BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

The 62nd European Renal Association Congress in Vienna will present seven late-breaking clinical trials addressing chronic kidney disease, dialysis patients, and glomerular disease developments.

A severe measles outbreak has spread to 21 states with over 600 confirmed cases in 2025, primarily affecting unvaccinated individuals, with experts suspecting significant underreporting of actual case numbers.

A new American Psychological Association poll reveals 77% of Americans report stress about the nation's future, with 69% specifically worried about the upcoming presidential election.

Baylor College of Medicine researchers are initiating a $5.5 million FDA-funded clinical trial to evaluate kratom's abuse potential compared to oxycodone, with results expected in three years.

PanCAN's Early Detection Initiative has successfully enrolled over 8,800 participants to study the relationship between new-onset diabetes and early pancreatic cancer detection.

Harris Health's Ben Taub Hospital launches innovative cellular immunotherapy trial for multiple myeloma patients, demonstrating remarkable results with a single T-cell injection treatment.

A phase 1 clinical trial of GD2-targeted CAR T-cell therapy has achieved the longest reported remission in neuroblastoma treatment, with one patient remaining cancer-free for over 18 years.

• A large VA healthcare system study reveals that direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy significantly reduces hepatocellular carcinoma risk compared to no treatment in HCV patients with cirrhosis. • The research demonstrates comparable hepatocellular carcinoma risk reduction between DAA therapy and historical interferon treatments, with DAA achieving superior cure rates of over 95%. • Among study participants, 89.39% of DAA-treated patients achieved sustained virologic response, compared to 36.55% in the interferon-treated group, supporting DAA's favorable risk-benefit profile.

Precision medicine adoption in oncology faces distinct challenges in academic and community settings, with issues ranging from workflow variations to bureaucratic constraints in implementing biomarker testing.

Dr. Seth Lerner received the Huggins Medal at the 2024 SUO annual meeting for his contributions to urologic oncology, particularly in bladder cancer research.