Latest news with #medicalresearch
CNN
11 hours ago
- Business
- CNN
Dana Bash asks Trump's budget director about proposed cuts to cancer research
CNN's Dana Bash presses Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on the Trump administration's proposal to cut non-defense spending by more than 22% — including deep reductions to education, food assistance, and billions in cancer research funding. As Vought defends the cuts and criticizes the NIH, Bash challenges him on the real-world impact to life-saving medical research.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors Deliver Verdict on TikTok's 'Mouth Taping' Trend
If you struggle with 'mouth breathing' while you sleep, from the occasional snore or full-blown obstructive sleep apnea, you – or your sleep-deprived partner – may be looking for ways to fix it. In your quest for a peaceful night's sleep, you may quickly come across the social media trend of 'mouth taping': that is, taping your mouth with a particular kind of porous medical tape, to keep it shut while you sleep. In thousands of TikTok videos, influencers claim this simple trick can solve a litany of problems, from jawline definition to energy levels to oral hygiene to sleep apnea. But as with many 'simple tricks' that go viral online, this one is going to need a whole lot more science to back up any of those anecdotes. Helpfully, a team of doctors and scientists from the London Health Sciences Center and the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine have just published a review of the 10 most relevant research papers, spanning data from 213 patients in total, to assess whether mouth taping is even safe, let alone worth the hype. Each one of those papers investigated how night-time mouth taping or similar techniques affected patients with obstructive sleep apnea, nasal obstruction, or mouth breathing during sleep. Most of the studies took the form of medical visits or formal sleep studies, in which patients are closely monitored while sleeping in a controlled environment. Two papers showed improvements in patients with mild sleep apnea, in measures that included apnea-hypopnea index, gauged by counting the number of apneas or hypopneas during sleep, or drops in blood oxygen saturation. But overall, the researchers found, there's an absence of evidence supporting the claims of mouth tape proponents. "Other studies showed that mouth taping offered no differences and even discussed potential risks including asphyxiation in the presence of nasal obstruction," the authors write. "There are potential serious detrimental health outcomes to those with nasal obstruction who seek oral taping as means to ameliorate their mouth breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, or sleep disordered breathing during sleep." That makes sense: if you're breathing through your mouth because of a physical blockage in your nose, like a sinus infection, a deviated septum, or nasal polyps, taping your mouth shut is not going to help. Band-aid social media solutions like this can also delay or divert patients from treating the cause of their problems. It's worth noting the researchers found all 10 existing studies on mouth taping were of poor quality for various reasons, such as a lack of follow-up with participants, non-representative groups, and unclear adjustment for confounding factors that could influence the results. And remember, these were the top 10 papers the researchers could find on the topic. "There does seem to be a very specific use-case scenario, in patient populations where obstructive sleep apnea is mild, that mouth taping or occlusion may improve [measures of apnea severity]," the team writes. "However, in other patient populations with nasal obstruction as a cause of mouth breathing or more severe forms of obstructive sleep apnea, there is little evidence to support any clinical benefit for this practice." You already know this, but if you're having trouble sleeping, or your partner's snores and gasps are keeping you awake, it's best to book a doctor's appointment rather than scrolling the internet for answers. So, go on then! This research was published in PLOS One. This Type of Fiber Could Have Weight Loss Benefits Similar to Ozempic Study Reveals Plague's Evolutionary Hack to Survive 3 Pandemics One Key Way of Consuming Sugar Could Spike Your Diabetes Risk
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Health
- Fast Company
The lab of the future: An artificial superintelligence for biology
The lab as we know it today is being transformed by how we think about medical research and drug discovery, as well as the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology. As someone who has transitioned from a doctor to a tech CEO, I've witnessed firsthand how our mindset around medicine and innovation needs to evolve to keep pace with the accelerating changes in technology. In my journey, one of the most important lessons I've learned is: You can be too smart for your own good. It may sound counterintuitive, but when building a company or investing in new technologies, the smartest people often fall into the trap of overcomplicating things. A brilliant idea isn't always enough. You need the right people who can think creatively, take risks, and make it happen in the real world. For me, the mindset shift from doctor to CEO was about understanding that it's not just about medical knowledge; it's about building the right ecosystem to nurture that knowledge and turn it into real and transformative change. I believe that a crucial part of that ecosystem for my company, Owkin, is a new form of intelligence: a biological artificial superintelligence (BASI) to complement the ingenious human minds working with us. Next generation AI tools, like K Navigator, Owkin's agentic co-pilot for researchers, and K Pro for pharma, which is in the pipeline, will allow us to understand the full complexity of biology that has been beyond human understanding so far. This forms the backbone of Owkin's mission: We are creating the next-generation pharma focused on discovering cures and significantly enhancing pipeline value by developing a new intelligence system capable of decoding biological truths at scale. AI can fill the innovation gap left by pharma As the pharmaceutical industry increasingly focuses on a handful of blockbuster drugs, it's leaving behind many areas of medicine that are crucial for the future of healthcare. Too many diseases remain uncured as traditional pharma struggles to navigate the complexity of biology to augment care with efficient new molecules and diagnostics. From rare diseases to precision oncology, there's an innovation gap that AI is perfectly positioned to fill. AI can identify previously overlooked opportunities and streamline the development of treatments that are highly personalized and targeted. Unlike traditional pharmaceutical companies that are heavily reliant on large-scale, high-risk projects, AI companies can operate in a more agile, data-driven way. We can make smaller, more informed