Day: July 21, 2025

Categories : Cancer VaccinesTags :

A Surprise One-two Punch for a Universal Cancer Vaccine

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Raghavendra V Konkathi on Unsplash

An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumour-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to “wake up” the immune system against cancer.

Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the University of Florida study showed that like a one-two punch, pairing the test vaccine with common anticancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors triggered a strong antitumor response.

A surprising element, researchers said, was that they achieved the promising results not by attacking a specific target protein expressed in the tumour, but by simply revving up the immune system — spurring it to respond as if fighting a virus. They did this by stimulating the expression of a protein called PD-L1 inside of tumours, making them more receptive to treatment. The research was supported by multiple federal agencies and foundations, including the National Institutes of Health.

Senior author Elias Sayour, MD, PhD, a UF Health paediatric oncologist, said the results reveal a potential new treatment path with broad implications for battling many types of treatment-resistant tumours.

“This paper describes a very unexpected and exciting observation: that even a vaccine not specific to any particular tumour or virus — so long as it is an mRNA vaccine — could lead to tumour-specific effects,” said Sayour, principal investigator at the RNA Engineering Laboratory within UF’s Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy.

“This finding is a proof of concept that these vaccines potentially could be commercialised as universal cancer vaccines to sensitise the immune system against a patient’s individual tumour,” said Sayour, a McKnight Brain Institute investigator and co-leader of a program in immuno-oncology and microbiome research.

Until now, there have been two main ideas in cancer-vaccine development: To find a specific target expressed in many people with cancer, or to tailor a vaccine that is specific to targets expressed within a patient’s own cancer.

“This study suggests a third emerging paradigm,” said Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the paper. “What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anticancer reaction. And so this has significant potential to be broadly used across cancer patients — even possibly leading us to an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine.”

For more than eight years, Sayour has pioneered high-tech anticancer vaccines by combining lipid nanoparticles and mRNA. Short for messenger RNA, mRNA is found inside every cell — including tumor cells — and serves as a blueprint for protein production.

This new study builds upon a breakthrough last year by Sayour’s lab: In a first-ever human clinical trial, an mRNA vaccine quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. Among the most impressive findings in the four-patient trial was how quickly the new method — which used a “specific” or personalized vaccine made using a patient’s own tumor cells — spurred a vigorous immune-system response to reject the tumor.

In the latest study, Sayour’s research team adapted their technology to test a “generalized” mRNA vaccine — meaning it was not aimed at a specific virus or mutated cells of cancer but engineered simply to prompt a strong immune system response. The mRNA formulation was made similarly to the COVID-19 vaccines, rooted in similar technology, but wasn’t aimed directly at the well-known spike protein of COVID.

In mouse models of melanoma, the team saw promising results in normally treatment-resistant tumors when combining the mRNA formulation with a common immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor, a type of monoclonal antibody that attempts to “educate” the immune system that a tumor is foreign, said Sayour, a professor in UF’s Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Pediatrics in the UF College of Medicine.

Taking the research a step further, in mouse models of skin, bone and brain cancers, the investigators found beneficial effects when testing a different mRNA formulation as a solo treatment. In some models, the tumors were eliminated entirely.

Sayour and colleagues observed that using an mRNA vaccine to activate immune responses seemingly unrelated to cancer could prompt T cells that weren’t working before to actually multiply and kill the cancer if the response spurred by the vaccine is strong enough.

Taken together, the study’s implications are striking, said Mitchell. “It could potentially be a universal way of waking up a patient’s own immune response to cancer,” Mitchell said. “And that would be profound if generalisable to human studies.”

The results, he said, show potential for a universal cancer vaccine that could activate the immune system and prime it to work in tandem with checkpoint inhibitor drugs to seize upon cancer—or in some cases, even work on its own to kill cancer.

The research team is now working to improve current formulations and move to human clinical trials as rapidly as possible.

Source: University of Florida Health

Categories : General InterestTags :

New Research Shines a Light into Dark Ages Medicine

On By ModernMedia
Medieval manuscripts like the Cotton MS Vitellius C III highlight uses for herbs that reflect modern-day wellness trends. Image Credit: The British Library.

