Demand for weight-loss medications sold under brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy continues to surge, with a recent study reporting one in eight Americans has taken or is currently using the drugs to treat diabetes, heart disease or obesity.

Formally, these drugs are known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) and include Mounjaro and Zepbound. Informally, media, patients and even some physicians have dubbed GLP-1 medications as "miracle drugs" because of the profound weight loss among users.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital in Sweden have determined how children's immune systems react to different kinds of cancer depending on their age. The study, which is published in the journal Cell, reveals significant differences between the immune response of children and adults, and has the potential to lead to new tailored treatments for children with cancer.

Antibiotic overuse is a key driver in the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a major global health crisis. Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and Duke-NUS Medical School have provided compelling evidence that short-course antibiotic treatments can be a game-changer in tackling ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a serious infection common in critically ill patients.

Two new studies led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a possible way to block the progression of several forms of blood cancer using a drug already in clinical trials against breast cancer.

The studies - both conducted in patient samples and animal models - found that inhibiting a protein called RSK1 reduces inflammation and stops the progression of blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) as well as an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

A new study in Nature by last year's Nobel Laureate in Chemistry reveals a possible game-changer in snakebite treatment. Researchers have created new proteins that neutralise lethal toxins found in snake venom, potentially offering a safer and more effective alternative to traditional antivenoms.

According to the WHO, venomous snakebites affect between 1,8 and 2,7 million people each year,

With antibiotic resistance a growing problem, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have developed cutting-edge computer models that could give the disease-fighting drugs a laser-like precision to target only specific bacteria in specific parts of the body.

As it stands, antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately.

Scientists at the University of Stuttgart have succeeded in controlling the structure and function of biological membranes with the help of "DNA origami". The system they developed may facilitate the transportation of large therapeutic loads into cells. This opens up a new way for the targeted administration of medication and other therapeutic interventions. Thus, a very valuable instrument can be added to the toolbox of synthetic biology.