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Category: biotech/medical – Page 45

Blood-based tests show strong promise for dementia diagnosis—but population diversity matters

In a study published today, Friday, February 13, 2026, in the journal Nature Aging, researchers show that blood-based biomarkers can support accurate dementia diagnosis across diverse populations when integrated with cognitive and neuroimaging measures. Blood-based biomarkers are emerging as one of the most promising advances for the global diagnosis of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These tests offer a more accessible, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional diagnostic tools such as brain imaging or cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

However, most blood-based biomarkers have been developed and validated primarily in relatively homogeneous populations. Genetic background, overall physical health, and environmental and social exposures can substantially influence biomarker levels, raising concerns about how well these tests perform across diverse populations worldwide.

Abstract: How does diabetes exacerbate periodontal disease?

Dana T. Graves & team identify the CD137L/CD137 axis as a pivotal mediator of diabetes-induced inflammatory tissue destruction, in which dendritic cell produced CD137L activates γδ T-cells through CD137, leading to a dysregulated host response and worsening damage from bacterial challenge:

The figure shows microCT images of 3D reconstruction of the molar teeth from mouse models of periodontitis injected with control, CD137L-agonist, CD137L-antagonist antibodies.

1Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology and.

2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

3Department of Periodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Convergent molecular pathways across distinct genetic forms of autism

The new study, published in the journal Nature, provides new insights by demonstrating that while different mutations affect the developing brain in initially distinct ways, they increasingly impact overlapping molecular pathways as development progresses.

Researchers monitored the gene expression of the organoids over 100 days as they developed, which allowed researchers to observe how genetic changes affect brain during the critical early development windows.

Early in development, each genetic form showed distinct molecular signatures. However, as the organoids matured, these different mutations increasingly affected similar biological processes, particularly those involved in neuronal maturation and synapse formation.

The researchers identified a network of genes involved in regulating gene expression and chromatin remodeling, which is the process by which DNA is packaged and made accessible for reading. This network appears to play a central role in this convergence. Using CRISPR technology to individually reduce the activity of these regulatory genes in neural cells, the team confirmed that many of them control downstream pathways were previously linked to autism.

Notably, the study found few consistent molecular changes in organoids derived from individuals with idiopathic autism, likely reflecting the highly complex genetic architecture of autism that doesn’t involve major mutations. This finding underscores the need for much larger studies to understand the more common, polygenic forms of autism. ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.

The researchers have created a comprehensive map showing how eight different genetic mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder affect early brain development, providing new insights into the ways diverse genetic causes may lead to shared features and symptoms of the disorder.

Continue reading “Convergent molecular pathways across distinct genetic forms of autism” | >

New biosensor technology could improve glucose monitoring

A wearable biosensor developed by Washington State University researchers could improve wireless glucose monitoring for people with diabetes, making it more cost-effective, accurate, and less invasive than current models. The WSU researchers have developed a wearable and user-friendly sensor that uses microneedles and sensors to measure sugar in the fluid around cells, providing an alternative to continuous glucose monitoring systems. Reporting in the journal The Analyst, the researchers were able to accurately detect sugar levels and wirelessly transmit the information to a smartphone in real time.

“We were able to amplify the signal through our new single-atom catalyst and make sensors that are smaller, smarter, and more sensitive,” said Annie Du, research professor in WSU’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and co-corresponding author on the work. “This is the future and provides a foundation for being able to detect other disease biomarkers in the body.”

Measuring glucose levels is important for diabetes, helping to keep patients healthy and preventing complications. Continuous glucose monitors on the market require the use of small needles to insert the monitor, and people can get skin irritation or rashes from the chemical processes that are done under the skin. Furthermore, they’re not always sensitive enough.

Evaluation of Preexisting Humoral Immunity to Measles and Varicella Zoster in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Initiating Anti-CD20 Therapy

This case report describes mogamulizumab-associated Kaposi sarcoma in 2 patients with primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.

📄Read the full report.

Corresponding Author: Emilie Holder, MD, Service de Dermatologie, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Lyon Sud, F-69495 Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, France ([email protected]).

Published Online: February 11, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2025.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Dalle reported grants from Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pierre Fabre, and Regeneron, and his spouse is an employee of Sanofi outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Overtime with Bill Maher: Jonathan Haidt, Stephanie Ruhle, H.R. McMaster (HBO)

Artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing to the point where it may be able to write its own code, potentially leading to significant job displacement, societal problems, and concerns about unregulated use in areas like warfare.

