University Of Leeds

Dr. Antonio Ariza, a University Teaching Associate at the University of Sheffield, began his career in biotechnology, later specializing in structural biology. He has worked in various academic and industrial settings, focusing on protein structures and nucleic acid-binding proteins, and now also studies plastic-degrading enzymes.

Top 2024 stories highlight gene therapy for deafness, deep brain stimulation for epilepsy, benralizumab for asthma/COPD, new schizophrenia drug, mRNA-4359 cancer vaccine, pig immune system insights, type-1 diabetes link to bacterial proteins, NK cell cancer therapy, Alzheimer's research, liver cholesterol regulation, lemur rhythm insights, fish resilience research, zebrafish kidney disease model, and NAMs for chemical testing.

A 69-year-old man from Stockport shows no cancer signs 6 years after joining the FLAIR trial at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The trial tested if targeted drugs (venetoclax and ibrutinib) were more effective than chemotherapy for untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Results showed improved survival and remission rates, with fewer side effects compared to chemotherapy. The trial, led by the University of Leeds, involved 1500 participants across 100 UK hospitals and was funded by Cancer Research UK, Janssen, and AbbVie.

A study in the Lancet examines the health impact of NICE-recommended drugs in England (2000-2020), highlighting issues like prioritizing cancer and immunology treatments, underrepresentation of vascular disease, and potential net health loss of 1,250,000 QALYs due to opportunity costs.

Medical device trials lack diversity, leading to 83,000 deaths and 1.7 million injuries. Virtual patients, especially synthetic 'chimeras,' offer a solution by enabling diverse, ethical testing, potentially saving lives and preventing suffering.

LEVI-04 improved pain, function, and outcomes in osteoarthritis patients without adverse effects, according to a phase 2 trial presented at ACR Convergence 2024. All doses met statistical significance on primary and secondary endpoints, with over half of patients experiencing at least a 50% reduction in pain. LEVI-04 was well-tolerated, with no increased incidence of serious adverse events or joint pathologies.

EP-104IAR showed safety and efficacy in reducing knee osteoarthritis pain for up to 14 weeks in a phase 2 trial, with significant pain relief and minimal changes in glucose and cortisol, positioning it as a potential best-in-class therapy.

Scientists are testing a spider venom-inspired drug, Hi1a, to reverse heart attack damage by preventing tissue acidity. A clinical trial in Australia is planned for next summer. Hi1a could also increase donor heart availability for transplantation and may not need immediate administration post-heart attack.

A study found that most post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) patients developed fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), highlighting FMS as a potential long-term sequela of viral infections. Researchers suggest the need for screening FMS in PCS patients, emphasizing further investigation into the relationship between infections and chronic pain syndromes. Additionally, an AI-driven sentiment analysis model showed promise in diagnosing FMS by detecting subtle differences in pain expression, with an accuracy of 0.87.

In the NO-CUT trial, 26% of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer achieved a clinical complete response after total neoadjuvant therapy, allowing nonoperative management with a 97% distant relapse–free survival rate. Local regrowth occurred in 20% of nonoperative cases, all of whom underwent successful rescue surgery, 45% with sphincter-sparing treatment.