September 2024- Volume 20, Issue 5
In this Issue
Editors Insight
Overhyping science breeds false hope
Overhyping science breeds false hope
Scientists and science journalists alike have a responsibility to communicate new discoveries with the utmost accuracy, sans hype.
Neuroscience
Developing new drugs to treat addiction
Developing new drugs to treat addiction
No pharmaceutical treatments exist for addictions to drugs like cocaine or cannabis. Now, scientists are engineering gene therapies, immunotherapies, and more.
Lighting the way to pain relief
Lighting the way to pain relief
Rodent studies and clinical trials increasingly demonstrate the soothing effects of green light, and now, researchers are revealing the underlying neural mechanisms.
Drug Formulation
A new gel to prevent skin cancer without toxicity
A new gel to prevent skin cancer without toxicity
Avoiding skin cancer could be as easy as slathering on a gel that the body rapidly metabolizes.
A squishy solution for smoother drug delivery
A squishy solution for smoother drug delivery
Customizable hydrogels could make taking diabetes and cancer medications as well as other biologics easier for patients.
Infectious Disease
How monkeys revealed a schistosomiasis vaccine secret
How monkeys revealed a schistosomiasis vaccine secret
There is no vaccine against this parasitic worm infection, but rhesus macaques’ unique immune system has brought the prospect of a vaccine closer than ever.
Predicting protection for maternal GBS vaccines
Predicting protection for maternal GBS vaccines
A new model predicts how well maternal vaccines protect babies from Group B Streptococcus, propelling much needed shots through late-stage clinical trials.
Biomarkers
A spitting image of brain health
A spitting image of brain health
A saliva-based test could make it easier to diagnose concussions.
Preventing autoimmune disease
Preventing autoimmune disease
Once symptoms show up, it’s too late to cure many autoimmune diseases. Researchers are investigating ways to prevent the conditions from starting at all.
