an unborn baby, Theo, at 26 weeks gestation to correct complex gastroschisis, a birth defect where intestines grow externally. Theo, now five months old, is thriving after becoming the third baby in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial.
London parents Maisie Savage and Josh French's baby Theo, diagnosed with complex gastroschisis, underwent pioneering keyhole surgery in the womb at 26 weeks gestation in Texas, US. He is now five months old and thriving, marking a success for the first-of-its-kind clinical trial.
Hong Kong researchers at CUHK are testing a surgical procedure for Alzheimer's, pioneered in mainland China, which has shown promise in improving patients' daily functions. The procedure was banned for unregulated use in mainland China due to safety concerns, prompting CUHK's controlled trials.
A UK High Court judge dismissed a legal challenge, allowing King's College London's 'Pathways' trial for puberty blockers on 11-16 year olds to proceed from August 1. Campaigners, including detransitioner Keira Bell, argued potential harm, but the court found no realistic chance of success, citing careful participant assessment and regulatory approval.
Novo Nordisk faces a lawsuit from shareholders alleging misleading statements about its obesity drug CagriSema's clinical trial, leading to a significant market value drop. A federal judge has allowed parts of the lawsuit to proceed.
Kalshi is expanding its prediction markets to include wagers on drug trial results, aiming to increase transparency in drug development. This pilot program, in partnership with AppliedXL, faces criticism regarding market manipulation and insider trading. Kalshi also paused plans for flight cancellation bets after FlightAware disavowed data use.
Engineers and surgeons at UC San Diego have demonstrated that teleoperated humanoid robots can perform live minimally invasive surgery. In preclinical trials, humanoid robots successfully completed gallbladder removal operations on non-primate mammals, marking a significant step towards integrating these robots into future operating rooms.
Humanoid robots, remotely controlled by surgeons, successfully removed gallbladders from live pigs in a preclinical trial. This human-robot team-up offers a potentially cheaper and more accessible alternative to specialized surgical robots, with applications in rural areas, battlefields, and space.
AstraZeneca's experimental heart disease drug, Wainua, failed to meet its primary goal in a late-stage trial, causing its shares to drop significantly. Analysts cited potential loss of investor trust in management as a key concern, alongside reduced sales projections.
Over 50 days into the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda, clinical trials are underway for new treatments against the rarer Bundibugyo virus. Two drugs, remdesivir and MBP-134, are being tested for treatment, while obeldesivir is being studied for post-exposure prevention. The trials face challenges including ongoing conflict and community mistrust.
Frontline workers in Congo's escalating Ebola outbreak threaten to strike Monday over unpaid benefits and poor working conditions. The outbreak has surpassed 500 deaths and 1,561 cases, spreading across three eastern provinces. The strike could disrupt clinical trials and containment efforts.
A two-year clinical trial found that high-dose DHA supplements, while reaching the brain, did not improve memory or cognitive function in older adults at risk for Alzheimer's, nor did they slow brain atrophy. Researchers suggest enzyme disruption or chronic inflammation may blunt effects.
The BrioVAD, a compact, magnetically levitated heart pump from China, is being tested in a US clinical trial for advanced heart failure patients. It's the first active implantable medical device from China to gain FDA approval for US trials, aiming to prove its safety and efficacy against the current market leader, HeartMate 3.
Abivax shares surged 36% after new Phase 3 trial data showed its drug obefazimod provided clinically meaningful improvements for adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, including non-responders, and confirmed a favorable safety profile.
A clinical trial for gender-questioning children using puberty blockers will require participants to be at least 11 years old. The Pathways Trial, previously paused due to safety concerns, has strengthened safeguards, including a minimum age and parental consent. Legal challenges and ethical debates continue.
UniQure plans to seek FDA accelerated approval for its Huntington's disease gene therapy, using three-year data from a Phase 1/2 study. This follows a recent FDA meeting that reversed previous criticisms of the evidence, with shares soaring 70%.
China has approved NEO, the world's first commercial brain-computer chip, for mass production. The coin-sized device, designed for patients with spinal cord injuries and paralysis, uses a less invasive approach than Elon Musk's Neuralink, which is still under US regulatory review.
A clinical trial in the US shows promising results as a genetically modified virus has stopped pancreatic cancer in three patients. The virus replicates inside tumors, causing them to burst and release more virus to infect neighboring cancer cells. Further trials are needed to determine optimal dosage and effectiveness.
Korean biotech firms CGBio, Handok, LegoChem Biosciences, Lotte Biologics, and Daewon Pharm announced progress in drug development, clinical trials, and international conferences. Highlights include CGBio's spine treatment strategy, Handok's hyperinsulinism drug trial results, LegoChem's partner's cancer drug receiving FDA rare disease designation, Lotte Biologics' participation in Bio USA, and Daewon Pharm's obesity drug pre-clinical results.
Abivax shares dropped 43.6% after its ulcerative colitis drug, obefazimod, showed a cancer signal in trial data. While efficacy was met, the presence of cancer cases, particularly on the higher dose, has raised concerns and led to a downgrade by analysts, impacting potential takeover talks.
Abivax shares dropped 40% after reporting efficacy data for its ulcerative colitis drug, obefazimod, alongside cancer cases. Analysts cite the 'cancer signal' as a significant overhang, complicating potential takeover talks.
Abivax shares dropped 37% after reporting data on its ulcerative colitis drug, obefazimod. While the drug showed efficacy, the presence of cancer cases, particularly on the higher dose, raised concerns and led analysts to downgrade the stock, complicating potential takeover talks.
Abivax shares dropped 32% after reporting new data for its ulcerative colitis drug, obefazimod. While the drug showed efficacy, the emergence of cancer cases in patients, particularly on the higher dose, has raised concerns and led to a stock downgrade, complicating potential takeover talks.
Serum Institute of India will manufacture clinical trial doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine from Oxford University, backed by up to $8.6 million in funding from CEPI. The vaccine uses the same ChAdOx1 platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, aiming for rapid development and affordable access for affected nations in Africa.
