An experimental treatment happens to be the solution to delay Alzheimer's symptoms in some people. These people are the ones who are genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s. These new findings form ongoing research has now been caught up in Trump administration funding delas. The early results of the study has been published on Wednesday and the participants too are worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline.

One of the participants had said, "It is still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having." The participant is named Jake Henrichs, form New York City, who is 50 years old. He is one of them to be treated in that study for more than a decade now and has remained symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimer's-causing gene that had killed his father and brother around the same age.

Slowing Down The Symptoms

Two drugs which can modestly slow down early-stage Alzheimer's are sold in the United States. These drugs clear the brain of one of its hallmarks, a sticky gunk-like part called the amyloid. However, there have not been any hints that removing amyloid far earlier, way many years before the first symptoms appear, may postpone the disease.

How Was The Research Conducted?

The research is led by Washington University in St Louis, which involved families that passed down rare gene mutation as participants. This meant it was almost guaranteed that they will develop symptoms at the same age their affected relatives did.

The new findings is based on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset. The study is published in the journal Lancet Neurology.

Washington University's Dr Randall Bateman, who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network of studies involving families with these rare genes says, "What we want to determine over the next five years is how strong is the protection. Will they ever get the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease if we keep treating them?”

The researchers before though did not know what exactly caused Alzheimer's which affects nearly 7 million Americans, most of them in their later life. However, it is clear that these silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptom shows up. The big contributor. At some point amyloid buildup can trigger a protein named tau that then starts to kill neurons, which can lead to cognitive decline.

Researchers are now thus studying the Tau-fighting drugs and are looking into other factors, like inflammation, brain's immune cells and certain virus.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has expanded its focus as researchers have found more reasons for Alzheimer's. In 2013, the NIH's National Institute on Aging funded 14 trials of possible Alzheimer's drugs over a third targeting amyloid. By last fall, there were 68 drugs and 18% of them target amyloid. However, there are scientists too who think that amyloid is not everything and their is way more in the brain tissue, immune cells, and more which can be studied.

UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised healthcare professionals to look for signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in people seeking cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers.

The recommendation is part of a draft guideline aimed at earlier identification of the two conditions, which can remain undiagnosed for years because people may hide symptoms due to shame or embarrassment. In addition, the cosmetic industry is vastly unregulated, increasing potential health risk.

“People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) could be identified earlier and offered more appropriate treatment,” said the draft NICE guidance published today.

What Does The NICE Guidance Say?

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NICE’s new draft recommends considering assessment for OCD or BDD among people with depression, anxiety, autism or ADHD, as well as those seeking cosmetic procedures.

The committee said symptoms can be overlooked or attributed to other conditions, delaying diagnosis and treatment.

"People with obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder can experience symptoms for a long time before they receive the right diagnosis and support. These conditions are often misunderstood, and many people find them difficult to talk about because of embarrassment, shame or fear of being judged,” Eric Power, interim director of the Centre for Guidelines at NICE, said.

Mental Health Checks Before Botox And Fillers

Healthcare professionals providing cosmetic treatments, including surgeons, dentists and dermatologists, would be advised to ask structured questions about appearance-related concerns and document their findings.

If responses suggest possible BDD, NICE recommends specialist assessment rather than proceeding with the cosmetic procedure at that stage.

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The committee noted that cosmetic procedures rarely improve the underlying condition and may sometimes worsen symptoms.

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that 18.6% of people attending aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery services had clinically significant BDD symptoms, compared with around 2% of adults in the wider population.

"Our draft recommendations aim to help healthcare professionals recognize symptoms earlier, ask the right questions and support people to access appropriate treatment sooner," Power said.

"Earlier identification can help ensure people receive care that reflects their needs, preferences and circumstances, rather than waiting until symptoms become more severe or reach crisis point," he added.

New Approach To OCD Treatment

The draft guideline also proposes a personalized “matched care” approach to OCD treatment, with interventions based on a person’s clinical needs, treatment history and preferences rather than a fixed sequence.

For children and young people with OCD, the draft recommends family-based cognitive behavioral therapy for many patients.

What Are OCD And BDD?

OCD affects an estimated 1.2% of the population. It involves unwanted, distressing thoughts, images, urges or doubts, often followed by repetitive behaviors or mental rituals such as checking, washing, counting or seeking reassurance.

BDD involves excessive preoccupation with perceived flaws in appearance, which can cause significant distress and interfere with daily life. Research suggests it affects around 2% of adults.

The consultation on the draft NICE guideline is open until October 21, 2026.

Endometriosis does not usually present with typical symptoms. Due to this, getting a diagnosis can take years.

This may change soon as a team of Australian researchers recently developed an artificial intelligence tool that can identify two major imaging signs of advanced endometriosis in just 18 milliseconds.

Called EndoFusion, the tool was developed by researchers at Adelaide University as part of the IMAGENDO research programme. The findings were published in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

The 18-millisecond figure refers to how quickly the AI analyses a scan and produces its assessment. It does not mean that a woman can currently walk into a clinic and receive a confirmed diagnosis in 18 milliseconds.

The technology is still in development and requires further testing before it can become part of routine clinical diagnosis.

