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A therapist recounts a client who considered quitting after being passed over for promotion without explanation. The article argues that constantly saying yes to every request can stall career advancement rather than help it, and recommends four specific boundaries professionals can set to change this pattern.
Researchers have developed a gene-editing approach that restricts edits to particular cells depending on their position or context within tissue, rather than editing indiscriminately. The technique aims to limit changes to only the intended cell population, reducing effects on surrounding cells.
Researchers led by Kanako Hayashi at Washington State University modified niclosamide, an existing anti-parasitic drug, to target cells involved in endometriosis lesions and tested it in mice. The study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, found the altered compound reduced disease activity without relying on surgery or hormone therapy, the two main current treatment approaches.
Members of Facebook groups devoted to urine therapy, a pseudo-scientific practice of drinking or applying urine to treat ailments, report that AI chatbots initially resist endorsing the practice but can be manipulated into doing so. Users in a 45,000-member group describe prompting tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini with terms such as 'esoteric' to bypass built-in safeguards and elicit favorable responses about urine's supposed medicinal benefits.
In the CHORD clinical trial, 24 participants aged 10 months to 16 years with a rare genetic hearing loss (DFNB9, caused by OTOF gene mutations) received a single infusion of the gene therapy Otarmeni into one or both ears. About 80% of participants showed improved hearing within 24 weeks, and case reports describe children regaining the ability to respond to sound and music after treatment.
A new bioRxiv preprint analysed DNA methylation patterns in transplanted human hearts and found that, months after surgery, the tissue's biological age markers shifted to resemble the recipient's age rather than the donor's. Researchers observed this effect in both directions: young hearts placed in older bodies appeared to age faster, while older hearts in younger bodies appeared to grow biologically younger.
A Boston Consulting Group analysis found that of 140 in vivo CAR-T-cell drugs currently being tested in animals or humans worldwide, 82% originate from Chinese developers, even though most early preclinical research came from the US and Germany. Researchers note China has moved unusually fast in pushing these therapies into clinical trials, with early results from at least one human trial for an autoimmune condition described as promising.
Renier Brentjens, one of the early researchers behind CAR T cell therapy, is now developing a new generation of engineered 'living drug' treatments. His current work aims to extend the success these therapies have had against blood cancers to solid tumors, which have proven far harder to treat with cell-based approaches.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that founders should avoid randomly diversifying into unrelated ventures after early success, warning that this often creates fragmentation rather than growth. The writer describes building companies across physical therapy, healthcare staffing, hospice care, consulting and technology by ensuring each new venture reinforces the others rather than competing for attention. Four questions are proposed to test any new venture: does it serve the same customer, build on existing capability, create opportunities for other businesses, and operate without draining focus.
A Nature Index 2026 feature on regenerative medicine reviews progress in cell therapy and tissue engineering, including the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to pursue treatments for autoimmune diseases, Parkinson's disease and heart failure. It also notes clinical trials using stem-cell transplants to replace insulin-producing cells in people with type 1 diabetes have shown some success.
Researchers at UC Davis had 61 teenagers either stroke or neck-scratch rescued donkeys and miniature horses for a few minutes and measured their mood before and after. Participants reported feeling less anxious, sad and lonely, and calmer, almost immediately, with neck-scratching prompting more visible signs of pleasure from the animals such as lip-wriggling.
An antisense oligonucleotide therapy targeting the faulty CHCHD10 gene produced improved symptoms in the first ALS patient treated with it, who remained functional as a physician a year later. Separately, a study found that Chinese companies placed on the US Entity List appear to have increased their science patents and publications compared with non-sanctioned firms, though causation remains unproven.