Medical Bulletin 26/ December/ 2024
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Researchers Unveil Efficacy and Safety of New Migraine Drug
A drug recently approved to prevent migraine may start working right away, according to a study published online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at the drug atogepant, which is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist taken by mouth.
In the study, people taking the drug atogepant were less likely to have a migraine on the first day of taking the drug compared to those taking a placebo. They also had fewer migraines per week during each of the first four weeks of the study and fewer migraines during the study overall than those taking a placebo.
For this study, researchers looked at the data from three trials on the safety and effectiveness of atogepant over 12 weeks to focus on how rapidly improvements appeared. There were 3 trials - ADVANCE trial, ELEVATE trial and PROGRESS trial, which enrolled people with episodic migraine.
People with episodic migraine experience up to 14 migraine days per month. People with chronic migraine experience at least 15 days with headache per month, with at least eight days being characteristic of migraine. On the first day of the study, 12% of those taking the drug in the first trial, the ADVANCE trial had a migraine, compared to 25% of those taking placebo. In the second trial, the ELEVATE trial, the numbers were 15% and 26%. For the third trial, the PROGRESS trial, the numbers were 51% and 61%. When researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect the rate of migraine, they found that people taking the drug were 61% less likely to have a migraine in the first trial, 47% less likely in the second trial, and 37% less likely in the third trial.
Reference: Lipton, R. B., Gandhi, P., Tassorelli, C., Reuter, U., Harriott, A. M., Holle-Lee, D., Gottschalk, C. H., Neel, B., Liu, Y., Guo, H., Stokes, J., Nagy, K., Dabruzzo, B., & Smith, J. H. (2025, January 28). Early improvements with atogepant for the preventive treatment of migraine: Results from 3 randomized phase 3 trials. Neurology, 104(2), Article 0000000000210212. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000210212
Simple Scan Could Predict Risk of Serious Cardiac Events
The researchers, led by Frederick H. Epstein, PhD, of the University of Virginia’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, are seeking to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the composition of adipose tissue – fat – that surrounds the heart. The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Analyzing this tissue could let doctors identify patients at greatest risk for potentially deadly cardiac problems and to predict how well those patients may respond to treatments.
Early testing of the technique has produced encouraging signs that the approach could be a powerful tool to improve patient care.
The UVA researchers would use MRI to assess the amount and composition of the fat. The imaging technology essentially lets them see inside the body without the need for surgery. By analyzing the amounts of saturated fatty acids, monosaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids – fats commonly associated with our diets – in the epicardial adipose tissue, doctors may be able to identify patients who could face heart problems even before symptoms appear. Identifying and correcting this problem has the potential to slow down the progression of heart disease.
By developing innovative imaging approaches, the scientists are now able to get the images they need in the span of a single breath hold.
The UVA team has already tested their technology in both the lab and in a limited number of human patients. They found that the fat around the heart in patients who were obese and had suffered heart attacks was comprised of an excessive amount of saturated fatty acids.
Reference: Echols JT, Wang S, Patel AR, Hogwood AC, Abbate A, Epstein FH. Fatty acid composition MRI of epicardial adipose tissue: Methods and detection of proinflammatory biomarkers in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients. Magn Reson Med. 2025; 93: 519-535. doi: 10.1002/mrm.30285
Can Cancer Cells Revert to Normal Cells?
A research team led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has developed a technology that can treat colon cancer by converting cancer cells into a state resembling normal colon cells without killing them, thus avoiding side effects.
The research team focused on the observation that during the oncogenesis process, normal cells regress along their differentiation trajectory.
Building on this insight, they developed a technology to create a digital twin of the gene network associated with the differentiation trajectory of normal cells.
Through simulation analysis, the team systematically identified master molecular switches that induce normal cell differentiation.
When these switches were applied to colon cancer cells, the cancer cells reverted to a normal-like state, a result confirmed through molecular and cellular experiments as well as animal studies.
This research demonstrates that cancer cell reversion can be systematically achieved by analyzing and utilizing the digital twin of the cancer cell gene network, rather than relying on serendipitous discoveries.
The findings hold significant promise for developing reversible cancer therapies that can be applied to various types of cancer.
Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho remarked, "The fact that cancer cells can be converted back to normal cells is an astonishing phenomenon. This study proves that such reversion can be systematically induced."
He further emphasized, "This research introduces the novel concept of reversible cancer therapy by reverting cancer cells to normal cells. It also develops foundational technology for identifying targets for cancer reversion through the systematic analysis of normal cell differentiation trajectories."
Reference: https://news.kaist.ac.kr/newsen/html/news/?mode=V&mng_no=42710
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