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As the number and diversity of targeted therapy approvals continue to rapidly increase, timely biomarker testing is now essential for making informed oncology treatment decisions. However, legacy testing approaches often fall short of clinical demands, especially for cases when rapid turnaround times (TAT) [ES1] are essential. This is particularly true for liquid biopsy applications and urgent single-gene screening scenarios, where delayed results can directly impact patient outcomes and treatment planning. Additionally, for many laboratories, the need to reduce TAT is driving a shift toward implementing in-house next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions rather than outsourcing their testing to third-party labs. In this Inside…

Scientists, veterinarians, and zookeepers joined forces to protect elephants from a lethal viral disease. Shown here is Tess, a 40-year-old Asian elephant at the Houston Zoo, who received the first dose of an mRNA vaccine against the virus.  Image credit:Jackelin Reyna, Houston ZooIn 2008, a two-year-old elephant in the Houston Zoo named Mac suddenly took ill. The usually playful and mischievous elephant toddler became sluggish, lost his appetite, and his head started swelling. He died within a few hours, leaving the zoo staff heartbroken. Veterinarians soon uncovered the culprit: elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV).1 The virus causes hemorrhagic disease—particularly in young…

Fallout from comments at the recent Reform UK party conference linking covid vaccines to cancers in the royal family continued last week with the prime minister wading into the controversy.Speaking during prime minister’s questions on 10 September,1 Keir Starmer said, “I’m proud that Labour are protecting half a million children by rolling out the chickenpox vaccines.2“In stark contrast, the man who wrote Reform’s health policy has made shocking and baseless claims that vaccines are linked to cancer . . . These dangerous conspiracies cost lives, and it shows that Reform can’t be trusted with our NHS.”Starmer was referring to a…

The Mediterranean diet is less of a “diet” and more of a sustainable eating pattern focused on whole foods.But if you’re primarily eating prepared meals and snacks or from restaurants, it can dampen the benefits. Cutting back on these foods and eating more legumes, fruits, vegetables and fatty fish can improve health. The Mediterranean Diet isn’t new—it’s thought to have ancient roots, with traditions of eating plant-based foods, olive oil and seafood dating back to Mesopotamia. “The Mediterranean diet is one of the most well-researched and evidence-based eating patterns, and it doesn’t require strict rules, calorie counting or macro tracking,” says…

Chefs agree that tongs are the most versatile, essential kitchen tool. Tongs can flip, stir and serve—making them ideal for multitasking in the kitchen. Grill tongs are best left outdoors; shorter, lighter tongs work better inside. Joseph Yoon has cooked for people all over the world—on every continent except Antarctica—at events that range from just a few dozen diners to thousands. When he steps into a new kitchen, thousands of miles from his home in Brooklyn, NY, he’s ready to prepare his dishes with whatever he finds in the cupboards and drawers, plus a few key items that are tucked…

Credit: alexandr_1958 / iStock / Getty Images Plus Children are at far greater risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or being on the autism spectrum if they are born to mothers who had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), an analysis of over nine million pregnancies reveals. The study, presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, suggests this pregnancy complication may have neurotoxic effects on brain development. The systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and clinical trials showed that children whose mothers had gestational diabetes had a 36% increased…

“If a patient attests to having one of these conditions or situations that places you at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, they are eligible for the vaccine under current FDA guidelines,” says Amy Thibault, a CVS Health spokesperson.Yet confusion remains. For example, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers pregnancy a high-risk condition that increases the odds of COVID-19 complications, but last spring Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the removal of pregnant women from the vaccine recommendation list.Kennedy also removed healthy children from the list, including those ages 6 to 23…

Every illusion has a backstage crew. New research shows the brain’s own “puppet strings”—special neurons that quietly tug our perception—help us see edges and shapes that don’t actually exist. When four black “Pac-Man” shapes suggest a glowing white square (known as the Kanizsa square), nothing square lands on the retina. Yet we swear we see crisp edges. A study, titled “Recurrent pattern completion drives the neocortical representation of sensory inference,” and published in Nature Neuroscience, now exposes the hidden circuitry that makes this sleight of mind possible. Kanizsa square used in optical illusion experiments. [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International/ ResearchGate…

Members of the House of Lords have debated whether the public will be adequately protected under plans to introduce assisted dying.Supporters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill said it contained necessary protections and would avert suffering that occurs under the “cruel, unworkable current system.” But opponents argued that safeguards in the bill were inadequate or poorly constructed, that scrutiny was being rushed, and that processes could be used to cover up medical mistakes.The bill, which was backed by a majority of MPs in June,1 will legalise the right for terminally ill people in England and Wales to…

Costco recalls Kirkland Signature Prosecco Valdobbiadene for faulty bottles.The affected bottles may burst even when not handled, posing a laceration and injury risk.The recalled wine was sold at Costco warehouse locations in 12 states. There’s an active recall on sparkling wine sold at select Costco stores in the Midwest, according to a company announcement. This is due to the bottles potentially bursting, posing a laceration risk for consumers. The wine impacted by this recall is 750-milliliter bottles of Kirkland Signature Prosecco Valdobbiadene sold at Costco warehouses in the following states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska,…