Author: Healthcare Propulsion Staff

Researchers at MIT and the Scripps Research Institute have shown that they can generate a strong immune response to HIV with just one vaccine dose, by adding two powerful adjuvants — materials that help stimulate the immune system. In a study of mice, the researchers showed that this approach produced a much wider diversity of antibodies against an HIV antigen, compared to the vaccine given on its own or with just one of the adjuvants. The dual-adjuvant vaccine accumulated in the lymph nodes and remained there for up to a month, allowing the immune system to build up a much…

Available for over a yearSickle cell is a genetic blood condition that can cause severe pain, extreme tiredness and serious health complications. It mainly affects people of African and Caribbean heritage, and for many, it’s something they’ve had to live with their whole lives. But that could be changing. We meet Daniel Cressy, a young man from Louisiana whose dream is to become a pilot. After years of living with sickle cell, he received a ground-breaking treatment that has effectively cured him. He shares what life was like before and what it’s like now to be sickle cell free. We’ll…

Figures from across the health sector have cautiously welcomed the news that NHS England is accelerating the rollout of AI tools across the health service as part of a £10bn investment over the next three years. A new AI triage tool in the NHS App to help direct patients to the most appropriate NHS service, alongside wider access to integrated ambient voice technology (AVT) for NHS staff, are among the digital technologies being rolled out across England. Here’s what some voices from within the sector had to say: Hassan Chaudhury, chair, National Council of the Data Observatory CIC: “It’s always…

Researchers at the University of Michigan have uncovered a previously unknown biological pathway that explains how certain touch-sensitive hairs trigger the sensation of itch. The findings, made in mouse models, reveal a dedicated sensory system that may eventually help scientists develop better treatments for chronic itching disorders. “Itch is one of the major symptoms in most chronic skin inflammation patients,” said Bo Duan, associate professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. “What we’ve discovered is a pathway that we believe plays a very important role for both acute and chronic itch sensation.” The researchers identified a previously…

Hospital dealmaking remained hot during the second quarter of 2026, extending a merger and acquisition rebound that has lately seen more mid-to-large independent systems in pursuit of financial security and growth, according to a new report.  Healthcare advisory firm Kaufman Hall, in its latest quarterly M&A report, tallied 18 new hospital transaction announcements from April through June. That’s well ahead of the eight logged in the same window last year and comfortably above the average posted by the sector across the 2020s.  Total transacted revenue was $7.7 billion for the most recent quarter, which the firm noted was a major…

The growing popularity of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus has largely been driven by their ability to help people lose weight, improve blood sugar control, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Now, researchers have uncovered another possible benefit. A new clinical trial suggests that semaglutide, the active ingredient in those medications, may also help slow some of the biological processes associated with aging. Published in Nature Communications, the study provides the first randomized, placebo-controlled evidence in humans that semaglutide may slow the buildup of DNA markers linked to biological aging in adults living with HIV. Semaglutide…

A protest march in 2025, protesting against Palantir’s involvement in the NHS (Credit: Shutterstock.com) After months of growing pressure, the question no longer appears to be whether Palantir will have its Federated Data Platform (FDP) contract terminated, but when and how it will be done to avoid triggering an expensive legal challenge, writes Jon Hoeksma. NHS CEO Sir Jim Mackey said last week that he personally wanted to see a review of the effectiveness of the FDP and had, in recent weeks, asked the responsible team about the data being reported on benefits. Giving evidence to the House of Commons Health and Care Select Committee on 8 July 2026, Mackey said he had personally…

Could eating lots of chili peppers affect your cancer risk? Scientists have been debating that question for years, and the answer remains far from simple. While chili peppers contain compounds that have shown anti inflammatory and even anticancer effects in laboratory experiments, some human studies have linked very high consumption to a greater risk of certain cancers of the digestive tract. A large review published in Frontiers in Nutrition examined the available evidence and found that people who consumed the most chili peppers were more likely to develop certain gastrointestinal cancers, especially esophageal cancer. At the same time, researchers emphasized…

A new AI model is much better than doctors at identifying patients likely to experience cardiac arrest. The linchpin is the system’s ability to analyze long-underused heart imaging, alongside a full spectrum of medical records, to reveal previously hidden information about a patient’s heart health. The federally-funded work, led by Johns Hopkins University researchers, could save many lives and also spare many people unnecessary medical interventions, including the implantation of unneeded defibrillators. “Currently we have patients dying in the prime of their life because they aren’t protected and others who are putting up with defibrillators for the rest of their…

Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, have identified a promising new use for continuous low-intensity ultrasound that could one day help treat joint injuries and reduce the risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Their findings suggest the non-invasive approach may shift the body’s immune response away from long-lasting inflammation and toward tissue repair, offering a potential drug-free strategy for improving healing. The study, published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, was led by Dr. Anuradha Subramanian, professor of chemical and materials engineering. It combined biological research conducted by Dr. Shahid Khan during…