EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health

In a study published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers developed a new approach that can isolate biomarkers released from glioblastoma tumor cells.

They showed that their method can be used to determine the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Department of Defence

18-Dec-2025

Children under 2 more likely to visit ED after virtual care visit than in-person visits

The Hospital for Sick Children
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While virtual care is appropriate for most children, a new study suggests young children with acute concerns may benefit from in‑person appointments with their primary care doctor.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

18-Dec-2025

JAX and NYSCF launch a new engine for biomedical discovery

Jackson Laboratory
Business Announcement

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) and the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today celebrated the official launch of their unified organization with a ribbon-tying ceremony at NYSCF’s Manhattan research facilities. This milestone marks a strategic acquisition designed to transform early-stage biomedical discovery and speed the path from biological insights to new therapies.

18-Dec-2025

Bird researchers use virtual reality to bring fieldwork experience to classroom

Penn State
Grant and Award Announcement

A flutter of blue and yellow darts through a field in late May. Trees, shrubs and summer flowers fill the landscape. A blue-winged warbler is just within reach, with one swift motion it can be gently grasped, banded and studied to understand the health and evolution of one of North America’s most colorful birds. A practice once reserved for scientists, this moment is now possible anywhere in the world thanks to a virtual reality experience developed by scientists at Penn State.

18-Dec-2025

New vaccine could be first to prevent deadly emerging tropical disease

Tulane University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Tulane University have developed the first vaccine shown to successfully protect nonhuman primates from melioidosis, a deadly tropical disease emerging as a global threat. The findings are a key step toward human clinical trials and preventing a bacterial infection that’s often resistant to treatment – and which public health experts see spreading to areas it was not previously found.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, National Institute of Health Tulane National Primate Research Center P51 Base Grant

18-Dec-2025

Latin American research indicates a lower prevalence of a type of head and neck cancer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

After analyzing over 1,400 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, the study found that more aggressive histopathological variants occur at a rate of 4.6%. Previous estimates pointed to a rate of up to 15%.

Journal: Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo