Category: 8. Health

New research has found that beta-blockers — medications commonly prescribed to lower heart rate and blood pressure — did not offer clear benefits for certain heart attack patients.

Participants were assigned to either take a beta-blocker or not, within two weeks of leaving the hospital. Researchers found that over the course of almost four years, there was not a significant difference in all-cause death rates, repeat heart attacks, or heart failure hospitalizations between the two groups — suggesting that beta-blockers didn’t offer a notable benefit when taken following a heart attack.

Lead study author Borja Ibáñez, MD, PhD, says that while the results weren’t necessarily surprising — the clear lack of benefit was.

• The investigational topical drug CGB-500 outperformed efficacy benchmarks while meeting safety endpoints
• 59% of patients achieved IGA treatment success
• 71% of patients experienced ≥4-point improvement in worst itch

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CAGE Bio, a biotechnology company advancing ionic liquid–based therapies for immune-mediated skin diseases, today announced positive topline results from its double-blinded, Phase 2b dose-ranging trial of CGB-500 in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Globally, AD affects over 200 million people of which ~92% have <10% affected body surface area¹, of which ~40% suffer from moderate to severe disease. In the US alone, 6.6 million people suffer from moderate to severe atopic dermatitis² and an overwhelming number of these have <10% affected body surface area (BSA) with limited effective treatment options. 

The Phase 2b study enrolled 180 patients ≥12 years of age at 16 sites across the United States. A large majority of patients (~85%) had moderate AD, while 9% had mild and 6% had severe AD, all with affected body surface area <10%.

The trial met primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating best-in-class treatment success, rapid itch reduction, and a favorable safety profile.

• 59% of patients achieved Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) treatment success (Clear or Almost Clear with ≥2-grade improvement)—higher than reported by other topical therapies in AD.
• 71% of patients experienced ≥4-point improvement in worst itch (PP-NRS)
• 35% achieved complete itch resolution (“0” itch score).

Efficacy results were statistically significant vs. vehicle, setting a new benchmark for treatment success for topical therapies in AD.

“This is a highly significant advancement. There are limited topical options for patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) with low body surface area involvement, and physicians often prescribe systemic medications. CGB-500 may offer a much-needed alternative for localized skin-directed treatment for these patients. The rapid and sustained itch relief reported by patients and high rate of disease improvement as adjudicated by the study dermatologists makes this an attractive proposition” said Justin Ko, MD MBA, Board-Certified Dermatologist and Scientific Advisory Board chair for CAGE Bio.

CGB-500 was well tolerated with no new or unexpected safety signals, underscoring its potential as a safe and effective option for long-term management of AD.

“Ionic liquid technology enables local delivery of medicine at efficacy levels comparable to systemic drugs, but with a safety profile similar to topicals. It is exciting to see this technological advantage translated into benefit for patients,” said Dr. Samir Mitragotri, inventor of the ionic liquid platform.

“These results mark an important milestone for CAGE Bio and, most importantly, for patients living with this burdensome disease. These data further strengthen our belief in our mission to provide high efficacy targeted and localized treatment of immunological skin diseases. We are excited to rapidly advance CGB-500 into Phase 3 trials and towards potential registration,” said Dr. Nitin Joshi, CEO of CAGE Bio.

CAGE Bio looks forward to sharing the full data at an upcoming scientific congress. 

About CAGE Bio

CAGE Bio Inc. is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative therapies for immune-mediated diseases using its proprietary ionic liquid technology platform. The company’s pipeline includes clinical and preclinical assets targeting high-incidence dermatological conditions.

¹Silverberg, J. I., et al., https://doi.org/10.1089/derm.2022.29015.jsi

²https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/what-is-eczema/eczema-statistics/

SOURCE CAGE Bio Inc.

Millions of years ago, humans’ ancestors lost the function of a specific gene — but switching that gene back on could help protect people from gout, a new experimental study suggests.

