UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Dr. Kent Scheff launches a $1,000 annual scholarship for undergraduates pursuing sports medicine, awarded through an essay contest. The scholarship aims to support future healthcare professionals passionate about wellness, fitness, and community health through sports medicine.

Health care stakeholders prioritize patient needs, leverage innovations, and allocate resources equitably. Experts discuss value-based cancer care, holistic CKM syndrome management, supportive care gaps for older adults with MDS/AML, financial aid for cancer patients, and e-cigarette health risks among youth.

Recent medical breakthroughs include CRISPR therapy for sickle cell anemia, stem cell treatment restoring vision, artificial ovaries for fertility, CAR T-cell therapy for brain cancer, and gene therapy enabling a deaf child to hear.

Substance use among adolescents remained low in 2024, continuing a trend since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Monitoring the Future Survey, funded by NIH, found stable or declining use of most drugs, with alcohol, nicotine vaping, and cannabis seeing the most reported use. Factors contributing to this trend are under investigation to inform future interventions.

University of Arizona's research activity exceeded $1 billion in FY24, focusing on global challenges like energy, health, and national security. The university ranks among top research institutions and maintains its No. 1 ranking in astronomy and astrophysics. Research advances human knowledge, prepares students, and strengthens communities.

Genprex, Inc. completed Phase 1 of Acclaim-3 trial for Reqorsa® Gene Therapy with Tecentriq® in ES-SCLC, proceeding to Phase 2. The Safety Review Committee set the Recommended Phase 2 Dose at 0.12 mg/kg. Genprex anticipates presenting Phase 1 results in 2025 and has a bullish outlook with a $7.50 price target. The company focuses on gene therapy for cancer and diabetes, with Reqorsa® receiving FDA designations for SCLC treatment.

The University of Utah highlights researchers Dr. Birgit Knoechel, Dr. Nathan Moodie, and Dr. Yuree Noh. Knoechel studies T-cell subsets in T-ALL with a Rally Foundation grant, Moodie leads a CarbonSAFE Phase II project on CO2 storage in Utah, and Noh collaborates on a National Science Foundation project analyzing global surveillance and censorship.

Close friendships are crucial for mental health in middle-aged and older adults; those with poor mental or physical health are more likely to lack close friends. 90% of those 50+ have at least one close friend, but 20% with fair to poor mental health and 18% with fair or poor physical health report having none. Friends often provide emotional support and encourage healthier choices. The poll highlights the importance of social connections for older adults' health and well-being.

LicensMedical, founded by Professor Kim Gun-ho, received FDA De Novo approval for 'OcuCool', an ophthalmic cooling anesthesia device, after 10 years of development. OcuCool provides rapid anesthesia by cooling the eyeball to -15°C in 10 seconds, reducing procedure time and chemical exposure. The company also plans to expand into the U.S. market and list on the South Korean stock market.

The BMJ investigation reveals data reporting issues in the PLATO trial, which supported ticagrelor's approval. FDA initially rejected due to higher US deaths, but later approved. Subsequent studies failed to replicate PLATO's positive results, raising questions about its validity and ticagrelor's guidelines.