From receptor mismatch to risky human-animal interfaces, this article explains why spillover is common but true pandemic emergence remains rare. Introduction Humans are constantly exposed to animal viruses through farming, wildlife contact, and the environment; however, most animal viruses never reach pandemic potential. Successful spillover events are uncommon, as viruses must navigate complex biological, [...]
A Stanford University team has shown that vascular organoids derived from human stem cells can repair the heart’s microvessel network in pigs with ischaemic heart disease – a proof-of-concept advancement that could open new therapeutic opportunities. Scientists have developed a potential new treatment for coronary artery disease that could help repair tiny blood vessels in [...]
Prevention is suddenly everywhere in NHS reform. The recent £340m community pharmacy deal is moving more services onto the high street. Community Diagnostic Centres are being expanded, and the Neighbourhood Health Framework sets out a clearer route towards more preventative, local care. The government’s NHS Modernisation Bill points in the same direction, with proposals [...]
Effective response depends on cooperation with communities and frontline workers, writes Zaeem ul Haq The current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda is exposing dangerous gaps in global health security. Experts warn that, amid the aid cuts and ongoing conflict in the region, the outbreak could become [...]
Scientists discovered that building a healthy brain involves an unexpected step: young neurons routinely break and rapidly repair their own DNA. As the brain develops, newly formed nerve cells must travel through tightly packed tissue to reach the locations where they will become part of the brain’s neural networks. That demanding journey turns out to [...]
Scientists found that one tiny genetic change may determine whether a bat virus stays in bats or becomes a human threat. Most infectious disease outbreaks begin when a virus or other pathogen crosses from animals into people. Many scientists believe that is how the COVID-19 pandemic began, with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, originating from a family of [...]
The world’s largest study of mole genetics identified hundreds of genes tied to melanoma risk, uncovering potential new drug targets and paving the way for more accurate melanoma screening and prevention. Researchers at QIMR Berghofer have identified hundreds of genes involved in the development of both moles and melanoma, a finding that could open [...]
An engineered stem cell therapy reversed new-onset Type 1 diabetes in mice by shifting the immune system away from attacking insulin-producing cells. For more than a century, people with Type 1 diabetes have relied on insulin to survive, but the treatment does not stop the immune system from continuing its attack on the body’s insulin-producing cells. [...]
Taking the world’s temperature on pressing health matters, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus provided the latest on current global challenges - and successes when it comes to international cooperation. “The outbreaks of hantavirus, Ebola and Marburg all show why there is no alternative to international cooperation in the face of international threats: no country alone can fight,” he said. [...]
Engineered tissue grafts could help perform key liver functions and benefit thousands of people living with liver failure. The liver is one of the body’s hardest-working organs, carrying out hundreds of vital jobs, from filtering toxins and metabolizing medications to producing proteins essential for blood clotting. Yet when it fails, the only definitive treatment [...]