Gout is a type of arthritis that causes sudden, severe pain and swelling in the joints. It happens when there is too much uric acid in the blood, which can form sharp crystals in the joints, triggering painful inflammation. The painful attacks can come on quickly and may last for days or weeks.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) contamination in specific lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats following the death of a cat that consumed the product. Whole genome sequencing indicates the virus strains detected in the animal and the contaminated pet food originated from a common source.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health notified federal authorities after a cat became ill with H5N1 and was subsequently euthanized. The animal had consumed product from Lot CCS 25 093 with a sell-by date of October 3, 2026. Initial PCR testing of the open product sample collected from the pet owner detected H5N1, which was later confirmed through additional testing by USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

FDA collected and tested two retail samples of the same product from a different lot (CCS 25 077, sell-by date September 18, 2026). Both samples tested positive for Influenza A Virus, with one sample confirmed positive for H5N1 through whole genome sequencing.

The contaminated products are sold frozen in 2.5-pound resealable plastic bags containing 40 one-ounce sliders. The yellow and white bags with black lettering are distributed in retail stores nationwide and online. Lot CCS 25 077 is printed on the center back of affected bags.

“FDA is concerned about the lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats described above because whole genome sequencing suggests the H5N1 detected in the now-deceased cat and in Lots CCS 25 093 and CCS 25 077 of the Chicken Eats product originated from a common source of contamination,” the agency stated in its release.

Laboratory analysis identified the virus as genotype B3.13, which has previously been found in other raw poultry-based pet food brands associated with feline illness or death. The sequencing results showed H5N1 from all three samples were within the same cluster, indicating relatedness to a virus lineage detected from November to December 2024 that is no longer circulating.

H5N1 can cause illness and death in birds, poultry and mammals including domestic cats and large felids such as panthers, bobcats and mountain lions. While dogs can contract the virus, they typically exhibit mild clinical signs and lower mortality rates compared to cats. No cases have been detected in dogs within the U.S., though fatal cases have occurred in other countries.

The FDA reports no known human cases of HPAI contracted through exposure to contaminated pet food. The agency continues its investigation and will provide updates as new information becomes available.

MADRID, Spain—Leaning on the support of community health workers (CHWs) and the ability of nurses to prescribe medications helped bring blood pressure under control among adults with hypertension in rural South Africa, according to the results of the IMPACT-BP trial.

The effort, with or without the automated transfer of data from home BP monitors to primary care clinics, provided a greater reduction in mean systolic readings by 6 months compared with standard care—by 8 to 9 mm Hg, Thomas Gaziano, MD (Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA), reported earlier this week at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025.

By 1 year, the reduction had risen to about 10 mm Hg. Rates of hypertension control—to below 140/90 mm Hg—increased dramatically as well.

“In rural South Africa in a very impoverished community, we were able to reduce blood pressure up to 10 mm Hg, persistent through 12 months of the study, and increase control of blood pressure by 20 to 30%,” Gaziano said.

The findings were published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The IMPACT-BP Trial

Globally, Gaziano noted, only 56% of individuals with hypertension are aware they have high BP, 31% are receiving treatment for it, and 18% have it under control, with even worse numbers in certain parts of the world where there are greater challenges accessing healthcare.

In South Africa, for example, the waiting time to see a provider within the public healthcare system is up to 3.5 hours, with individuals having to deal both with travel costs and time lost at work, he said.

“The staff are overworked,” said Gaziano. “Most of the clinics and primary care clinics in South Africa in rural areas are not serviced by physicians, but by nurses only. They’re extremely overworked with the burden of chronic disease as well as infectious disease, and people living with HIV in particular.”

The South African government has been interested in lessening the crowding of clinics and moving care into the communities, he said. That has been done for antiretroviral therapy for HIV, and Gaziano’s team wanted to test whether it was achievable for hypertension management.

IMPACT-BP was conducted in the uMkhanyakude district of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, with investigators recruiting 774 adults with hypertension (BP > 140/90 mm Hg on two measurements separated by more than 6 months) from primary care clinics. The mean age of the participants was 62 years, and 76% were women. At baseline, mean systolic BP was 147 mm Hg, with 20.2% of patients having a reading of at least 160 mm Hg. Nearly half (46.5%) were HIV-positive and only a minority had running water in their home (14.5%) or were employed (11.2%).

The patients were randomized to three arms:

• Standard of care: Participants would go to the clinic, where a nurse would measure BP and prescribe medications, if necessary. Patients would go to the pharmacy to pick up the antihypertensive drugs.
• CHW-led care: Participants would get a home-based BP monitor and a trained CHW would ensure that it was working and record measurements off the device. Those readings would be entered into a clinical decision support tool. Nurses would examine the data and prescribe antihypertensives. The CHW would then take the medications to patients’ homes.
• CHW-plus care: This was similar to the CHW-led model, but with a home BP monitor equipped with a cuff designed to automatically transfer data to the nurse at the clinic. CHWs would still visit patients to deliver medications and assess adherence.