## Questions to inspire discussion.

Career Adaptation.

🎯 Q: How should workers prepare for AI’s impact on employment? A: 20% of jobs including coders, medical, consulting, finance, and accounting roles will be affected in the next 5 years, requiring workers to actively learn and use large language models to enhance productivity or risk being left behind in the competitive landscape.

Economic Policy.

📊 Q: What systemic response is needed for AI-driven job displacement? A: Government planning is essential to manage massive economic transitions and job losses as AI’s exponential growth reaches a tipping point, extending beyond manufacturing into white-collar professions across multiple sectors.

Continue reading “Overtime with Bill Maher: Jonathan Haidt, Stephanie Ruhle, H.R. McMaster (HBO)” | >

False alarm in newborn screening: How zebrafish can prevent unnecessary spinal muscular atrophy therapies

A positive newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is currently considered a medical emergency. Without early treatment, severe disability or death in infancy are likely. However, research findings from Germany and Australia now show that in rare cases, a positive screening result can be a genetic false alarm. Researchers have discovered that functional tests in a zebrafish model may enable fast and reliable clinical decision-making in cases of unclear genetic findings.

The study “SMN1 variants identified by false positive SMA newborn screening tests: Therapeutic hurdles, and functional and epidemiological solutions” was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics and another study, “Clinical relevance of zebrafish for gene variants testing. Proof-of-principle with SMN1/SMA,” in EMBO Molecular Medicine. The collaborative research team was led by Professor Dr. Brunhilde Wirth, Director of the University of Cologne’s Institute of Human Genetics and Principal Investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) and Dr. Jean Giacomotto from Griffith University’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Brisbane, Australia.

The scientists examined two newborns—a girl from Germany and a boy from Australia—in whom routine screening initially failed to detect the SMN1 gene. A missing SMN1 gene is the main genetic trigger of SMA. This diagnosis would normally result in immediate treatment, as it would be assumed that the child’s life is in danger. However, further genetic analysis revealed a surprising finding: both children carried rare SMN1 variants that had not been detected by the screening test. It remains unclear whether these variants cause the disease.

From the lab to the living room: Decoding Parkinson’s patients’ movements in the real world

Scientists have traditionally studied how the brain controls movement by asking patients to perform structured tasks while connected to multiple sensors in a lab. While these studies have provided important insights, these experiments do not fully capture how the brain functions during everyday activities, be it walking to the kitchen for a snack or strolling through a park.

For people living with Parkinson’s disease, this gap between laboratory research and real-world behavior has limited efforts to improve gait symptoms outside of the clinic.

Issues and Challenges in NSCLC Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has revolutionized lung cancer treatment in the past decade. By reactivating the host’s immune system, immunotherapy significantly prolongs survival in some advanced lung cancer patients. However, resistance to immunotherapy is frequent, which manifests as a lack of initial response or clinical benefit to therapy (primary resistance) or tumor progression after the initial period of response (acquired resistance). Overcoming immunotherapy resistance is challenging owing to the complex and dynamic interplay among malignant cells and the defense system. This review aims to discuss the mechanisms that drive immunotherapy resistance and the innovative strategies implemented to overcome it in lung cancer.

The discovery of the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), represented by the monoclonal antibodies that block cytotoxic T−lymphocyte−associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death protein 1 (PD-1), and programmed death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1), has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of lung cancer. The significant survival benefit derived from ICI-containing treatment has established it as the mainstay first-line therapy in patients with advanced or locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and extensive small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Unprecedented long-term clinical benefit or even, in some cases, a complete recovery has been witnessed in lung cancer, particularly in patients with high PD-L1-expressing tumors (1– 3). Currently, investigations are under way aimed at integrating immunotherapy in the treatment of early-stage lung cancer.

However, most patients with NSCLC develop primary resistance during ICI monotherapy and only 15 to 20% achieve partial or complete response (3). Acquired resistance also occurs in initially responding patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs, after a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 4–10 months (4– 9). The mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy are not yet fully understood, and methods to overcome them must be developed. Herein, we discuss the pathways driving resistance to immunotherapy in lung cancer to help clinicians in their current practice, as well as identify future research priorities and treatment strategies.

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