Medical Bulletin 23/August/2025 - Video
Overview
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Scientists Grow World’s First Fully Functional Human Skin with Blood Supply
In a recent study, researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) have developed the world’s first fully functional lab-grown human skin complete with its own blood supply. The discovery, detailed in Wiley Advanced Healthcare Materials, marks a major step forward in skin disease treatment, skin grafts, and regenerative medicine.
The research team at UQ’s Frazer Institute spent six years developing the advanced skin model using stem cells. Unlike previous skin constructs, this replica includes blood vessels, capillaries, hair follicles, nerves, tissue layers, pigmentation, and immune cells—making it the most life-like skin model ever developed.
“This is the most life-like skin model that’s been developed anywhere in the world and will allow us to study diseases and test treatments more accurately,” Dr Abbas Shafiee from UQ's Frazer Institute said.
“We took human skin cells and reprogrammed them into stem cells, which can be turned into any type of cell in the body,” Dr Shafiee said.
“We placed these stem cells into petri dishes and grew them into mini versions of skin, called skin organoids.”
“We then used the same stem cells to create tiny blood vessels and added these to the growing skin. “It developed just like natural human skin, with layers, hair follicles, pigmentation, appendage patterning, nerves, and most importantly, its own blood supply,” he said.
Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani said the engineered skin would help improve skin graft transplants and treatments for inflammatory skin disorders such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, scleroderma and other genetic diseases.
Reference: M. Mostina, J. Sun, S. L. Sim, et al. “Coordinated Development of Immune Cell Populations in Vascularized Skin Organoids from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.” Adv. Healthcare Mater. (2025): e02108.https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202502108
WHO Leads Global Call to Include Pregnant, Lactating Women in TB Research
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a powerful Call to Action and Consensus Statement urging an end to the routine exclusion of pregnant and lactating women from tuberculosis (TB) research. Published as part of a global consensus initiative, the documents—developed by over 80 international experts—outline a strategic framework aimed at ensuring equitable access to TB innovations for all, particularly those most vulnerable.
Each year, approximately 200,000 pregnant or postpartum women develop TB globally. Despite this high burden, they have been largely excluded from research trials involving new TB drugs and vaccines. This exclusion creates critical evidence gaps that delay access to life-saving interventions for these populations.
“The benefits of TB research must flow to all people with TB, including pregnant and lactating women,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. “It is time to prioritize their inclusion – not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental step toward equitable, evidence-based care.”
The WHO-led consensus process focused on five key thematic areas: preclinical TB research, TB therapeutics, vaccine trials, maternal TB surveillance, and advocacy. It included scientists, regulators, ethics committees, and civil society groups, all united in the call for inclusive TB research protocols.
The recommendations call for immediate action to close data gaps by improving maternal TB surveillance and reporting. It also advocates for the inclusion of pregnant and lactating women at all stages of TB drug and vaccine trials, particularly for candidates with a favorable risk-benefit profile. Additionally, the framework emphasizes the importance of creating enabling environments by addressing legal, ethical, and regulatory barriers, and by empowering affected communities.
This bold initiative offers a clear roadmap for governments, research institutions, funders, and regulatory bodies to ensure pregnant and lactating women are no longer left behind in TB research and care.
Reference: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09518
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240112858
How Dangerous Is Irregular Sleep for Heart Failure Survivors?
A new study published in JACC: Advances by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) reveals that inconsistent sleep patterns significantly increase the risk of adverse events in patients recovering from heart failure. The study suggests that people with even moderately irregular sleep schedules are more than twice as likely to experience another clinical setback—such as hospitalization, an emergency room visit, or death—within six months of hospital discharge.
The study reinforces the critical link between sleep consistency and cardiovascular health.
The research involved 32 patients who had recently been hospitalized for acutely decompensated heart failure at OHSU Hospital and Hillsboro Medical Center between September 2022 and October 2023. After discharge, participants were asked to maintain sleep diaries for one week, recording when they went to bed, woke up, and napped during the day. Based on this data, participants were categorized as either regular or moderately irregular sleepers.
Over the six-month follow-up period, 21 of the 32 patients experienced a clinical event. Among them, 13 were identified as irregular sleepers, compared to just 8 who had consistent sleep schedules. Even after adjusting for factors like underlying sleep disorders and other health conditions, irregular sleepers still faced more than double the risk of experiencing another event.
“When we’re asleep and in a resting state, our blood pressure and heart rate decrease compared with daytime levels,” said Brooke Shafer, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory at the OHSU School of Nursing. “But variability in sleep timing may disrupt mechanisms involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular system.” Irregular sleep may contribute to adverse outcomes, especially for people already affected by heart failure.”
The researchers concluded that improving sleep regularity could be a simple, low-cost strategy to reduce risks in heart failure patients. The next step, they say, is to validate these findings in a larger group.
Reference: Brooke M. Shafer, Shirin O. Hiatt, Sophia A. Kogan, Christopher S. Lee, Nathan F. Dieckmann, Christopher V. Chien, Quin E. Denfeld, Andrew W. McHill, Effect of Posthospitalization Sleep Regularity on Clinical Events in Adults With Heart Failure, JACC: Advances, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.102109.
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