The primary outcome was the change in systolic BP at 6 months, and that favored both CHW arms of the trial. At that time, average systolic BP was 145.8 mm Hg with standard care, 137.5 mm Hg with CHW-led care, and 136.5 mm Hg with CHW-plus care (P < 0.001 for both CHW arms versus standard of care). Those figures were 144.8, 134.1, and 134.0 mm Hg, respectively, at 1 year.

The rate of BP control to a goal of less than 140/90 mm Hg at 6 months was 57.6% with standard care, 76.9% with CHW-led care, and 82.8% with CHW-plus care. The proportions in the two intervention arms increased—to 82.8% and 85.7%—by 1 year.

There were no adverse events deemed to be related to the study.

‘Robust Proof-of-Concept’

The discussant for the study, Tazeen Jafar, MD (Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, and Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC), said an important finding is that the added electronic element—automated data transfers from the BP cuff—did not enhance the BP reductions obtained with CHW-led care.

“The overall message from this [is] that interaction of humans with the patients was key to improving blood pressure control” in the trial, she said.

Similar multicomponent, CHW-led interventions in other low- and middle-income countries—like the one studied in COBRA-BPS, which Jafar led, for instance—have provided generally consistent results, with some variation in the magnitude of the BP impact, she added.

The mean reduction in systolic BP was about 5 mm Hg with the intervention tested in COBRA-BPS, and the smaller effect compared with IMPACT-BP could be related to how care was delivered, Jafar suggested. In COBRA-BPS, the intervention was delivered by CHWs who worked for the public health sector, whereas in IMPACT-BP, the CHWs were hired specifically for the trial and were not performing other tasks. In addition, medications were not delivered for free in COBRA-BPS.

“I think when IMPACT-BP is scaled up and integrated into the health sector, one would expect to see attenuation of the benefit that we are seeing in the standalone program,” Jafar said.

Another challenge for wider applicability of the approach studied in IMPACT-BP is that nurses were responsible for prescribing medications, something that is not available in many countries. And it will be important moving forward to move recruitment of patients beyond the clinics, where participants were enrolled for IMPACT-BP, Jafar said, noting that many people with hypertension are not seeking care at healthcare facilities.

These issues aside, IMPACT-BP was an excellent study that “fills a large knowledge gap by providing robust proof-of-concept evidence regarding the success of this community health worker-led intervention in the region,” she said. “Community health workers are a readily available resource in many low- and middle-income countries, and they can be leveraged upon to scale up the intervention.”

She added that this type of intervention could have relevance, too, for underserved populations in higher-income countries.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday warned pet owners after tests found a link between H5N1 avian influenza samples from a sick cat in San Francisco County and a brand of raw cat food containing chicken.

Cat illnesses and deaths from H5N1 have been linked before to raw food and raw milk consumption, which prompted earlier recalls from different companies.

In a statement, the FDA said the San Francisco County Department of Health learned that a cat became ill with H5N1 after eating Rawr Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats and was euthanized. County officials tested a sample from an open container of the product collected by the cat owner, revealing H5N1.

The product is sold in 2.5-pound resealable plastic bags in retail and online stores nationwide. The two lots have sell-by dates of September 18, 2026, and the brand’s 40-count 1-ounce slider product expires October 3, 2026. The company has a production facility based in Grass Valley, Calif. 

Samples from cat and food related, from B3.13 genotype

Whole-genome sequencing on samples from the cat and the food was performed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL). Earlier this week, the USDA posted a notification of a detection of H5N1 in a domestic cat from San Francico County with a collection date of July 13 and a detection date of August 29.

FDA testing on samples from the same company but a different lot number were positive for influenza A, and sequencing on one of the samples was positive for H5N1.

The FDA said it was concerned because testing of products from two different lots and the sample from the cat originated from a common contamination source and are related. Sequencing from all three samples were within the same cluster and involve a lineage detected in November and December 2024 that is no longer circulating.

NVSL testing of all three samples found that they belong to the B3.13 H5N1 genotype that circulated in dairy cows, then spread to commercial poultry farms across several states. The same genotype has been detected in raw cat food before and was implicated in cat illnesses and deaths.

