Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT / 5 a.m. ET Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 DALLAS, Oct. 20, 2025 — About 9 in 10 U.S. adults have not heard of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a newly defined health condition affecting nearly 90% of adults that includes heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity, according to a new survey from the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. However, many are interested in learning more about it. Nearly 90% of U.S. adults have at least ...

PITTSBURGH, October 20, 2025 — Doctors and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC have developed a new treatment for epilepsy patients who don’t respond to medication and aren’t candidates for surgery. Their approach, published today in Nature Communications, uses deep brain stimulation (DBS) that is tailored to each patient’s unique brain wiring. Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide, and about a third of those do not respond to medication. For some, seizures are generated in parts of the brain that control essential functions – speech, movement or vision – that can’t be safely removed. Brain ...

If you’ve ever added liquid to a hot frying pan, maybe you noticed how the droplets bubbled up and skittered across the sizzling surface, rather than immediately flattening and wetting. This happens because the pan’s heat starts boiling the undersides of the droplets, producing vapor that acts as an insulating cushion on which they can – momentarily – dance. Previously, scientists have produced a room-temperature version of this phenomenon – known as the Leidenfrost effect – ...

Note: Abstract #6267, titled ECOG-ACRIN EA6174: Surgically Treated Adjuvant Merkel Cell Carcinoma with Pembrolizumab, is scheduled to be presented during the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting on Monday, Oct. 20, at 2:30 a.m. ET in the Cologne Auditorium, Messe Berlin, Berlin. A drug that harnesses the immune system to attack cancer cells has proved successful in preventing a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer from spreading to other organs when given immediately after surgery, a new study shows. Led by researchers at NYU ...

A new cancer clinical trial by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) shows that a drug that utilizes the body’s immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells appeared to reduce the risk of distant metastases for an aggressive form of skin cancer when given immediately after surgery, but did not significantly reduce the overall risk of recurrence, which was a co-primary endpoint of the trial. The randomized phase 3 STAMP trial (EA6174) is the largest clinical study to date evaluating pembrolizumab, ...

New research reveals that the number and complexity of cancer clinical trials since 2001 have varied across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with economic growth contributing to disparities, but only to a certain extent. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Although LMICs are expected to experience the greatest global burden of cancer in the coming years, cancer clinical trials are disproportionally concentrated in high-income countries. Because evidence suggests that LMICs have increased the number of cancer clinical trials over the last few decades, researchers investigated disparities ...

In a recent study published today in the European Geosciences Union (EGU) journal Biogeosciences, scientists have confirmed that mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is contaminating food crops not through the soil, as previously believed, but directly from the air. Driven by the surging price of gold, which has increased by more than tenfold since 2000, the rapid expansion of unregulated mining in these regions raises urgent questions about food security, human health, and environmental justice The study, conducted by an international team of scientists led by Excellent ...

According to a recent study, 44% of people with chronic conditions who responded to a population-based survey experienced medication-related burden (MRB). The burden was most common among people with diabetes, heart disease, rheumatic disease or some other musculoskeletal disorder. The greatest burden was caused by factors associated with health care, such as fragmented care and the cost of medicines, as well as adverse drug reactions or concerns about them.  “Other factors linked with MRB were poor health status, limits on functional capacity and low income,” says Pharmacist and Doctoral Researcher Heidi Mikkola from the School of Pharmacy at the University of ...

Have you ever looked at two circles of exactly the same size and sworn one was larger? If so, your eyes have been tricked by the Ebbinghaus illusion, a classic example of how context can shape what we see. Place a circle among other smaller circles, and it seems bigger; place it among larger ones, and it shrinks before our eyes. This illusion fascinates psychologists because it reveals that perception is not a mirror of the outside world but a clever construction of the brain. But here is the question that inspired our study: do other animals fall for the same tricks? If a tiny fish or a bird perceives ...

Depression is a mental illness, and support for depression can improve emotions, thoughts, and well-being. A new guideline from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends that patients aged 18 and older talk to their health care providers about depression rather than undergo routine screening with standard tools, like questionnaires. The guideline is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250237. In Canada, depression is common, with about 1 in 10 people (without bipolar disorder) experiencing depression in their lifetimes. It negatively affects how a person ...

Philadelphia, October 20, 2025 – Peanuts represent one of the most common causes of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated, or anaphylactic, food allergies in children, yet a landmark study found that early introduction of peanut to infants may lower their risk of developing this allergy. Now, a new study from researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has shown that the rates of diagnosis of peanut and other IgE-mediated food allergies have declined since the adoption of guidelines encouraging early introduction practices. The findings, published today ...

VT3989 is a first-in-class YAP-TEAD inhibitor from Vivace Therapeutics that is currently in Phase I/II trials for patients with advanced solid tumors, with a focus on refractory mesothelioma In this trial, VT3989 demonstrated notable antitumor activity, with a disease control rate of 86% at the clinically optimized dosing levels These data provide the first clinical proof-of-concept for effectively drugging the Hippo-YAP-TEAD pathway VT3989 was awarded Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation for the treatment of mesothelioma by the FDA BERLIN, OCTOBER 19, 2025 ― The first-in-class YAP-TEAD inhibitor ...

Patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy drugs lived significantly longer than those who did not get the vaccine, researchers have found. The observation by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is a defining moment in a decade-plus of research testing mRNA-based therapeutics designed to “wake up” the immune system against cancer. Building on a previous UF study, the observation also marks a significant step toward a long-awaited universal cancer vaccine to ...

Cancer patients who received mRNA COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immunotherapy were twice as likely to be alive three years after treatment as those who never received a vaccine These findings have prompted a randomized Phase III trial to determine if mRNA COVID vaccines should be part of the standard of care for this type of therapy If validated, findings could significantly increase the number of patients who benefit from immunotherapy BERLIN, OCTOBER 19, 2025 ― Patients with cancer who received mRNA-based COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy were twice as likely to be alive three years after beginning ...

Men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery or radiation therapy may now benefit from a new drug combination shown in clinical trials to cut the risk of death by more than 40%. The combination therapy, which adds a drug called enzalutamide to commonly prescribed hormone therapy, reduced deaths in patients with recurrent prostate cancer after surgery or radiation for whom other treatments are no longer an option. The trial results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) with simultaneous presentation during the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO) Oct. 19 in Berlin. “After ...

BERLIN October 19, 2025 – Patients with an aggressive form of breast cancer who are not candidates for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with the antibody drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan compared to standard chemotherapy. These findings, which stem from the ASCENT-03 trial in triple-negative breast cancer co-led by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, are presented today at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 in Berlin, Germany. They are also published simultaneously in the New England Journal ...

BERLIN October 18, 2025 – Patients with estrogen-receptor-positive HER-2-negative advanced breast cancer showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with an oral combination regimen that includes giredestrant, a novel, next-generation selective estrogen receptor degrader and full antagonist, compared to a standard combination approach. These findings, from the phase 3 evERA Breast Cancer study, are presented today by Dr. Erica Mayer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Berlin, Germany. Tumors that express the estrogen receptor (ER) account for roughly 70% ...

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) are rare, hard-to-treat neuroendocrine tumors that form in the adrenal glands or in the extra-adrenal paraganglia Study found belzutifan shrank tumors and improved symptoms without surgery Belzutifan is the first oral and only FDA-approved treatment for patients with advanced, inoperable, or metastatic PPGL FDA granted approval for treating PPGL in May 2025 based on these trial results BERLIN, OCTOBER 18, 2025 – A multicenter Phase II clinical ...

Study found patients treated with combination of lenvatinib and everolimus lived longer without disease progression First head-to-head study comparing second-line treatments lenvatinib plus everolimus vs. cabozantinib Combination offers option for patients with metastatic clear-cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) who experience disease progression following first-line immunotherapy BERLIN, OCTOBER 18, 2025 ― Results from a trial led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that a targeted therapy combination improved outcomes for patients with metastatic clear-cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) – a type of kidney ...

Lugano/Berlin 18 October 2025 - In a landmark moment at the ESMO Congress 2025, pivotal studies have unveiled compelling evidence that a new class of anti-cancer agents—antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)—can dramatically improve outcomes for patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer.   The results from the phase III DESTINY-Breast05 and DESTINY-Breast11 trials, presented in a Presidential Symposium, mark a paradigm shift in breast cancer treatment, positioning ADCs not only as powerful therapeutic agents when the disease has already progressed but also as potential new standards of care in patients with early disease (1,2).    “There is ...

OCTOBER 2025 TIP SHEET (October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month) Breast Cancer Living Near Toxic Sites Linked to Aggressive Breast Cancer Women living near federally designated Superfund sites are more likely to develop aggressive breast cancer – including the hard-to-treat triple-negative subtype – according to new research from Sylvester. Three recent Sylvester studies have uncovered links between breast cancer, Superfund sites and social adversity. Superfund sites are locations contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as needing cleanup to minimize risks to human health and the environment. Sylvester ...

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of three new members to its board of directors: Hertz Fellow Kevin Bowers, chief science officer and head of research and development, Jump Trading; Sri Kosaraju, former chief executive officer, Inscripta; and Hertz Fellow Jordan Chetty, software engineer, Citadel, as an early-career member.  The new board members bring a remarkable breadth of experience and accomplishment across critical sectors, including national security, ...

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of Hertz Fellow Kevin Bowers to its board of directors. Bowers is chief science officer and head of research and development at Jump Trading, a proprietary global trading firm specializing in algorithmic and high-frequency trading strategies. Bowers earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Purdue University. He credits his Hertz Fellowship with helping him earn his Master of Science ...

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of Sri Kosaraju to its board of directors. Kosaraju is the former chief executive officer at Inscripta, and currently serves as audit chair and board member at 10x Genomics, supporting advancements in life science technology. He also sits on the board at Manus Bio, contributing to the acceleration of biologically produced alternatives. Previously he was a board member at Nevro until its acquisition by Globus. He also served as president and chief financial officer at Penumbra, Inc., and ...

The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced the election of Hertz Fellow Jordan Chetty to its board of directors as an early-career board member. Chetty earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he specialized in the fabrication of neural interfaces, devices that enable the study and modulation of brain activity. Driven by boundless curiosity, he has built a career that has so far ranged ...