Nervousness about the Trump administration’s attitude to vaccines has spurred the formation of the Vaccine Integrity Project, which has the aim of safeguarding the use of vaccines and ensuring vaccine policy “remains grounded in the best available science,” and is “free from external influence.”

A metabolic vulnerability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) could be used to address this type of cancer that often resists treatments. Scientists at the University of Michigan have discovered that inhibiting the PIKfyve enzyme prevented tumor development and reduced tumor growth by altering the lipid synthesis these cells rely on. The KRAS-MAPK pathway is involved in this process, leading the researchers to suggest that dual inhibitors of PIKfyve and KRAS-MAPK could be an effective therapeutic strategy.

Harvard University has filed a lawsuit claiming the Trump administration’s freezing of its federal funding is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority. Announcing the move, Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, highlighted the impact of freezing $2.2 billion in grants – and the threat to freeze a further $1.1 billion – will have on the university’s biomedical research.

Harvard University has filed a lawsuit claiming the Trump administration’s freezing of its federal funding is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority. Announcing the move, Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, highlighted the impact of freezing $2.2 billion in grants – and the threat to freeze a further $1.1 billion – will have on the university’s biomedical research.

Genes associated with lysosomal dysfunction increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study led by scientists at Northwestern University. The discovery also explains why some people who carry a pathogenic variant of the GBA1 gene develop PD or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and others do not. The key lies in the Commander complex, involved in the transport of proteins to this organelle. This discovery raises the need for combinatorial therapies that act on more than one pathway for this type of neurodegenerative disorder.

The Abu Dhabi health care company M42 is to make an investment in U.K.-based longevity specialist Juvenescence as a route to moving into drug discovery and development, with the two forming a partnership to work together on products that extend the healthy lifespan and improve the treatment of chronic diseases.

Stem cell implantation is a step closer to becoming the next strategy against Parkinson's disease. Two clinical trials, one in phase I and the other in phase I/II, have demonstrated their safety and potential to restore dopamine production in the brains of patients with this currently incurable neurodegenerative condition. The number of participants in the study is still small, and further research is needed to demonstrate the clinical benefits of these cell therapies.

Genes associated with lysosomal dysfunction increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study led by scientists at Northwestern University. The discovery also explains why some people who carry a pathogenic variant of the GBA1 gene develop PD or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and others do not. The key lies in the Commander complex, involved in the transport of proteins to this organelle. This discovery raises the need for combinatorial therapies that act on more than one pathway for this type of neurodegenerative disorder.

Researchers have developed a new compound that can prevent long COVID symptoms in mice that could lead to a future drug for the debilitating condition in humans. Developed by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, the world-first study found mice treated with the antiviral compound were protected from long-term brain and lung dysfunction, which are key symptoms of long COVID.