Displaying items by tag: medical breakthrough

A groundbreaking new cancer trial is offering fresh hope to children and young people facing rare and aggressive cancers. The study, known as ‘Mighty’, will recruit up to sixty patients across the UK and the US to test CAR T-cell immunotherapy, a cutting-edge treatment which trains a patient’s own immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. With research centred at University College London, the trial focuses on cancers that are often resistant to conventional treatments. These include rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and other soft tissue sarcomas, which primarily affect children and young people. Researchers say that childhood cancers behave differently from adult cancers, requiring more targeted and less harmful treatments. CAR T-cell therapy has already shown promise in some blood cancers and is now being explored for solid tumours. Experts believe this innovative approach could significantly improve outcomes, offering renewed hope to families where existing treatments have failed or cancer has returned.

Groundbreaking research has revealed that the diabetes and weight-loss drug semaglutide—sold as Ozempic and Wegovy—can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, even for patients who do not lose much weight. The global trial, involving over 17,000 participants across 41 countries, found that semaglutide cut major cardiovascular events by around 14–20%. Researchers discovered that shrinking waist size accounted for about one-third of the benefit, but two-thirds remained unexplained, suggesting the drug directly protects heart health rather than simply improving it through weight loss. Professor John Deanfield of University College London said the results “reframe what we think this medication is doing,” calling it a “disease-modifying therapy for ageing.” Experts describe the findings as “profound,” urging that the drug’s use not be limited to severely obese patients. However, they also cautioned that side effects must be carefully monitored as its use expands. The breakthrough could mark the most significant advance in cardiovascular medicine since statins.