NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

Electroceutical patch reduces bacterial colonization by nearly tenfold in pig skin tests. Researchers developed a wearable device for biofilm infections without antibiotics, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, US Army Research Office, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health.

Mitchell J. Weiss, MD, PhD, chair of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Department of Hematology, elected to National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for research in blood cell formation and treatment development for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. Weiss has published over 170 research papers and joined six other St. Jude faculty members in NAM.

Dr. Jonathan F. Bean, a VA clinical researcher and Harvard Medical School professor, was named a new member of the National Academy of Medicine for his transformative work in applying multidisciplinary, precision medicine principles to rehabilitation, which has reconceptualized healthcare systems and practice for geriatric and Veteran populations.

NIH launched the Down Syndrome Cohort Development Program (DS-CDP) to track health data of people with Down syndrome from birth to adulthood, aiming to improve their quality of life. The program, led by the INCLUDE Project, will engage thousands of individuals, including those historically underrepresented in research. Recruitment begins in 2025, with expansion over 5-10 years. Data will be curated, standardized, and shared through the INCLUDE Data Hub, adhering to FAIR principles. This initiative, the largest investment by INCLUDE, aims to advance science and health for both the Down syndrome community and the general population.

USC Dornsife research shows mifepristone, used for early pregnancy termination, may extend lifespan by boosting mitophagy, similar to rapamycin, though combining both drugs slightly reduces lifespan. This suggests both drugs act through the same pathway, potentially paving the way for anti-aging treatments.

The NIH's myeloMATCH initiative, a portfolio of biomarker-driven precision medicine clinical trials, aims to test new treatments for myeloid cancers, enrolling patients from diagnosis through treatment stages. The trials, organized into four tiers addressing different stages of cancer treatment, use rapid genetic testing and next-generation sequencing to match patients with appropriate treatments, aiming to reduce tumor burden and target residual disease effectively.

Prescription drugs like Sovaldi, Humira, Epipen, Insulin, Cymbalta, and Ozempic/Wegovy cost significantly more in the U.S. than in other countries. Reasons for this disparity include lack of government price regulation, market exclusivity, high R&D costs, complex pricing structures, consumer willingness to pay, lobbying influence, global pricing strategies, and limited competition. The U.S. has not regulated prices due to its free-market system's success in producing breakthrough drugs and the pharmaceutical industry's economic importance. Government intervention, such as Medicare negotiating drug prices and capping costs, is becoming more common to address high drug prices.

Christian Lopez Blanco, a UAB neuroengineering Ph.D. student, pivoted from a medical career to entrepreneurship, launching startup Curanostics with a team from NIH's Bio-Entrepreneurship Capstone. Their HIPAA-compliant platform uses AI to simplify medical record management, securing a spot at the 2024 BIO International Convention.

ITIF convened a symposium on assessing financial returns from biopharmaceutical clinical development, discussing investor behavior, drug development evolution, and policy implications. The symposium highlighted the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on investment patterns, particularly in early-stage biopharmaceutical companies, and the challenges posed by price controls. ITIF announced a grant program awarding $50,000 each to three researchers to support better evidence on drug development returns, with submissions considered for publication in 'Health Affairs Scholar'.