All articles tagged with #acromegaly
Vertex Pharmaceuticals will spend $10 billion to acquire Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, picking up Crinetics’ approved drug Palsonify for acromegaly and additional late-stage candidates, including a therapy for congenital adrenal hyperplasia; Crinetics stock surged after hours, and the deal stands as Vertex’s largest acquisition amid a biotech M&A boom.
Japanese researchers trained a modified ResNet-50 AI on more than 11,000 dorsal-hand and clenched-fist images from 716 patients across 15 facilities to diagnose acromegaly, achieving 89% sensitivity, 91% specificity, and an AUC of 0.96, outperforming 10 board-certified endocrinologists; the model employs privacy-by-design by excluding facial data, aiming for deployment in public health settings, though external validation and generalizability beyond Japanese patients remain to be shown.
Researchers trained a neural network on over 11,000 images of the back of the hand and clenched fists from 725 participants to diagnose acromegaly, achieving a positive predictive value of 0.88 and a negative predictive value of 0.93, and even outperforming endocrinology specialists in the same task. The approach offers privacy advantages over face-based methods and could speed screening, but it won’t replace clinicians; further validation in larger, diverse populations and exploration of other hand-related conditions are planned.
Kobe University researchers developed a privacy-first AI that detects acromegaly using only pictures of the back of the hand and a clenched fist, avoiding facial data. Trained on over 11,000 images from 725 patients across 15 centers in Japan, the model achieved high sensitivity and specificity and outperformed experienced endocrinologists, potentially speeding referrals and reducing healthcare disparities. The team plans to expand to other hand-visible conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and anemia.
Shari Dawson discovered she had a hidden tumor after noticing changes in her jaw and experiencing various health issues. It took almost a decade for her to be diagnosed with acromegaly, a rare condition caused by a pituitary tumor. Despite undergoing surgery and medication, she still faces challenges, including fertility issues. Now the general manager of the Australian Pituitary Foundation, she aims to raise awareness about the condition to help others receive earlier diagnoses and treatment.
Adam Rainer, born in 1899, is the only person in recorded history to have been classified both as a dwarf and a giant. Standing at 4'10" in early adulthood, he began to grow rapidly at age 21 due to acromegaly caused by a pituitary tumor, eventually reaching 7'8". Despite surgery to remove the tumor, his growth continued, leading to severe health issues. Rainer passed away in 1950 at the age of 51, his life marked by his unique medical condition.
Crinetics Pharmaceuticals' experimental drug for acromegaly, a rare hormonal disorder, has shown success in a late-stage trial, with 25 out of 30 patients given the drug achieving normal growth-factor levels compared to just 1 out of 28 participants who took the placebo. The company plans to file for FDA approval pending positive results from a second Phase 3 trial. However, if approved, Crinetics would face tough competition from existing blockbuster therapies sold by pharmaceutical giants in the crowded market.