The US Food and Drug Administration has approved TNKase or Tenecteplase, which is a thrombolytic or clot-dissolving agent, for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in adults.

Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in your brain. It can cause permanent brain damage and death. If enough brain cells die, you can also lose the abilities or body functions those cells control. They are also the most common types of stroke, with 80% of all strokes being ischemic strokes.

How is TNKase administered?

It is delivered as a single five-second intravenous bolus, which is faster than the standard of care Activase or alteplase, which is administered as an intravenous bolus followed by a 60-minute infusion. The manufacturer of TNKase, Genetech said a new 25-mg vial configuration will also be available in the coming months.

How Was TNKase approved?

The approval came at the backdrop of a study that compared TNKase to Activase in patients with acute ischemic stroke. These patients also presented with a disabling neurological deficit. Results show that TNKase was comparable to Activase in terms of efficacy and safety.

How Common Are These Strokes?

In the United States it self, it affects more than 795,000 people each year and is the leading cause of long-term disability. It is also the fifth leading cause of death. Since brain damage can happen if this progresses rapidly, one needs an immediate, fast-acting medical care.

TNKase thus provide a faster and simpler administration which can be critical for anyone. The chief medical officer and head of global product development at Genetech, Levi Garraway, MD., PhD., said, "Today's approval is a significant step forward and underscores our commitment to advancing stroke treatment options for patients."

What Are The Symptoms Of Ischemic Strokes?

Some of the most common symptoms include weakness or paralysis on one side of your face and body. You may also feel trouble speaking or have loss of speech, also known as aphasia. You may faced slurred or garbled speaking, also known as dysarthria. Other symptoms include loss of muscle control on one side of your face, or sudden worsening or loss of your senses, including vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Other symptoms include:

• Loss of coordination or clumsiness
• Blurry vision or double vision
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Nausea and vomiting
• Neck stiffness
• Mood swings or sudden personality changes
• Confusion or agitation
• Seizures
• Memory loss (amnesia)
• Headaches which are sudden and severe
• Passing out or fainting
• Coma

Are There Any Warning Signs?

While these are symptoms one has who is prone to this condition. However, often, many may confuse it with other illnesses. It is best to keep an eye out for warning signs. These could be looking out for yourself or your loved one. Note if there is a sudden loss of balance. Look out for sudden vision loss or changes in one or both eyes. Look for a droop on one or both sides of your face, especially when you smile. Raise both arms and see if one arm sags or drops in a way it usually does not. Note for your speech. Are you as fluent? Are you have trouble speaking? If you see any of such signs, start tracking it and talk to your healthcare provider.

A 58-year-old woman in the UK has become the first person in the world to receive an experimental cell therapy for ovarian cancer.

Tracy Tomlinson, who has been living with advanced ovarian cancer for more than five years, received the first dose of ZI-MA4-1 at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust as part of the ZIMA-101 clinical trial. The study is evaluating ZI-MA4-1, the world's first MAGE-A4-targeting TCR-NK cell therapy to enter clinical development.

"While this is an early-stage study primarily focused on safety, it represents an exciting step forward in efforts to develop new treatment options for people like Tracy with advanced solid tumors. We hope the knowledge gained will help shape future cancer treatments and ultimately improve outcomes for patients," said Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite, consultant medical oncologist at The Christie.

Tracy's Journey With Ovarian Cancer

Tracy, from Chadderton in Greater Manchester, was diagnosed with Stage 3C ovarian cancer shortly before Christmas 2020.

She first suspected something was wrong when what she thought was a urinary tract infection did not improve despite antibiotics prescribed by her GP. After blood tests, scans and further investigations, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just two days before her birthday.

Over the next several years, Tracy underwent surgery, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and maintenance therapy. By the summer of 2021, scans showed no evidence of disease, but the cancer returned a year later. She underwent further surgery and treatment, followed by additional recurrences.

Since 2023, Tracy has been living with ongoing cancer while receiving additional lines of treatment.

"The cancer is relentless," she said. "For me, it's never seemed to leave me alone."

Treatment has also caused fatigue, nausea and nerve damage in her hands and feet, eventually forcing her to stop working as a credit controller.

As her treatment options became more limited, Tracy began exploring clinical trials. Last year, she was referred to The Christie's early-phase clinical trials team and was eventually found eligible for the ZIMA-101 study.

After extensive screening, including scans, biopsies and blood tests, she became the first patient in the world to receive ZI-MA4-1.

"I decided almost straight away that I was going to go for it," she said. "Then afterwards you think, 'Am I doing the right thing?' because it is a little bit scary being the first person."

Following her first dose, Tracy remained in hospital for planned monitoring before being discharged on July 23.

"There are no guarantees with any trial," she said. "It could have a fantastic outcome, it could have no outcome, or somewhere in between. But if there is a possibility that it could work, I've got to go for it."

She added, "Cancer is no longer a death sentence. Five years ago, I thought I was going to die, but I'm still here."

What Is ZI-MA4-1 Cell Therapy?

Developed by Zelluna, ZI-MA4-1 combines two immune-based approaches to target cancer. The therapy uses natural killer (NK) cells, which can detect and destroy abnormal cells, together with engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs) that enable them to recognize tumors expressing the protein MAGE-A4.

MAGE-A4 is found in several solid tumors, including ovarian cancer, making it a promising target for precision cancer therapies.

Unlike personalized cell therapies that require a patient's own cells to be collected and manufactured individually, ZI-MA4-1 uses donor-derived immune cells and is designed as an "off-the-shelf" treatment.

