In a step forward for patient-centered cancer research, a new pilot project reveals that 84% of participants had a positive experience using a newly developed online tool created by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology called the Participant Engagement Portal (PEP). Alliance created PEP to foster direct connection between cancer researchers and the individuals who volunteer for clinical studies. The goal was to make it easier for patients and clinicians to share information, deliver trial updates, and self-report on social risk factors. The results of this national project are published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.  

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is proud to welcome six new registered dietitian nutritionists to the program of trained media experts who help translate nutrition science into clear, consumer-friendly information, including Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Dr. Jacob Mey. Dr. Mey is the first spokesperson from Pennington Biomedical and the only current Academy Spokesperson based in Louisiana.

New research on older Floridians reveals a striking disparity in melanoma outcomes. Men experience roughly twice as many melanoma-related deaths as women. Non-Hispanic and white populations also face higher rates of melanoma diagnosis and death than Hispanic groups. Researchers suggest differences likely reflect a combination of higher UV exposure, lower sun-protective behaviors and screening in men, disparities in access to care, and possible biological sex differences in immune response. The findings underscore an uneven burden and urgent need for targeted prevention and early detection.

A newly published peer-reviewed paper in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition synthesizes findings from a February 2025 scientific workshop.¹* The paper, authored by more than 20 international protein researchers, critically examines 11 widely held propositions about dietary protein needs and benefits and concludes that in some instances, the science is simply insufficient or not robust enough to interpret as support for select propositions.  

Funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking, a new €15.3 million project coordinated by Institut Pasteur brings together seven partners across four continents to advance clinical trials and prepare for the manufacturing of a chikungunya vaccine in Africa. 

Institut Pasteur is launching ACT-CHIK (Accelerating Clinical Trials for CHIKungunya Vaccine in Africa), a major four-year research project funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon Europe program. With €15.3 million in EU funding, ACT-CHIK will advance the clinical development of MV-CHIK — a measles-virus-based chikungunya vaccine originally developed at Institut Pasteur — through a large-scale Phase Ib/III clinical trial in four African countries, while preparing for technology transfer to an African vaccine manufacturer.

Extreme heat and cold are growing cardiovascular risks that can trigger heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and sudden cardiac death, according to a recent scientific statement by experts at Weill Cornell Medicine and other leading institutions. 

Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) have demonstrated that larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) are suitable as an alternative infection model for investigating the pathogenicity of bacteria on a larger scale. This could significantly reduce animal testing on mammals in the future. The results of the study were published in The Lancet Microbe.