So far, no human illnesses have been linked to exposure to H5N1-tainted cat food, the FDA said.

Company removed products but questions FDA communications

The company today posted a safety alert, saying it was deeply saddened by the illness and death of any cat, but claimed that the FDA waited weeks before providing information to help the company understand the investigations. 

It said it uses only USDA-inspected human food-grade chicken and that the H5N1 finding should be addressed at the USDA level. Rawr said the sample from the sick cat’s home was tested 6 weeks after the product was opened, raising the possibility that it might have been contaminated in the home environment. It added that products from the other lot were produced from a different poultry source. 

Out of an abundance of caution, the FDA said it removed products from both lots from the market weeks ago, well before the FDA’s announcement.

More detections in US turkeys, wild birds

In other H5N1 developments, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture reported an outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Dickey County, with the detection confirmed on August 30. The outbreak follows a USDA notification earlier this week regarding an outbreak at a South Dakota turkey farm.

Also, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today reported a detection in a backyard poultry flock from Henry County, Georgia. The location has 50 birds.

APHIS also added a few more detections in wild birds with August sample collection states, which include mallards from Idaho and Vermont, a black vulture from North Carolina, and a bald eagle from New York.

Philadelphia, PA , Sept. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTLV 2026, the international conference dedicated to advance discovery research on Human T-cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1), today announced the launch of a global awareness campaign to combat the virus. The initiative is being championed by the conference Chairperson Dr. Pooja Jain who is a Professor at the Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLVs) are transmitted through breastfeeding, needle sharing, intravenous drug use, and sexual contact.

While HIV makes global headlines, its lesser-known “lost cousin” virus HTLV-1 affects about 20 million people worldwide, causing blood cancers with survival rates less than two years. It also triggers devastating neurological conditions, including a multiple sclerosis-like disease called HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP). This campaign aims to create and  accelerate awareness to combat this devastating yet largely unknown threat that remains without a vaccine and cure, mainly due to the lack of adequate dissemination of information and research funding.

HTLV-1 is transmitted by both horizontal and vertical routes, similar to HIV. “Breast milk is a major source of HTLV-1 transmission to infants, yet most mothers have never heard of it, and we need to change that”, says Dr. Jain. HTLV-1 causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), one of the most aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with a median survival of 6-24 months. 

A systematic review found that “migratory flows are significant pathways for the spread, emergence, and re-emergence of infectious agents in different geographic areas,” suggesting that without proper interventions, HTLV-1 can continue to spread to new regions. 

Tracking HTLV-1’s global impact: from its consequential rare disease (ATLL) in North America to the latest Australian epidemic. Highlights efforts by WHO/PAHO on mother-to-child transmission prevention and universal antenatal screening.

“HTLV affects millions of people globally yet remains largely unknown to the public and underrepresented in medical and research arenas,” adds Dr. Jain, who serves as Secretary of the International Retrovirology Association (IRVA, https://htlv.net/), and the Chair of the 22nd International Conference on Human Retrovirology (https://htlv2026.org) to be held in Philadelphia in 2026 from June 3-6. Dr. Jain quotes, “By bringing together patients, caregivers, and researchers from around the world – particularly those from regions where HTLV is endemic – we can foster collaboration, share critical knowledge, and accelerate progress toward prevention and treatment options.”

The campaign aims to:

• Disseminate knowledge and spread awareness while advocating for research funding, clinical trials, and new therapeutics.
• Educate the next generation of scientists and support participation of researchers from underserved regions at HTLV2026, the first major U.S. conference on this virus in 23 years.

Register for HTLV 2026 at https://htlv2026.org

Dr. Pooja Jain is announcing the 22nd International Retrovirology Conference (HTLV2026 in PA, USA) during the concluding ceremony of HTLV2024 at the Royal College of Physicians, London.

Jaycy Naveen, CEO of MyImaginity, the digital partner, supporting Dr.Jain with the above campaign and fundraiser through the non-profit organization Center for Research & Collaboration, emphasized the importance of raising awareness: “Most people have never heard of HTLV. Through our digital solutions and campaigns at MyImaginity, we aim to raise awareness, mobilize communities, and drive donations to fuel the research and visibility this overlooked disease deserves. We’re also committed to engaging the next generation, empowering youth to explore AI-driven research and become catalysts for scientific equity and innovation.”