A new international research project has shown that Europe in the Dark Ages wasn’t in the dark when it came to medicine. The research, featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York reveals that people were developing health practices based on the best knowledge they had at the time – some of which mirror modern wellness trends.

“People were engaging with medicine on a much broader scale than had previously been thought,” said Meg Leja, an associate professor of history at Binghamton University who specialises in the political and cultural history of late antique and medieval Europe. “They were concerned about cures, they wanted to observe the natural world and jot down bits of information wherever they could in this period known as the ‘Dark Ages.’”

The Corpus of Early Medieval Latin Medicine (CEMLM), funded by the British Academy, has collected hundreds of medieval manuscripts containing medical material predating the 11th century. Countless manuscripts that have been left out of previous catalogs were included, nearly doubling the number of known medical manuscripts from the Dark Ages.

Some of the recipes resemble health hacks promoted by modern-day influencers, from topical ointments to detox cleanses. Have a headache? Crush the stone of a peach, mix it with rose oil and smear it on your forehead. It might sound odd, but one study published in 2017 showed that rose oil may actually help alleviate migraine pain.

Then there’s lizard shampoo, where you take pieces of lizard to help your hair become more luscious and flowing – or even to remove it, a modern-day parallel to waxing.

“A lot of things that you see in these manuscripts are actually being promoted online currently as alternative medicine, but they have been around for thousands of years,” said Leja.

Leja spent the last two years with the rest of the team preparing the new catalogue (which was just released online), reviewing manuscripts from throughout Europe, and editing and formatting the catalog. She had previously written about medieval medicine in her first book, Embodying the Soul: Medicine and Religion in Carolingian Europe.

Many of the writings were found within the margins of books totally unrelated to medicine—manuscripts on grammar, theology, poetry , etc. Leja said that this speaks to a preoccupation with the body’s health and figuring out ways to control it.

“It’s true that we do lack a lot of sources for the period. In that sense, it is ‘dark.’ But not in terms of any kind of ‘anti-science’ attitudes—people in the early Middle Ages were quite into science, into observation, into figuring out the utility of different natural substances, and trying to identify patterns and make predictions” said Leja.

The research team will continue to update the catalogue with new manuscripts and are working on new editions and translations of medical texts that could be used in teaching. Leja noted that while previously catalogues focused on texts from well-known authorities like Hippocrates, this isn’t necessarily material that people in the Dark Ages would have prioritised, and a more comprehensive catalogue will allow historians to show medicine in its fullness.

The Corpus of Early Medieval Latin Medicine (CEMLM) is available online, produced by team members from Binghamton, Fordham, St. Andrews, Utrecht, and Oslo.

Source: Binghamton University

Categories : Ageing Mental HealthTags :

Music May Reduce Distress for Dementia Patients

On By ModernMedia

Research finds music therapy could be used on NHS wards as an alternative to medication

Photo by Sergio Capuzzimati on Unsplash

A new treatment that uses music therapy on dementia wards could improve care and support for some of the NHS’s most vulnerable patients.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust have piloted a music therapy approach called MELODIC, across two NHS dementia wards.

More alternatives to psychotropic medication are needed to support dementia patients who experience severe distress.

The pilot study involved a music therapist being embedded on hospital wards, the delivery of clinical music sessions and the implementation of musical care plans for each patient, and results from the research have been published in Frontiers of Psychiatry.

Music therapy, delivered by trained therapists, can include singing, playing or listening to music. The therapist can also identify specific ways that music can be used by families and carers in an individual’s daily care routine.

During the study, patient data suggested a slight improvement in quality-of-life scores among patients and a reduction in the severity of distress symptoms and disruptiveness, although agitation scores increased slightly.

There were no increases in routinely reported incidents, and no adverse events related to music therapy interventions were reported. This is relevant for future research on mental health dementia wards where limited studies have been conducted to date.

“People with dementia on inpatient mental health wards are often experiencing very high levels of distress, and staff are under immense pressure to manage this in ways that are safe and compassionate.

“Our study yielded promising results and importantly showed that the MELODIC tool can be used effectively in these highly complex settings, giving an alternative option to current ways of managing severe distress, such as psychotropic medication.”Lead author Naomi Thompson, a researcher at ARU’s Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research

The approach was shaped by interviews with 49 healthcare professionals, patients, and their families about their experiences managing distress on dementia wards and using music in everyday care and life to help develop the intervention. Results were published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Importantly, the intervention, co-designed by clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience, cost just £2025 per month for the therapist and £400 initial outlay for equipment, suggesting a low-cost, scalable model.