Endometriosis May Take Years To Diagnose

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, commonly affecting areas such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

It can cause severe period pain, pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, pain during sex and difficulty becoming pregnant.

Diagnosis is challenging as symptoms can vary, and some women have little or no visible symptoms on conventional imaging.

Research has consistently found substantial diagnostic delays. A systematic review found delays ranging from months to as long as 12 years.

In Australia, women reportedly wait an average of around six and a half years for a diagnosis, according to Endometriosis Australia.

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More About The AI Tool Work

EndoFusion was trained using four datasets containing more than 9,000 pelvic MRI scans and over 800 transvaginal ultrasound scans as they can identify different signs of endometriosis effectively.

A patient who receives only one type of scan may therefore have some symptoms of the disease missed.

Associate Professor Jodie Avery of Adelaide University's Robinson Research Institute said, “Current scanning methods each have their own strengths when it comes to detecting two common markers that indicate the likelihood of endometriosis and patients will often only have access to one of them.”

She added, “This means that some patients could be disadvantaged if they are scanned by the less optimal option for their particular signs. Some of the imaging tools also rely on operator experience and can be costly.”

In its early evaluation, EndoFusion correctly distinguished positive and negative cases 83% of the time, performing better than the other AI models researchers compared it with.

Lead author Dr Yuan Zhang said, “This is a positive step forward and moves us closer to a future where an AI tool can help clinicians to provide a faster, more accurate diagnosis without the need for surgery.” However, 83% accuracy is not enough to replace clinical diagnosis.

The researchers say the next step is to expand the dataset and incorporate additional markers of endometriosis to improve classification accuracy.

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Could It Reduce The Need For Surgery?

Endometriosis diagnosis has historically relied heavily on imaging and, in some cases, laparoscopy, in which a camera is inserted through a small abdominal incision to look for lesions.

A reliable non-invasive tool could help doctors identify women who need specialist assessment sooner and potentially reduce unnecessary invasive investigations.

As Avery said, “The development of accurate, non-invasive early diagnostic methods is critical to shorten the diagnostic timeline and reduce associated costs.”

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to detect in its early stages. By the time it is diagnosed, the disease may have already spread, limiting treatment options and lowering survival.

Now, a novel blood test called Panxeon, developed by researchers at City of Hope, could offer a way to detect pancreatic cancer earlier.

Panxeon is an investigational liquid biopsy designed to detect pancreatic cancer, including stage 1 and 2 disease, using a blood sample.

The test also showed potential for identifying high-grade dysplasia, a precancerous condition sometimes considered “stage 0” pancreatic cancer.

In a study of nearly 1,800 patients across the US, Europe and Asia, published in Nature Medicine, the blood test correctly identified stage 1 and 2 pancreatic cancer in 87% of cases. Its false-positive rate was 3% among people in low-risk groups and 16% among those in high-risk groups.

Panxeon also detected high-grade dysplasia more than 64% of the time. This could help doctors identify which pancreatic cysts may require closer monitoring or further intervention before invasive cancer develops.

Also read: Meet Audrey Zheng: 17-YO Who Developed Blood Test For Pancreatic Cancer That Correctly Identified 87% Of Patients

How Does Panxeon Detect Pancreatic Cancer?

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates among cancers. Only 14% of patients survive five years after diagnosis, according to the US National Cancer Institute.

Panxeon assesses three biological signals associated with pancreatic cancer: circulating microRNAs, exosomal microRNAs and a protein called CA19-9.

The test then uses artificial intelligence to combine these measurements into a single score estimating a person's risk of pancreatic cancer.

“Pancreatic cancer remains so deadly largely because we find it after the window for cure has begun to close,” said senior author Ajay Goel, chair of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at City of Hope.

“For patients, these findings represent progress toward finding pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear and while more treatment options remain available,” he added.

According to the researchers, Panxeon is the first investigational test to combine these three biomarkers into a single blood test.

However, Panxeon is not intended to replace imaging or other diagnostic tests. Instead, it could potentially help identify people at higher risk who need further evaluation, said Goel.

Who Could Benefit From the Test?

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Early detection of pancreatic cancer has been a longstanding research challenge, with previous blood-based tests failing to provide sufficient accuracy.

The researchers said Panxeon's approach differs by combining multiple biomarkers and evaluating the test in people with risk factors such as inherited or familial risk, pancreatic cysts and chronic pancreatitis, rather than relying only on healthy controls.

“Most biomarkers tell you one part of the story. Combining multiple biological signals gives us a clearer picture of what may be happening in the pancreas,” Goel said.

People who may potentially benefit from such testing include those with an inherited risk or family history of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cysts or chronic pancreatitis.

These groups are often monitored using imaging and other tests. A reliable blood test could eventually help identify who needs further evaluation.

“A stage shift is not just a statistic,” Goel said. “The earlier we find pancreatic cancer, the greater the chance that meaningful intervention is still possible.”

Pancreatic Cancer: Know The Warning Signs

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Pancreatic cancer can begin with few or nonspecific symptoms, making early diagnosis difficult. Symptoms may become more apparent as the disease progresses.

Symptoms that should not be ignored include:

• Abdominal or back pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Jaundice
• Changes in urine or stool.