NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

NIH developed AI algorithm TrialGPT to match potential volunteers for clinical trials, reducing screening time by 40% while maintaining accuracy. The tool aims to enhance trial recruitment and reduce participation barriers for underrepresented populations.

Negotiations for FY 2025 appropriations are ongoing, impacting NIH funding; President-elect Trump's nominees for HHS, CMS, CDC, FDA, and Surgeon General spark concern in the medical research community; House Appropriations Subcommittee reviews NIH budget for FY 2025; AACR and FDA host workshops on DPD deficiency and clinical trials; U.S. Surgeon General highlights tobacco use disparities; FDA approves new drugs and updates product labeling.

Meta-analysis of 40 RCTs (11,576 patients) shows surgical-based locoregional therapies (LRTs) for nonmetastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) yield best outcomes; embolization-based LRTs poorer. Hierarchical efficacy observed: surgery with adjuvant therapy > surgery alone > radiofrequency ablation (RFA) > microwave ablation (MWA) and radiotherapy (RT) > hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) > transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) > transarterial radioembolization (TARE) and transarterial bland embolization (TAE). Findings suggest LRT remains crucial in HCC treatment, with some forms preferred over others.

PTC Therapeutics' Phase II trial of utreloxastat for ALS failed to meet primary endpoints, leading to trial termination. Utreloxastat was safe but lacked efficacy, prompting the company to halt further development. PTC sold its Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher for $150 million to maintain operations.

President-elect Donald Trump appoints Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the National Institutes of Health, working under potential HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Bhattacharya, co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, opposed lockdowns and vaccine mandates, advocating for herd immunity. Trump also nominates Jim O'Neill as deputy secretary to help Bhattacharya.

PIONEER, a new AI tool developed by Cornell University and the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center, uses deep learning to predict protein interactions, crucial for precision medicine, particularly in cancer treatment. The tool analyzes cancer mutations from over 18,000 tumor samples, predicting patient survival rates and treatment efficacy. PIONEER also explores potential applications in neurodevelopmental disorders and Alzheimer’s, accessible as a web platform and software package, backed by the National Institutes of Health and the European Union Horizon Health program.

Children of mothers who took newer antiseizure medications during pregnancy showed no worse neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 6, according to a long-term NIH-funded study published in JAMA Neurology. The study found no differences in language scores between children exposed to the medications and those who were not, with most mothers taking lamotrigine, levetiracetam, or a combination. High doses of folate during pregnancy were associated with better cognitive and behavioral outcomes.

NIH developed TrialGPT, an AI algorithm to match potential volunteers to clinical trials, reducing screening time by 40% while maintaining accuracy. FDA emphasizes clinical trial diversity, requiring 'Diversity Action Plans' under FDORA to increase enrollment of underrepresented populations, with TrialGPT potentially aiding in this effort.

Front Range Community College partners with Regis University to offer PharmD program pathways, promoting Regis's Doctor of Pharmacy program and offering new associate’s degree in pharmaceutical science.

NIH researchers developed TrialGPT, an AI framework using large language models to streamline clinical trial matching on ClinicalTrials.gov, achieving nearly the same accuracy as human clinicians. TrialGPT analyzes patient summaries to identify eligible trials, reducing clinician screening time by 40% while maintaining accuracy. The tool relies on OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models and will be further assessed for performance and fairness in real-world settings.