Bipolar disorder is a significant global health issue, affecting millions worldwide. To address the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches, it is important to deepen the understanding of its pathology. A group of researchers from the Juntendo University has demonstrated how alterations and abnormalities in the neurons of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus region of the brain are associated with bipolar disorder, offering a novel therapeutic and diagnostic approach.

Five new projects for the development of innovative health technologies have been funded by the European Research Council (ERC) at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) at its sites in Milan, Genoa and Naples. The announcement made today by the European body includes, among the 136 winners across Europe: Annamaria Petrozza and Mario Caironi in Milan, Alessandra Sciutti and Giuseppe Vicidomini in Genoa, and Velia Siciliano in Naples. The three female researchers and the two male researchers at IIT will receive Proof of Concept (PoC) grants of approximately €150,000 each, which will allow them to explore the commercial potential of their research. The fields of application include cancer, dyslexia and diagnostics.

Individuals with a birth weight of less than one kilogram have an increased risk of cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Nonetheless, they rate their quality of life as high as individuals with normal birth weight. This finding emerges from a new study of 201 adults who were born prematurely and followed from birth to the age of 26–29 in Sweden.

As an emerging branch of clinical medicine, microbiota medicine has attracted worldwide attention from clinicians, medical educators, patient communities, and industry. However, this developing field still lacks consensus on its fundamental principles as well as guidelines for clinical and educational practice. An expert panel was convened by the journal Microbiota Medicine Research at the 2025 CHINAGUT Conference to develop the principles and practice guidelines of microbiota medicine.

Neurologist Dr. Varun Venkataramani (36) from Heidelberg University Hospital will be awarded the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Early Career Award 2026, the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation announced today. The prizewinner has fundamentally expanded our understanding of glioblastomas – particularly malignant brain tumors. They arise from glial cells, whose task is to protect and nourish nerve cells. Venkataramani discovered that glioblastomas hijack the nervous system to tap into electrical signals, which they then use to accelerate their deadly growth. A drug to interrupt this electrical activity is already being tested on patients.

As an emerging branch of clinical medicine, microbiota medicine has attracted worldwide attention from clinicians, medical educators, patient communities, and industry. However, this developing field still lacks consensus on its fundamental principles as well as guidelines for clinical and educational practice. An expert panel was convened by the journal Microbiota Medicine Research at the 2025 CHINAGUT Conference to develop the principles and practice guidelines of microbiota medicine.