“Some people with dementia can get so confused and distressed that we need to admit them to hospital to keep them safe. It can be difficult to manage distress in a ward environment and hard for patients, families and staff.

“I am very excited that it may now be possible for NHS staff to improve their experience on dementia wards using the power of music, and we look forward to working with ARU to develop this further.”

Dr Ben Underwood, Research and Development Director and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at CPFT

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

Categories : ExerciseTags :

Yoga, Tai Chi, Walking and Jogging Are Best Exercises for Insomnia

On By ModernMedia

Findings back use of exercise as primary treatment strategy for poor sleep, say researchers

Photo by Mikhail Nilov

Yoga, Tai Chi, walking and jogging may be the best forms of exercise to improve sleep quality and ease insomnia, suggest the findings of a comparative pooled data analysis published in the online journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

The findings back the use of exercise as a primary treatment strategy for poor sleep patterns, say the researchers.

Characterised by difficulties falling and staying asleep, and early morning awakening, the prevalence of insomnia ranges from 4-22%, note the researchers. It is associated with heightened risks of various mental and physical health conditions, including dementia and cardiovascular disease.

Drug treatments for insomnia are not without their side effects, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), while effective, isn’t always available due to the shortage of trained therapists, explain the researchers.

An emerging body of research suggests that exercise is helpful, but current guidelines don’t specify which types of exercise might be most beneficial. The researchers therefore set out to plug this knowledge gap, with a view to informing clinical practice and helping patients choose the most appropriate exercise for managing their insomnia.

They scoured research databases looking for relevant randomised clinical trials published up to April 2025 and included 22 in a network meta analysis—a statistical technique used to simultaneously compare multiple interventions.

The trials involved 1348 participants and 13 different treatment approaches to ease insomnia, seven of which were exercise based: yoga; Tai Chi; walking or jogging; aerobic plus strength exercise; strength training alone; aerobic exercise combined with therapy; and mixed aerobic exercises. These programmes ranged from 4 up to 26 weeks in length.

The other approaches included CBT; sleep hygiene; Ayurveda; acupuncture/massage; nothing; and existing treatment, such as usual care and/or lifestyle changes, the durations of which ranged from 6 to 26 weeks.

Validated scoring systems for sleep quality and insomnia severity—PSQI and the ISI45—as well as subjective and objective measures of total sleep time, sleep efficiency (percentage of time spent asleep while in bed), number of awakenings after going to sleep, and time taken to fall asleep (sleep latency) were used to assess sleep patterns.

Compared with existing treatment, CBT is likely to result in a large increase in total sleep time based on subjective sleep diary data. It may also improve sleep efficiency, and shorten the amount of time spent awake after falling asleep as well as sleep latency, with sustained improvements, the findings suggest.

But some of the exercise-based interventions also seemed to be effective, when compared with existing treatment.

Yoga likely results in a large increase in total sleep time of nearly 2 hours and may improve sleep efficiency by nearly 15%. It may also reduce the amount of time spent awake after falling asleep by nearly an hour, and shorten sleep latency by around half an hour.

Walking or jogging may result in a large reduction in insomnia severity of nearly 10 points, while Tai Chi may reduce poor sleep quality scores by more than 4 points, increase total sleep time by more than 50 minutes, and reduce time spent awake after falling asleep by over half an hour. It may also shorten sleep latency by around 25 minutes.

Further in-depth analyses revealed that Tai Chi performed significantly better on all subjectively and objectively assessed outcomes than existing treatments for up to 2 years.

There are potentially plausible biological explanations for the findings, say the researchers.

With its focus on body awareness, controlled breathing, and attentional training, yoga may alter brain activity, thereby alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms which often interfere with a good night’s sleep, they suggest.

Tai Chi emphasises breath control and physical relaxation and has been shown to decrease  sympathetic nervous system activity, dampening down hyperarousal, they add. And its combination of meditative movement and mindfulness may promote emotional regulation, deactivate ‘mental chatter’, and reduce anxiety. It may also help to curb the production of inflammatory chemicals over longer periods, they suggest.