bets, leveraging machine learning and vast datasets to uncover insights that were once out of reach. This shift enables faster and more efficient drug discovery, with the added benefit of offering solutions for diseases that may not have attracted the attention of big pharma. Cell lines alone aren't going to work Most traditional biological research has been based on cell lines—cells removed from the human body and grown in petri dishes. But as we look to the future, there's a growing realization that cell lines, and other traditional research methods, are becoming outdated. While once a staple in biomedical research, they do not accurately replicate the complexity of human biology, and they fail to capture the diversity and variability that exists in real patients. AI-driven models are capable of moving beyond the limitations of cell lines by integrating data both from research done in cells and tissues removed from the body (in vitro) and from research done in living animals (in vivo). This validation approach, which incorporates multiple data types and sources, allows us to create more reliable and predictive models of human diseases. Science is advancing, and so is regulation. The FDA's recent announcement of plans to phase out animal testing in favor of 'more effective, human-relevant methods' means that we are entering an era where therapies can be tested on human tissue models from the very start. In collaboration with leading academic centers, Owkin has developed a patient-derived, lab-grown organoid (a mini version of a human organ), a breakthrough that brings us closer to faster, more accurate, and humane drug discovery. The combination of clinical data, genomic insights, and AI not only accelerates the development of new treatments but also increases their chances of success in clinical trials. The lab of the future The lab of the future will be one where AI is at the center, guiding discovery, improving precision, and increasing efficiency. Validation using real-world data will allow us to make better decisions and achieve higher rates of success. The traditional research process is being upended by these new technologies, and that's a good thing. The future of medicine will not just rely on human expertise, but on the power of AI and data to transform how we understand and treat disease. AI will deliver transformative therapies at an exponential scale, addressing the complexities of biology that traditional pharmaceutical approaches often cannot solve. Labs will become automated and serve as the ultimate playground for scientists, driving the future of drug discovery by harnessing the full potential of advanced AI systems. In these dynamic labs, organoids and agents will come together to work in synergy, allowing scientists to model and simulate human biology with greater accuracy. AI-driven technology will decipher biological patterns to identify the patients most likely to respond to specific treatments, significantly improving the chances of success in clinical trials and beyond. Seamlessly integrating these cutting-edge tools into the lab environment will transform the way we approach drug discovery, targeting diseases with a level of precision that was previously unimaginable. By pioneering the use of data, biology, and AI to decode the fundamental mechanics of disease and advance medical science, it will be possible to establish a foundation for the future of a 'positive singularity' in medicine. Through this innovative ecosystem, AI can revolutionize medicine. The time to innovate is now, and the possibilities are endless.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
This Philadelphia doctor's story of saving his own life is being made into a movie: "I almost died five times"
Penn Medicine doctor's story of saving his life is being made into a movie Penn Medicine doctor's story of saving his life is being made into a movie Penn Medicine doctor's story of saving his life is being made into a movie Saving lives, first his own, then others. It's the story of a doctor researcher at Penn Medicine that's now being made into a movie. A man on a mission, with science always running through his mind. Dr. David Fajgenbaum works out the equations on his windows at Penn Medicine. Focusing on immune cells is how he saved his life, with a new approach that's now saving others. It's a story that's headed to Hollywood. CBS News Philadelphia. "This is a story about living from someone who was dying, and it's a story about creating hope when it feels like there is no hope," he said. Fajgenbaum was filled with a more innocent kind of hope at Georgetown, where he was a quarterback. Then, at Penn Medicine, in his third year, he developed a rare disease called Castleman for which there was no treatment. "In the first three years after my diagnosis, I almost died five times," he said. "I knew that if I didn't find a treatment, that I wasn't gonna survive. And so that was just my only hope." Castleman puts the immune system in overdrive. Fajgenbaum figured an established transplant drug, which suppresses the immune system, might work, and it did. "Turning hope into action," he said. That's the theme of his book, "Chasing My Cure," A cure that came from an existing drug. CBS News Philadelphia. "It's so amazing to think that this drug was at my local CVS for all those years when I was in and out of the ICU, and no one knew to try it," said Fajgenbaum. "So I just keep thinking, how many more drugs that could treat more patients that are suffering from diseases?" Fajgenbaum and his team at Penn find new uses for existing medications, drug repurposing. "We've just uncovered time and time again that the solutions are out there. We just don't have anyone looking for these old solutions. Our medical system focuses on new drugs for profitable diseases. We want to focus on existing drugs for neglected diseases," Fajgenbaum said. He started a nonprofit called Every Cure, where they repurpose drugs with the help of artificial intelligence. Every Cure. "And over the last 11 years, we've identified and advanced 13 more repurposed treatments for diseases they weren't intended for," Fajgenbaum said. One is a vitamin derivative that can help some autistic children. "That's one of my favorite programs. We're advancing another one is with the numbing medicine, lidocaine," he said. That one is showing promise with breast cancer. His story and research has made headlines and now a movie is in the works. "The script is being written. I hear it's almost done, which is exciting. And then the next step is to identify the right lead actor," said Fajgenbaum. "My wife has ideas for people in mind. She would love Bradley Cooper to play me." Playing the real-life story of a lifesaver. As if he doesn't already have enough accolades, Fajgenbaum was also just recognized as one of Time's 100Health leaders.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
DEA Marijuana Hypocrisy On Full Display: Why are U.S. Cannabis Companies Exporting Illegally While MMJ BioPharma Is Stonewalled?