Researchers hope this approach could make advanced cell therapies available to more patients in less time.

Reducing sugar intake during pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life could have life-changing benefits for brain health, particularly in lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

According to a new study, limiting sugar intake could reduce the risk Alzheimer’s by more than 45% in the future.

The research, published in npj Aging, found that people exposed to lower sugar intake during the first 1,000 days of life, from conception until age two, had a 46% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a 27% lower risk of dementia, an 11% lower risk of depression, and a 20% lower risk of anxiety in later life.

Researchers analysed health and brain imaging data from more than 60,000 participants in the UK Biobank.

They used Britain’s World War II sugar rationing period as a natural experiment, comparing people born when sugar availability was restricted with those born after rationing ended.

Why The First 1,000 Days Matter?

Scientists say that early life is a critical phase for the brain, metabolism, and immune system. Nutrition during this period can shape long-term health, influencing disease risk of neurodegenerative disease decades later.

“Our findings suggest that limiting sugar intake during the first 1,000 days of life may have long-lasting benefits for brain health,” the researchers noted, adding that the effects appear to persist well into older adulthood.

Dr. Bing Zhang, a geriatric medicine researcher involved in the study, said the results support the idea that nutrition in early life can shape lifelong brain health through metabolic programming during critical stages of development.

The study also found key structural differences in the brain. MRI scans showed that participants who had lower sugar exposure early in life had brains that appeared approximately 0.4 years younger biologically.

Their brains showed greater grey matter volume and fewer signs of white matter damage that is often linked to healthier cognitive ageing.

Also read: Can Your Child’s Diet Shape Future Diabetes Risk? Study Links Ultra-Processed Foods To Early Insulin Responses

Does Sugar Cause Dementia?

The researchers found an association, not proof that sugar directly causes Alzheimer’s or dementia. Since the study is observational, other factors like overall diet, access to healthcare facilities and services, and lifestyle may also have contributed to the findings.

Dr. Sara Rodrigues of Alzheimer’s Research UK, who was not involved in the research, cautioned that while the results are compelling, they do not establish cause and effect. However, they add to the growing evidence that healthy eating throughout life plays an important role in maintaining brain health.

Ultra-Processed Foods Linked To Early Insulin Response

This comes after a recent study suggested that children who who consume higher amounts of ultra-processed foods may already be showing subtle changes in the way their bodies regulate insulin, potentially increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes in the future.

According to a new study published in the journal Nutrients, children who have higher amounts of in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had reduced insulin sensitivity and higher insulin secretion, even though they did not have diabetes.

Researchers from Texas A&M University–San Antonio, University of Texas Health San Antonio, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine discovered that the metabolic changes linked to diabetes may begin much earlier in life than previously thought.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has become the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, overtaking the country’s devastating 2018-2020 outbreak.

The current epidemic has also underscored the growing global concern over the rapid spread of the deadly disease.

Second-Largest Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo

According to the latest official figures released by the DRC health authorities and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the country has reported 3,442 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,521 deaths as of July 29, 2026.

However, more recent updates indicate the outbreak has continued to worsen rapidly, with 3,532 confirmed cases and 1,556 deaths reported by July 31, 2026.

The only Ebola outbreak larger than the current epidemic remains the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which infected more than 28,000 people and resulted in the deaths of over 11,300 lives.

Also read: Milestone In Kala-Azar Treatment: WHO Updates Treatment Guidelines, Recommends Shorter & Safer Regimens

Ebola Outbreak Caused By Rare Bundibugyo Virus

Unlike many previous Ebola outbreaks caused by the Zaire ebolavirus, the ongoing epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rarer species of Ebola virus for which there is currently no approved vaccine or licensed treatment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the outbreak remains active with heightened community transmission, particularly in eastern DRC, where insecurity, mistrust, population displacement and limited healthcare access continue to hamper outbreak containment efforts.

WHO Warns

In its latest Disease Outbreak News update, WHO said, “The outbreak remains active, with sustained transmission.”

The UN health agency noted that inside conflict, population displacement, community mistrust and restricted access to affected areas continue to affect contact tracing, surveillance, and containment and treatment activities.

WHO has also stressed that although the global risk remains low, the regional risk is high because of frequent cross-border movement between the DRC and neighbouring countries.

A major challenge in controlling the epidemic is the absence of a licensed vaccine or targeted therapy against the Bundibugyo virus.

According to WHO, while the Ebola vaccine used against the Zaire strain has shown limited experimental cross-protection in animal studies, there is currently inadequate evidence to recommend its use against Bundibugyo virus disease.

Also read: Uganda Declared Ebola-Free As Congo Outbreak Grows To 3,262 Cases, 1,437 Deaths

First Volunteer Receives Experimental Bundibugyo Vaccine

Amid the worsening outbreak, researchers have reached an important milestone in Ebola vaccine development.

The first volunteer has received an experimental vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, marking the world's first Phase I clinical trial for this virus, according to the University of Oxford.

The vaccine, ChAdOx1 BDBV, developed in collaboration with Serum Institute of India (SII), is designed specifically to protect against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

It uses the same viral vector platform that powered the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine uses a genetically modified chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1)—a harmless virus that normally causes the common cold in chimpanzees—as a delivery vehicle.

"We welcome the start of the phase 1 clinical trial of an investigational vaccine against Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease—an important step to assess the safety and immune responses generated by the vaccine," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X.

Health authorities, supported by WHO, Africa CDC and international partners, continue to strengthen surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention, community engagement and patient care.