Walking or jogging may improve sleep by increasing energy expenditure, curbing cortisol production, improving emotional regulation, boosting secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin, and enhancing the amount of deep sleep, they continue.

The researchers acknowledge that 15 (68%) of the included trials contained design and methodological flaws. And there were no standardised, quantifiable metrics for the frequency or intensity of exercise interventions, while the sample sizes of some of the studies were small.

Nevertheless, they conclude: “The findings of this study further underscore the therapeutic potential of exercise interventions in the treatment of insomnia, suggesting that their role may extend beyond adjunctive support to serve as viable primary treatment options.

“Although current clinical guidelines make only limited mention of exercise, this study provides relatively comprehensive comparative evidence that may inform the development of more specific and actionable clinical recommendations.

“Given the advantages of exercise modalities such as yoga, Tai Chi, and walking or jogging—including low cost, minimal side effects, and high accessibility—these interventions are well-suited for integration into primary care and community health programmes.”

And there may well be one type of exercise that is best suited to easing a particular symptom of insomnia, they suggest, which further research may clarify.

Source: BMJ Group

Categories : General Interest HospitalsTags :

Moti Cares Donates 3500 Blankets to Baragwanath Hospital on Mandela Day

On By ModernMedia

18 July 2025: On a day symbolising service and sacrifice across South Africa, the Moti Cares Foundation honoured Mandela Day by donating 3500 blankets and 1000 loaves of bread for patients, and sweet packs for paediatric patients at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto – the largest hospital in Africa.

With a bed capacity of over 3300, the hospital faces an ongoing shortage of essential resources, including blankets for admitted patients. In response, Moti Cares stepped in with a donation that will ensure every patient across every ward receives warmth and comfort this winter, with joy and excitement Dr Nthabiseng Makgana, CEO of Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, expressed her sincere gratitude for this donation that helped bring warmth and hope to their patients.

The handover marks one of the most significant moments in the Foundation’s 2025 Winter Blanket Drive, which aims to distribute 20 000 blankets across South Africa during the coldest months of the year. With this event, Moti Cares has now successfully brought the total number of blankets handed out since the beginning of June to 18 000, with just a few weeks left in the campaign.

Mandela Day, celebrated annually on 18 July in honour of the late President Nelson Mandela’s birthday, calls on South Africans to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to doing something for the greater good in commemoration of the 67 years Mandela spent in public service. It is a day of unity, compassion, and action.

Led by Zunaid Moti – investor, philanthropist, and founder of the Moti Cares Foundation – the handover at Baragwanath hospital stood out not just for its scale, but for its special meaning, paying a fitting tribute to Mandela’s legacy.

For Moti, Mandela Day is not a date to be observed passively, but a call to action. Each year, he marks the day with a meaningful act of service for others. In 2024, he gave R6700 to ten individuals, and a further R46 664 to a single recipient – a nod to Mandela’s prison number, 466/64. This year, his focus turned to those spending Mandela Day in hospitals with limited resources, many of them lying in cold beds without the basic comfort of warmth.

“There’s something profoundly vulnerable about being in a hospital,” said Moti. “When you’re ill, all you want is to feel safe and warm. A blanket may seem small, but in that moment, it brings comfort, and it brings dignity. It reminds people that in their time of need, and when they’re feeling particularly weak, they’re not alone.”

The donation was warmly received by hospital management and staff. A spokesperson for Baragwanath Hospital shared: “This act of generosity will have a lasting impact. Many of our patients come from very difficult circumstances and arrive here with very little for medical treatment, and this contribution from Moti Cares has ensured that they will be much more comfortable. On behalf of every patient who will sleep warmer tonight, we extend our heartfelt thanks.”

Moti Cares, a philanthropic initiative established by Moti, is committed to creating lasting, real-world impact through humanitarian efforts. While the Foundation supports various causes throughout the year, including health, education, and crisis response, the annual Winter Blanket Drive has become its most direct and widely recognised intervention.

As the campaign nears its conclusion, weekly activations are continuing to reach new communities, ensuring no one is left behind. The final 2,000 blankets will be distributed in the coming weeks, closing off another season of compassion, care, and shared humanity.