'The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is embroiled in a glaring contradiction: While federally compliant medical cannabis researchers like MMJ BioPharma Cultivation remain paralyzed by bureaucratic delays, U.S. recreational cannabis companies are openly exporting products, intellectual property and money to Europe -flouting federal law with no DEA intervention', stated Duane Boise, CEO MMJ. This double standard exposes a system prioritizing corporate profits over scientific progress and public health, undermining the DEA's mandate under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / May 28, 2025 / While federally compliant pharmaceutical cannabis researchers like MMJ BioPharma Cultivation remain blocked from growing marijuana for FDA-authorized clinical trials, U.S. recreational cannabis companies are quietly shipping marijuana products, IP, and profits across the Atlantic - with virtually no resistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This is not just a contradiction. It's a federal double standard that protects commercial profit over public health, sabotages scientific research, and undermines the DEA's credibility under the Controlled Substances Act. DEA Allows Illegal Cannabis Exports? According to a recent Forbes report, major U.S. cannabis companies - including Curaleaf, Cookies, and Active are aggressively expanding in Europe, despite marijuana remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. The DEA strictly prohibits interstate commerce and international export of THC-based cannabis without explicit DEA authorization. So how are these companies doing it? They exploit legal loopholes using foreign subsidiaries, licensing arrangements, and strategic partnerships, effectively laundering money and Schedule I products into global markets like Germany, Portugal, and the UK. Active, a U.S. vaporizer manufacturer, now derives over 5% of its revenue from European cannabis companies and expects to double that soon. And yet - no DEA raids, no shutdowns, no warning letters. MMJ BioPharma: Fully Compliant, Legally Paralyzed Contrast that with MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, which has: Since 2018, MMJ has been waiting for the DEA to issue a Schedule I bulk manufacturing registration to grow its research material. Instead of approval, MMJ received a legally and constitutionally defective Order to Show Cause, overseen by an ALJ whose appointment the DOJ itself has now conceded was unconstitutional. Why the delay? Because MMJ's business model doesn't align with recreational profits - it's built on scientific rigor, regulatory compliance, and public health impact. And in today's DEA, that seems to be a liability. Federal Dysfunction: Policy by Profit, Not by Science The DEA's inaction toward exporters and aggression toward MMJ reflects a broader bureaucratic rot. While state-licensed cannabis operators are treated as de facto legal - despite violating federal law daily - those seeking federal compliance for clinical research are punished with silence, obstruction, and delay. This is not enforcement. It's economic favoritism posing as policy. As Beau Whitney, founder of Whitney Economics, told Forbes: 'The U.S. market is state by state and dysfunctional… from an investment perspective, it's high risk, low return, which is upside down.' Will Terrance Cole Break the Cycle? Incoming DEA Administrator Terrance Cole inherits a mess: Cole's choice is simple: Time to Choose Between Cartels and Clinics MMJ BioPharma Cultivation has followed the law. It has built the infrastructure. It has earned FDA authorization. And yet, it is treated as an outsider by the very agency tasked with enabling lawful scientific research. Meanwhile, unlicensed exports are booming, and DEA looks the other way. If Terrance Cole DEA (administrator to be confirmed) and the Trump administration are serious about federal cannabis reform, medical research, and agency accountability, they must answer this question: Why is the DEA helping companies skirt the law overseas while blocking the one company that's trying to follow it at home? It's time to stop the DEA clown show, and let science lead. MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan. CONTACT: Madison Hisey [email protected] 203-231-8583 SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings press release
