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Brain organoids, cell collections grown in a lab to study diseases like Alzheimer’s, have created excitement because they are a bit more representative of a real brain. Johns Hopkins cell engineering expert Vasiliki Machairaki says there is another technique underway … What is an assembloid? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Using induced stem cells helps create models for diseases like Alzheimer’s disease that can be studied in a lab, but now three dimensional cell collections called organoids can also be developed from stem cells. Vasiliki Machairaki, a cell engineering expert … What is an organoid? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Stem cells used to be derived from human embryos, but not anymore. Now a simple blood test can allow stem cells to be induced from cells found there, says Johns Hopkins cell engineering expert Vasiliki Machairaki. Machairaki: Induced pluripotent stem … How do stem cells derived from blood differ from those from embryos? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Cells from your blood can be induced to return to what they looked like when you were an embryo, then can be made to develop into different cell types in the brain. That happens in the lab of Vasiliki Machairaki, … Stem cells are just the beginning when it comes to modeling your risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

A simple blood test may soon help precisely identify your risk for Alzheimer’s disease by inducing some of your cells to go back in time, looking like they did when you were an embryo. Johns Hopkins cell engineering expert Vasiliki … What might reprogramming cells have to do with understanding Alzheimer’s? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Hormone therapy for menopause has recently had a black box warning removed by the FDA, after the agency reexamined data originally prompting the warning and found it flawed. Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, says women still need … Caveat emptor when it comes to hormone therapy for menopause, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The FDA has recently removed black box warnings, indicating a medication is potentially risky, from hormone therapy for menopause. The warning was originally put on in 2003 after a study seemed to show increased risks for cardiovascular disease, breast cancer … What is the controversy around hormone therapy for menopause? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you’re a woman who’s experiencing a loss of libido, you may have been advised to take testosterone supplements, but Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, says wholesale embrace of hormone therapy isn’t for everyone, in spite of … Women need to exercise caution when it comes to hormones of all types, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Hormone therapy is not a panacea for everything that happens to a women transitioning through menopause, cautions Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins. Now that the FDA has removed their black box warning from many forms of hormone … What are the benefits of hormone therapy for women in menopause and perimenopause? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Certain hormone therapies for menopause have had black box warnings on them since 2003, following concerns arising from the Women’s Health Initiative study, which seemed to show increased risks for breast cancer and dementia. Now the FDA has removed these … What might the FDA’s removal of a black box warning on hormone therapy for menopause mean to you? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Using one of two drug combinations versus ibrutinib alone to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia, one of the most common types of leukemia in adults, may allow people to avoid continuous treatment, a new study finds.  William Nelson, director of the Kimmel … A couple new approaches to treating a type of leukemia may help shorten treatment, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

For people who’ve had colorectal cancer, celecoxib, a commonly prescribed medicine for pain, may help avoid disease recurrence, a recent analysis of a larger study found. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at Johns Hopkins explains that the presence of … Can the drug celecoxib help some people avoid colorectal cancer recurrence? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Women may now choose to collect their own samples to test for human papilloma virus, or HPV as part of their screening regimen for cervical cancer, the American Cancer Society now says. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at Johns … Since most cervical cancer is caused by infection with a virus, when should screening start? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The American Cancer Society has updated guidelines for cervical cancer screening to include self-collected specimens to assess for human papilloma virus, or HPV. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, explains why. Nelson: There's 200,000 women … Will women soon be testing themselves for human papilloma virus, or HPV ? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Cancers of several types are being diagnosed more often in those younger than fifty years of age, and no one really understands why. Because there are consequences to cancer treatment one question is do all these cancers need to be … As cancer cases in younger people rise, do they all need treatment? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »