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01 / 05
Positive Results from New Type of Islet Cell Transplantation

GlobeNewswire | Health & Medical Care

Positive Results from New Type of Islet Cell Transplantation

“Sana Biotechnology has shared early data for its investigational allogeneic cell therapy being studied in one patient with type 1 diabetes, sending the company’s share price up by about 200%.

The data ‘pave the way for a potentially transformative cure,’ for a disease that affects more than 1.7 million Americans, Citi analysts wrote in a Jan. 8 note.

The Seattle-based biotech is evaluating UP421, a donor-derived allogeneic primary islet cell therapy, as a type 1 diabetes treatment that doesn’t require the use of any immunosuppression. Four weeks after the cells were transplanted into the patient’s arm, the therapy had avoided immune rejection and was tied to consistent levels of c-peptide expression—a biomarker that indicates if the transplanted beta cells are producing insulin.”

From GlobeNewswire.

CNN | Accidents, Injuries & Poisonings

Shark Attacks Declined Sharply in 2024

“Unprovoked attacks by sharks declined sharply in 2024, with 47 incidents logged worldwide, down 22 from the previous year and significantly below a 10-year average of 70, according to new figures released Tuesday.

The United States experienced the highest number of unprovoked attacks by sharks, with 28 reported incidents, including one fatal attack by an unknown shark species off the northwest coast of Oahu, Hawaii. That US total, however, was almost a third lower than in 2023.”

From CNN.

Nature | Health & Medical Care

Dozens of Promising New Obesity Drugs Are Coming

“Semaglutide and tirzepatide are often lumped together under the umbrella of GLP-1 drugs, but they differ in one key regard: tirzepatide mimics not only GLP-1 but also a complementary hormone called gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP). This hormone further revs up energy metabolism and affects how the body stores and burns nutrients. Tirzepatide’s dual action is thought to contribute to its superior weight-loss results.

In a large head-to-head trial, sponsored by tirzepatide’s maker Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, participants who took tirzepatide lost an average of 20% of their body weight, outpacing the 14% reduction achieved with semaglutide…

Inspired by tirzepatide’s success, many companies are advancing other drugs that engage GLP-1 and GIP receptors. At least five tirzepatide-like therapies are progressing through clinical trials, with the first expected to hit the market by 2028.”

From Nature.

Scientific American | Health & Medical Care

First Person with Eye and Face Transplant Is Recovering Well

“In June of 2021 Aaron James, then 44 years old, experienced a terrible accident while working as an electrical lineman. The military veteran and Arkansas resident lost much of the left side of his face—including his left eye—to severely disfiguring electrical burns that also destroyed his left arm.

Two years later James received the first-ever partial-face and whole-eye transplant, performed by surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City. More than a year after that James had made a strong recovery with no evidence of tissue rejection, as reported by his medical team in a paper published last September in JAMA. He still lacks any vision in the transplanted eye, but the eye itself has maintained its shape and blood flow—and there is evidence of electrical activity in the retina in response to light.”

From Scientific American.