EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Jun-2026 10:16 ET (1-Jun-2026 14:16 GMT/UTC)

3-Feb-2026

Estimated effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccination against severe COVID-19

About The Study: This multicenter, case-control study found that the vaccine effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines was associated with protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and severe in-hospital outcomes and against multiple JN.1 descendants. Monitoring COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, including stratifying by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and spike protein mutations, remains important to guide COVID-19 vaccine composition and recommendations.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

3-Feb-2026

Socioeconomic status and postpartum depression risk by state trigger laws after dobbs

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cohort study, state-level abortion bans following Dobbs were associated with a disproportionate increase in the risk of postpartum depression among women and adolescents in low- socioeconomic status communities. These findings underscore the need for targeted mental health support and policy interventions to mitigate the unequal burden of such legislation on vulnerable populations.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

3-Feb-2026

UCalgary led study reveals a genetic factor behind who may and may not benefit from opioids prescribed for pain

University of Calgary
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A University of Calgary-led international research team has identified a genetic factor that may explain why people respond so differently to opioid pain medications, and why some individuals face greater risk of side effects including dependency.

The study, published in Neuron, involved researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), and provides new clinical insight that could lead to personalized strategies to optimize pain management.

Journal: Neuron
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

3-Feb-2026

Randy Davis, MBA, named President of Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Business Announcement

Randy Davis, MBA, will join Vanderbilt Health’s newly acquired hospital, Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital (VCH), as its first president according to an announcement today from Jane Freedman, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt Health.

3-Feb-2026

Illumina and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance partner to sequence the Frozen Zoo®, supporting critical conservation genetics efforts globally

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Business Announcement

Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced a sequencing agreement with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA)’s Frozen Zoo®. The 50-year-old biobank is the world’s most comprehensive and diverse collection of living cells from threatened and endangered species across the animal kingdom. Illumina will sequence up to 4,000 samples representing 1,300 species in the Frozen Zoo®. Genomic insights will be applied to real-world conservation challenges and efforts to safeguard animal species worldwide. A subset of samples will be used for groundbreaking multiomic research, geared toward unlocking vital insights into wildlife medicine, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity preservation.

3-Feb-2026

Protein identified as cause of skin damage after radiotherapy

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The protein Dickkopf 3 plays a key role in the development of radiation-induced fibroses – and could be a promising target for novel therapies.

Journal: Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

3-Feb-2026

New therapy could make life better for kidney transplant patients

University of California - San Francisco
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study offers hope that kidney transplant patients could one day have a monthly treatment instead of multiple pills every day. The new treatment also may reduce side effects and increase the lifespan of the donor organ.

Journal: American Journal of Transplantation

3-Feb-2026

Korea University College of Medicine Physician-Scientist Training Program hosts International Symposium and Inauguration Ceremony

Korea University College of Medicine
Business Announcement

Korea University College of Medicine (Dean Seong Bom Pyun) successfully hosted the inaugural Korea University Medical Scientist Training Program (KU-MSTP) International Symposium and Inauguration Ceremony on Friday, November 21, marking a significant milestone in nurturing future physician-scientist leaders who will shape the next generation of medicine. Through this event, the College formally launched a comprehensive physician-scientist training system that bridges basic science and clinical practice while significantly expanding its global research collaboration network.

3-Feb-2026

Insilico Medicine receives USD 5 million milestone payment from Menarini Group following First-in-Human (FIH) achievement for MEN2501

InSilico Medicine
Grant and Award Announcement

Followed by the development and regulatory milestone payment of USD 3 million in July 2025, Insilico received an additional milestone payment of USD 5 million from Menarini Group after first-in-patient dosing in a Phase 1 trial of MEN2501, highly differentiated small molecule KIF18A inhibitor in development for chromosomally unstable solid tumors designed using Insilico’s generative AI engine.