Know What's Happening in Healthcare
Know What's Happening in Healthcare
FDA approves KRESLADI, first CIRM‑backed gene‑editing therapy
The FDA cleared KRESLADI, a gene‑editing treatment from Rocket Pharmaceuticals for severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency‑I in children, eliminating the need for a bone‑marrow donor. It is the first product directly funded by California’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine to receive approval.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Syneron Bio raises $150M Series B
Physicians Di Micco and Siniscalchi commend the BLISS prognostic score, which estimates two‑year respiratory admissions for COPD patients in primary care. They argue that real‑world outcomes are heavily influenced by acute comorbidities such as pulmonary embolism, COVID‑19, and cancer, as well as frailty and socioeconomic challenges. The letter stresses that these factors can shift prognosis beyond the score’s original parameters, urging clinicians to view BLISS as one component of a broader risk assessment.
LinusBio has broadened its ClearStrand‑ASD hair‑based screening to children up to ten years old, extending beyond the original under‑48‑month validation. The test analyzes a single strand of hair with proprietary robotics and laser technology to detect metabolic patterns linked to...
Roche’s Genentech has halted the Phase III development of its muscle‑preserving therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). The decision follows disappointing efficacy signals and safety concerns that emerged in late‑stage trials. The program also included an...
NICE has agreed to revisit its June 2025 rejection of Eli Lilly’s Kisunla (donanemab) and Eisai’s Leqembi (lecanemab) for NHS reimbursement. The appeal will send the dossiers back to the appraisal committee to re‑examine clinical benefits, long‑term data, infusion costs and unpaid...
The UK Covid Inquiry’s Module 3 report, released on 19 March 2026, concluded that the "Stay Home, Protect the NHS" slogan likely discouraged people from seeking urgent medical care, contributing to avoidable non‑COVID deaths. The inquiry highlighted a sharp drop in A&E attendances,...
CNBC Cures, launched on Jan 8, 2026 by "Squawk Box" co‑host Becky Quick, is the network’s dedicated platform for rare‑disease awareness. Within two months it has produced a weekly newsletter, a podcast series, a live summit, and a prime‑time documentary titled “CNBC...
San Diego’s Rady Children’s Hospital halted gender‑affirming care for patients under 19, prompting four family lawsuits and a California Attorney General suit alleging breach of a 2034 merger agreement. The move adds to a wave of federal and state actions,...
Population health analytics using the Johns Hopkins ACG® System are now embedded across nearly 9 million NHS patients, roughly one in six people in England, via Graphnet Health platforms. This shift moves analytics from planning to routine operational use across Integrated...
Johns Hopkins researchers introduced the Epigenetic Instability Index (EII), a metric that quantifies DNA methylation variability to enhance liquid biopsy performance. In a proof‑of‑concept study of over 2,000 methylation samples, the EII model identified 269 CpG islands and achieved high...
In this episode, John Driscoll chats with Lekan Wang, a partner at AI‑first venture fund JSL Health Capital, about the evolution of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Wang traces his journey from early work at Palantir integrating disparate health data for...
New Castle County EMS has transformed a retired frontline ambulance into a dedicated mobile community outreach vehicle. The repurposed truck now houses tables, tents, CPR mannequins and informational materials, allowing the outreach team to drive straight to events without additional...
The letter honors Tessa Richards for reshaping the BMJ’s approach to patient involvement, turning the journal into a global exemplar of patient partnership. Her early advocacy led to patient editors, peer reviewers, and mandatory PPI statements becoming integral to BMJ’s...
Shionogi announced the first patient enrollment in its global Phase II Esprit trial, evaluating the oral substrate‑reduction therapy S‑606001 in adults with late‑onset Pompe disease. The 52‑week, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study will run across the EU, the UK and the United States,...
After the federal enhanced ACA subsidies expired, New Mexico became the only state to replace them with state‑funded assistance. The move averted an estimated 27,000 residents losing coverage and added roughly 10,000 new enrollees, setting a record for the state...
Researchers at Technion’s Levenberg Laboratory have created a first‑of‑its‑kind three‑dimensional implant that merges muscle, fat, a hierarchical blood vessel network and, uniquely, a lymphatic system. The construct is printed with a custom extracellular‑matrix bio‑ink and matured in a flow‑controlled bioreactor....
