EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

In a world-first, a team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, has successfully performed a coronary artery bypass — a normally open-heart surgery — without cutting the chest wall. The team employed a novel intervention to prevent the blockage of a vital coronary artery, which is a very rare but often lethal complication following a heart-valve replacement. The results suggest that, in the future, a less traumatic alternative to open-heart surgery could become widely available for those at risk of coronary artery obstruction.

Journal: Circulation

6-Jan-2026

UH pharmacy researcher receives $900,000 CPRIT grant to develop nanodrug that boosts immune system to fight cancer

University of Houston
Grant and Award Announcement

Accelerating advancements in cancer prevention and cures, a University of Houston pharmacologist has received a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to develop a drug that could offer lasting tumor control and improved survival for patients with pancreatic and lung cancers.

6-Jan-2026

American Pediatric Society announces Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as host institution for APS Howland Visiting Professor Program

Pediatric Academic Societies
Grant and Award Announcement

January 6, 2026 – The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce that Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has been selected as the host institution for the newly reinstated APS Howland Visiting Professor Program. This program serves as an extension of the prestigious APS John Howland Award, the highest honor bestowed by APS in recognition of distinguished leadership and contributions to academic pediatrics.

6-Jan-2026

New evidence reveals streptococcus anginosus drives gastric cancer development

BGI Genomics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A recent study published in the medical journal Gut has revealed a novel cancer-promoting mechanism of Streptococcus anginosus (Sa). The research shows that methionine metabolites produced by this bacterium can significantly contribute to the development of gastric cancer.

This finding deepens the understanding of the gut microbiome’s role in cancer and opens new paths for microbiota-targeted prevention strategies.

Journal: Gut

6-Jan-2026

Tethered UAV autonomous knotting on environmental structures for transport

Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research paper by scientists from Nanyang Technological University proposed a deployable cable-driven transport system, featuring a tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a winch mechanism and a modular knot planner to achieve autonomous knotting on environmental structures, addressing the challenge of flexible and reliable anchoring in unstructured environments.

The new research paper, published on Dec. 26 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, presented the development, validation, and optimization of the autonomous knotting system, demonstrating its shape-agnostic capability and practicality for heavy-load transport in complex, unprepared settings.