World HTLV Day is recognized annually on November 10th, providing an opportunity to spotlight the ongoing challenges faced by those affected by the virus.

Contact Information

For more information about the fundraiser or to schedule interviews with Dr. Pooja Jain or patient advocates, please contact:

Jaycy Naveen
Company: MyImaginity Software & IT Services
Country: United States (Blue Bell, PA)
Email: jaycy@myimaginity.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaycy-naveen
Website: myimaginity.com

Scientists at Guangzhou Medical University transferred a genetically modified pig lung into a brain-dead man, the team reported last week in Nature Medicine. Researchers have previously transferred the hearts and kidneys of genetically modified pigs into human patients with varying rates of success, but this is the first pig-to-human lung transplant. 

The lung, which had six edited genes, was transplanted into a brain-dead 39-year-old man. Although the organ sustained some damage in the procedure, it still exhibited partial function once transplanted. Only the left lung was transplanted, so the question of whether the lung could sustain life on its own remains unknown. 

Three days after transplantation, the scientists observed signs of antibody-mediated rejection, the most common cause of transplant rejection. There was also fluid buildup in the lung. The organ was removed after nine days. The lung continued functioning for the entire observation period and showed partial recovery from rejection on day nine. 

The organ transplant problem

Lungs are rich in immune cells and have aggressive immune responses, which is why lung transplants are more likely to fail compared to other solid organ transplants. Additionally, in human-to-human transplants, lungs only last five to seven years, compared with 12 to 14 years for a kidney transplant. Only about half of patients are still alive five years after a lung transplant, according to Mayo Clinic. 

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 103,223 patients are on the national transplant waiting list, with another person added every eight minutes. There were 70,634 waitlist candidates in 2024, and only 24,019 donors (both deceased and living). Many hope that being able to source organs from genetically modified animals can help close this gap. 

Both human and animal organ research approaches gaining steam

In addition to genetically modified pig organs, there have also been advancements towards growing human organs in mice and pig embryos. Human hearts were able to survive inside pig embryos for 21 days, and even started beating. 

The China lung experiment follows a series of pig-to-human transplants. Massachusetts General Hospital performed the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically-edited pig kidney into a 62-year-old man in March 2024, though the patient passed away two months later due to an “unexpected cardiac event” that his doctors said was unrelated to the transplant. NYU Langone transplanted a pig kidney into Towana Looney in November 2024, who became the longest-surviving recipient of a pig organ, with the kidney still functioning well after more than two months. On February 3, 2025, the FDA cleared United Therapeutics’ IND for the first clinical trial of a gene-edited pig kidney (UKidney), starting with six patients and aiming to perform the first transplant around mid-2025.

Air pollution makes people sick and can be deadly — in many ways. It has been shown to drive cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections, and cancers such as lung cancer. It is responsible for 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide every year. There is no doubt about its harmful potential, but science is increasingly trying to pinpoint the exact links between pollution and different illnesses. A new study, published on Thursday in Science, focuses on the connection between air pollution and the risk of developing dementia, a group of neurodegenerative diseases traditionally associated with aging and characterized by the loss of memory and individual autonomy.

Specifically, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, who authored the study, focused on Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder marked by the abnormal accumulation in the brain of a protein called alpha-synuclein. These harmful deposits (Lewy bodies), which are distinctive signs of this type of dementia and also of Parkinson’s disease, are responsible for motor problems and memory loss. And according to this new research, that protein may also hold the key to explaining how prolonged exposure to air pollution increases the risk of developing this type of dementia. The study provides scientific support for the potential of air pollutants to fuel disease and suggests that alpha-synuclein is a crucial mediator linking environmental damage to brain damage.

Xiaobo Mao, a researcher in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University and author of the study, explains that his intention was to dig deeper into a major knowledge gap — “a black box” that made it impossible to understand exactly how pollution damages the brain. The association between pollution and the risk of developing dementia had already been demonstrated, but, he notes, “the specific molecular mechanisms were not clear.”

The researchers focused specifically on Lewy body dementia because of its public health impact — it is the second most common neurodegenerative dementia, after Alzheimer’s — and because its link to pollution was “a blind spot for science,” he says, almost unknown. “We saw a pressing need to investigate whether this common environmental exposure could be a risk factor for this devastating and widespread disease,” he explains in an email response.