The National Institutes of Health has seen roughly 20% of its workforce depart during President Trump’s second term, driven by budget cuts and a politically charged environment. Former NIH scientists warn that this exodus—often called a brain drain—could curtail breakthrough...
Psychedelic research has surged, but recent psilocybin trials reveal modest benefits that fail to outpace placebo. A German study with 144 treatment‑resistant depression patients found no statistically significant advantage for high‑dose psilocybin. An open‑label review of 24 trials concluded psychedelics...
Healthcare e‑commerce is expanding rapidly, but its transactions must juggle payment security, regulatory compliance, prescription verification, and complex logistics. The article outlines eight strategic pillars—including PCI DSS‑compliant checkout, end‑to‑end encryption, AI‑driven order validation, cold‑chain shipping, and seamless EHR integration—to create...
PocDoc and The Brooke Surgery in Hyde have launched a week‑long mass cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening program in Greater Manchester, deploying a mobile Neighbourhood Testing Bus to reach 1,000 patients between 2‑9 March. The region records the highest CVD death...
The article underscores that measles remains deadly despite overall vaccine success, citing recent tragedies—including a child who died from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and another who suffered severe encephalitis. It highlights how unvaccinated or under‑vaccinated children, as well as those with...
Asda Pharmacy is providing the meningitis B (MenB) vaccine at cost price—£75 per dose or £150 for the two‑dose course—until 30 April, a steep discount from the usual £179.96. The rollout covers all 242 Asda pharmacies across the UK and prioritises vulnerable...
XCath is integrating NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare into its autonomous telerobotic endovascular platform, creating digital twins of the robot, treatment devices, and patient vasculature. The digital‑twin rehearsal lets surgeons practice on a patient‑specific 3‑D model before the actual mechanical thrombectomy,...
Kéré Architecture is designing a 3,000 m² healthcare centre in Burundi’s Bubanza region, using ten pavilions that follow the hillside terrain. The clinic, commissioned by NGO Ineza Clinic, focuses on maternity and specialized surgical care and relies on locally sourced clay...
FINCH, a feasibility trial of an advanced crisis‑planning intervention, recruited 80 detained patients across three NHS trusts and met its recruitment and diversity targets within nine months. Participants received ongoing, clinician‑facilitated planning, though only two‑thirds achieved the minimum dose due...
Health systems are turning to outsourced tech support to boost patient portal adoption, as only 15%‑30% of patients currently use portal features. The primary barrier is not the technology but the lack of accessible, multilingual assistance for diverse patient populations....
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Claire Calderwood, an academic respiratory physician, argues for integrated health screening to combat tuberculosis. She highlights that respiratory disease prevention is intertwined with social and structural determinants of health. Calderwood’s work bridges clinical practice in the UK with research collaborations...
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High fluid intake remains the cornerstone for preventing kidney stones, yet patient adherence is consistently low. Systematic reviews and a recent 2026 randomized trial confirm that adequate hydration reduces stone recurrence, but practical, behavioral, and environmental barriers limit real‑world effectiveness....
UCLA interventional radiologist Edward Lee performed the first percutaneous spleno‑renal shunt on a 6‑year‑old boy suffering severe portal hypertension. The minimally invasive procedure relieved the child’s blocked portal vein, stopping recurrent bleeding episodes that had threatened his life. Lee’s success...
A large U.S. cohort study using the All of Us Research Program found that people with type 1 diabetes are nearly three times as likely to develop dementia, while those with type 2 diabetes face about double the risk compared with non‑diabetics....
The National Institutes of Health announced a $150 million investment in the new Complement‑ARIE program to develop and standardize human‑focused research tools, known as new approach methodologies (NAMs). The initiative will fund technology development centers, a data hub, and a validation...
Tom Grice and Sharon Tyrell discuss the upcoming Joint Commission Accreditation 360 (A360) that takes effect on January 1, 2026, outlining its consolidation of the Environment of Care and Life Safety chapters into a single Physical Environment chapter and the...
Kaufman Hall’s January 2026 National Hospital Flash Report shows a sharp contraction in profitability, with the median operating margin falling to 2.1% from 4.9% a month earlier. Patient volumes slipped in both inpatient and outpatient settings, while labor expenses surged...
