Tag

Precision Medicine

All articles tagged with #precision medicine

science1 month ago•8 min saved

Two Brain Signatures Divide Autism Into Distinct Subtypes

A large international study analyzed brain connectivity in about 940 autistic individuals and over 1,000 neurotypical controls, plus mouse models, and found two reproducible autism subtypes: a hyperconnectivity subtype with stronger inter-regional brain communication linked to immune-related pathways, and a hypoconnectivity subtype with reduced communication linked to synaptic pathways. Together these subtypes account for roughly 25% of autism cases and provide a biology-based framework for precision, personalized approaches to care.

via SciTechDaily|

#autism #brain-connectivity #fmri

health1 month ago•8 min saved

Smart drugs and precision medicine reshape cancer care at ASCO 2026

At ASCO 2026, researchers showcased ‘smart’ drugs that lift cancer cells’ invisibility cloaks to boost immunotherapy, with GRWD5769 plus cemiplimab shrinking tumors across several cancer types; other agents like ivonescimab and ozekibart show promise. A daily pill, daraxonrasib, doubled survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer, and mezigdomide added to therapy extended progression-free survival in multiple myeloma. A genomic test could allow many breast cancer patients to skip chemotherapy, while durvalumab added to chemoradiation may spare bladder-sparing surgery. Yet the Galleri multi-cancer test failed to reduce late-stage diagnoses, and rising incidence plus a looming cancer-care workforce gap stress health systems. Lifestyle changes such as better sleep and yoga may also improve outcomes for patients and survivors.

via The Guardian|

#asco #cancer #health

health1 month ago•39 min saved

Precision drugs extend cancer survival, turning it into a chronic condition

Advances in targeted therapies and precision medicine are enabling more people to live with cancer longer, shifting the disease from an imminent death sentence to a chronic condition for many patients. While survival improves across cancers, the era of targeted drugs also highlights ongoing challenges around access, affordability, and managing long-term treatment effects.

via Yahoo|

#cancer #health #healthcare-access

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Living Location Alters Aging Pace, Global Study Finds

A world-spanning study profiled 322 people from Europe, East Asia, and South Asia, analyzing DNA, proteins, fats, gut bacteria, immune markers, and metabolites. It found that ancestry provides a baseline for immunity, metabolism, and the microbiome, but where people live also reshapes aging trajectories—different populations show distinct aging patterns when relocated. East Asians outside their region aged biologically faster; Europeans aged more in Europe; gut microbes linked to sphingolipids were tied to telomere maintenance. The work underscores that precision medicine must account for both genetics and environment, and is published in Cell (2026).

via ScienceAlert|

#aging #environment #genetics

health2 months ago•7 min saved

Low-Dose Aspirin May Lower Colorectal Cancer Recurrence in Genetically Defined Patients

In the ALASCCA randomized trial across 33 hospitals, daily 160 mg aspirin after colorectal cancer surgery reduced recurrence by about half for patients with PI3K pathway mutations or related alterations (7.7% vs 14.1% and 7.7% vs 16.8%), with improved 3-year disease-free survival (~89% vs 79–81%), but higher severe side effects (16.8% vs 11.6%), suggesting a low-cost, genetics-driven post-surgical option pending guidelines.

via SciTechDaily|

#aspirin #clinical-trial #colorectal-cancer

health3 months ago•2 min saved

AI maps bowel cancer genetics to predict bevacizumab response

Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research and RCSI used PhenMap, an AI tool, to analyze tumour genetics in 117 European advanced bowel cancer patients treated with bevacizumab, identifying patterns that predict non-response and potentially sparing thousands from ineffective treatment and side effects; the team plans to broaden testing and validate the approach for broader clinical use.

via The Guardian|

#ai #bevacizumab #bowel-cancer

health3 months ago•4 min saved

Genes influence GLP-1 weight-loss drug responses and side effects

Genetic differences, including a GLP1R variant and a GIPR variant, modestly affect how much weight people lose and their risk of nausea on GLP-1 obesity drugs; the weight-loss difference is small—about 1.7 lb more at eight months for one copy and ~3.3 lb for two copies. A GIPR variant was linked to higher nausea with tirzepatide. Separately, higher GLP-1 doses may confer cardiovascular benefits that seem independent of weight loss, suggesting dosing could optimize heart outcomes; tissue data indicate potential direct cardiac effects, warranting further study.