The first thing the scientists did was delve into epidemiological research to confirm the association already suggested by earlier scientific literature. They used data from 56 million U.S. patients hospitalized with neurodegenerative diseases between 2000 and 2014. They focused on those with Lewy body-related diseases and also calculated their exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) — an airborne pollutant produced by vehicle combustion, factories, or the burning of materials. When they cross-referenced the data, the scientists found that as exposure to these environmental toxins increased, so did the risk of hospital admission for these neurodegenerative conditions.

Then, in experiments with mice, they confirmed that normal rodents exposed to these pollutants developed buildups of alpha-synuclein and ultimately suffered brain atrophy, neuronal death, and cognitive decline — all hallmarks of dementia. In contrast, when the same pollutants were given to genetically modified mice that did not produce alpha-synuclein, no significant brain changes were observed: no atrophy, no cognitive decline. “The pollution was still present, but without its key target protein, it could not cause this specific type of neurodegeneration,” the researcher adds.

The scientists’ hypothesis is that environmental toxins such as PM2.5 could trigger abnormal accumulations of alpha-synuclein capable of spreading damage throughout the brain.

They confirmed this in another experiment with mice genetically modified to produce the human version of the protein: after five months of exposure to pollutants, the authors detected alpha-synuclein buildups and cognitive decline. But these harmful deposits were different from those that develop as a result of aging: exposure to fine particles generated a different strain of alpha-synuclein.

A distinct, toxic, and highly aggressive strain

“We found that PM2.5 acts as a catalyst, causing the alpha-synuclein protein to misfold into a distinct, highly aggressive, toxic strain,” says Mao. “You can think of it this way: PM2.5 doesn’t just damage the brain directly, but it also corrupts a native protein, turning it into a super-spreader of pathology, more resistant to cellular clearance and more toxic to neurons than forms of alpha-synuclein that aggregate on their own. We confirmed this effect with PM2.5 samples from the U.S., China, and Europe.”

Mao claims that the toxic strain of alpha-synuclein identified in the mouse experiments “shares key biochemical and pathological properties with alpha-synuclein strains extracted from the cerebrospinal fluid of human patients with Lewy body dementia.”

Pascual Sánchez, secretary of the Behavior and Dementia Study Group of the Spanish Society of Neurology, welcomes the results of this research, in which he did not participate. According to Sánchez, the research provides “more evidence that pollution can influence dementia.”

However, he calls for caution when it comes to interpreting the results: just because a molecular pathway has been found that helps explain this correlation does not mean that all people exposed to air pollution will develop Lewy body dementia. “It is a risk factor, but the association is relatively mild. It’s not like smoking and the risk of cancer, which is much higher. But although the absolute risk is small, the link is clear, and this study is a wake-up call,” warns the neurologist, who is also director of the CIEN Foundation.

Major unknowns still to solve

In this regard, Mao himself admits that what remains to be learned is precisely “how pollutants interact with individual genetic risk factors, since not all people exposed to pollution develop Lewy body dementia.”

The researchers also don’t know which specific components of PM 2.5 —the particles are made up of many different chemicals — are the most harmful. He recalls that his research focused on the relationship between pollution and hospital admissions for Lewy body dementia, but “more research is needed to confirm the role of pollution in the initial onset of the disease.”

Even so, Mao says, the discovery strengthens the evidence on pollution’s impact on health and opens new preventive and therapeutic scenarios. “Reducing air pollution is a crucial strategy for protecting brain health,” he says. “Future therapies could also be designed to prevent the interaction of air pollutants with alpha-synuclein or to specifically neutralize this highly toxic strain once it forms.”

Diana Esteller, a neurologist at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, also highlights the preventive implications of the study: “Anything you can do to eliminate this risk factor will be positive.” And although she acknowledges that it could also spur new therapeutic research, she notes that in this particular disease, drug development is “limited.” “Given how common it is, it seems that Lewy body dementia has been somewhat neglected,” she agrees.

Mao, for his part, acknowledges that the molecular pathway identified in his research to explain the association between pollution and dementia is only one among many. He explains: “Air pollution is a complex combination that attacks the body on multiple fronts. Our study has added a crucial new piece to the puzzle, but the full picture is likely a combination of several damaging mechanisms.”

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