Some experts do not think OpenClaw is relevant to AI in healthcare. They are wrong. OpenClaw represents us phase shifting in the way we relate to AI systems again. We are moving past promting a chatbot to ask a question so...
Researchers from UCLA, Stanford, Utah, and Columbia have engineered T cell receptors to strengthen catch‑bond interactions with prostate cancer antigens, improving cytotoxic function. By altering just one or two amino acids in the TCR, the modified cells exhibit longer bond...
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 has been enacted, establishing training‑place priority based on where doctors studied rather than citizenship. In 2025, 25,257 overseas‑trained doctors competed with 15,723 UK‑trained doctors for just 12,833 posts, highlighting a strained recruitment pipeline. The...
An outspoken CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) member claimed Thursday that the vaccine advisory group had been disbanded. The CDC quickly refuted the allegation, confirming that ACIP remains fully operational and continues its role in shaping U.S. immunization...
If you've had a kidney stone, you've been advised that the most important thing to prevent another bout is to increase hydration. Now a randomized trial of hydration in over 1600 participants showed no benefit, despite evidence of increase...
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Claustrophobia can deter patients from essential imaging such as MRI, CT, PET, and bone scans, risking delayed diagnoses. The article outlines how fear arises from enclosed machines, loud noises, and restraints, and details treatment options including medication, psychotherapy, and exposure...
Scientists at University College London have engineered bio‑grown oesophageal segments using patient‑derived stem cells and implanted them into minipigs, restoring normal swallowing. The grafts were seeded onto decellularized scaffolds, covered with a biodegradable mesh, and integrated functional muscle, nerves, and...
Boston Scientific's Accolade pacemaker battery defect, known internally for years, has caused multiple patient deaths, including 93‑year‑old Gladys Knepper in 2024. Internal records and FDA inspections reveal that failing batteries were identified as early as 2018, with test units from...
New research presented at the American Heart Association’s EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions 2026 shows that waist‑circumference and other measures of central obesity are stronger predictors of heart failure than body‑mass index, even among individuals with normal BMI. In a cohort of...
Around 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental‑health clinicians walked off the job in Northern California, protesting what they describe as a looming shift toward artificial‑intelligence‑driven therapy. The strike coincided with a one‑day walkout by more than 23,000 Kaiser nurses, highlighting broader workforce...
Katie Jacobs Stanton, former Yahoo, Google and Twitter executive, transitioned into healthcare investing after a stint as CMO at Color Genomics. In 2019 she founded Moxxie Ventures, focusing on early‑stage AI‑driven health companies such as Dandelion Health, Pharos Health, Luminai...
PreSeed Fertility launched a recruitment and matching platform to address the stark gap between the over 100,000 U.S. families searching for sperm donors and the roughly 1,500 donors currently registered. The service pairs families with a concierge specialist and provides...
A lawsuit alleges Google disseminated inaccurate crowdsourced medical advice at scale, prompting scrutiny from Texas officials and raising potential political fallout. Concurrently, the Fischman v. Epic Systems case highlights concerns over electronic health‑record (EHR) data handling and possible discovery tactics...
Former Grady Health System president and CEO John Haupert announced his retirement at the end of 2026, moving into an advisory role in 2027. Haupert, who has led Grady since 2011 and chaired the American Hospital Association in 2023, will be...
A new peer‑reviewed study estimates that more than 155,000 COVID‑19 deaths were missed in the United States during the pandemic’s first year. By merging state mortality records with excess‑death statistical models, researchers identified a sizable gap between official death certificates...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has opened a public comment period, ending May 11, on proposed revisions to data reporting requirements for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D sponsors. The updates, intended for contract year 2027, clarify...
The authors propose a three‑level framework for psychiatric care that integrates biological, psychosocial, and moral‑existential interventions. Biological treatment with medication corrects neurochemical disruptions, while psychotherapy addresses social and psychological stressors. The moral‑existential layer, delivered through the therapeutic relationship, fosters meaning,...
Emergency physician Graham Walker, MD shares the most bizarre story from his 20 years in the ER. The mystery? A 9-year-old bullet. This week on Lifers with @chrissyfarr