via Reuters|

#genetics #glp-1 #health

health3 months ago•6 min saved

DNA Clues Shed Light on Why GLP-1 Weight-Loss Varies

A large 23andMe GWAS of 27,885 GLP-1 med users links variants in GLP1R and GIPR to both weight-loss efficacy and nausea risk. A GLP1R missense variant (rs10305420) is associated with about 0.76 kg more weight loss per allele, while GIPR variants predict nausea specifically for tirzepatide (Zepbound/Mounjaro) but not semaglutide. 23andMe’s Total Health service now offers an interactive tool to estimate individual weight loss (roughly 6–20% of starting weight) and side-effect risk, moving toward precision obesity care where genetics is one piece of the puzzle though not the sole determinant.

via Neuroscience News|

#genetics #glp-1 #health

science3 months ago•8 min saved

Zebrafish Drug Screen Targets Autism Genes, Spotlighting Levocarnitine

Yale researchers used larval zebrafish to map how 774 FDA-approved drugs affect behaviors tied to autism-risk genes, building an open database of 520 compounds and identifying levocarnitine as a top rescuer for SCN2A and DYRK1A mutations; they validated the effect in human stem-cell–derived neurons, laying groundwork for precision, gene-targeted drug discovery in autism.

via Neuroscience News|

#autism #drug-repurposing #levocarnitine

health3 months ago•4 min saved

Two Gene Variants Linked to Different Weight-Loss Responses on Obesity Drugs

A Nature study of about 15,000 people using obesity drugs (Wegovy and Mounjaro) finds that certain genetic variants influence weight loss. One variant, especially in two copies, is associated with more weight loss; another variant may raise the risk of nausea. On average, participants lost 11.7% of body weight over eight months, with some achieving as much as 30%. Differences by sex, age, and ancestry, plus drug type, dose, duration and lifestyle, also shape outcomes. While promising for tailoring treatment, these findings are early and not yet practice-changing; further trials are needed to guide precision medicine in obesity care.

via BBC|

#genetics #health #obesity

neuroscience4 months ago•26 min saved

Two Brain Subtypes in ADHD Hint at Personalized Treatments

A study using structural MRI and machine learning identifies two distinct physical subtypes of ADHD. Subtype 1 shows increased gray matter in the frontal regions and cerebellum, linked to severe inattention; Subtype 2 shows widespread gray matter reductions in the cerebellum, frontal regions, and hippocampus, tied to higher overall severity and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Through a pseudo-time-series analysis and causal-network mapping, researchers reveal subtype-specific brain–behavior progression patterns, suggesting potential for personalized diagnosis and treatment, though longitudinal studies are needed to confirm progression and acknowledge cross-sectional design limitations.

via PsyPost|

#adhd #brain-subtypes #gray-matter

health4 months ago•5 min saved

Colorado man first in state to receive pioneering pancreatic cancer drug

A Lafayette father with stage 4 pancreatic cancer is the first patient in Colorado to receive Zenocutuzumab, a newly FDA-approved targeted therapy that targets the tumor's NRG1 gene fusion after chemotherapy stopped working; since starting the drug, he has shown a dramatic response and improved quality of life, illustrating a broader shift toward precision medicine in pancreatic cancer that could extend survival for some patients.

via 9News|

#health #nrg1-gene-fusion #pancreatic-cancer

technology4 months ago•5 min saved

Lab-Born Heart-on-a-Chip Brings Personalised Cardiac Care Closer

Researchers created a 3D heart-on-a-chip with dual high-resolution sensors that monitor tissue-level and cell-level activity in real time, enabling more accurate drug screening and paving the way for patient-specific cardiac therapies using a person’s own cells.

via ScienceAlert|

#cardiac-tissue-engineering #heart-on-a-chip #in-vitro-testing

health5 months ago•3 min saved

NHS launches national cancer-gene register to flag inherited risk and speed up screening

A new NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Register will compile data from about 120 cancer-related genes to identify individuals and families at higher cancer risk, enabling earlier screening, tailored prevention and treatment options, and faster detection as part of a 10-year plan—with strict confidentiality and integration of existing genetic tests into a single, centralized resource.

via BBC|

#cancer #genetics #health

health5 months ago•3 min saved

Blood test flags effective breast cancer therapies before treatment starts

A London study shows a simple liquid biopsy measuring circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in advanced breast cancer can predict treatment response before starting therapy and after one cycle. In 167 patients, lower ctDNA levels were associated with better outcomes, suggesting this test could guide personalized treatment and spare ineffective drugs, with trials exploring adaptive strategies and newer therapies.

via The Guardian|

#breast-cancer #circulating-tumour-dna #ctdna