Category: 8. Health

Women who see themselves as having lower social status are more likely than other people to show early signs of heart stress linked to future disease risk, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill and Concordia universities.

One in three women in North America die from heart disease. Yet, women are less likely to receive important cardiac interventions or therapies than men. This highlights the need to rethink how we assess cardiovascular risk in women.”

Dr. Judy Luu, Co-Lead Author, Assistant Professor in McGill’s Department of Medicine and a clinician-scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Subjective social status – how people feel they rank compared to others in terms of their social standing – has previously been linked to physical and mental health, with lower social status associated with poorer health. The findings of this study are among the first to show measurable, sex-specific effects in the heart.

More than 400 adults between the ages of 35 and 83, all without diagnosed heart disease, took part in the study. Each completed a questionnaire ranking their social standing on a 10-rung ladder. Cardiac MRI scans then measured early signs of stress in the heart’s tissue.

Women who ranked their social status lower showed more signs of potential inflammation and early scarring in the heart, even when their income and education matched those who ranked their status higher. Men who ranked their social status lower than others with the same income and education did not show these warning signs.

Why might women be more affected?

There are two theories that may explain the findings, said co-lead author Jean-Philippe Gouin, Full Professor of Psychology at Concordia.

“First, subjective social status may better reflect women’s real-life experiences than objective data on their socioeconomic status,” he said. “For example, even with the same education as men, women often earn less or face additional social pressures. So, their self-perception may capture those realities more accurately.”

The second theory is about psychological impact, he said. Women may feel fewer opportunities for upward mobility, which can lead to more stress.

The researchers note that stress is one of the top five risk factors for heart disease in women under 65. Experiences such as trauma, discrimination, and caregiving demands may contribute to the subtle changes in heart tissue observed in this study – suggesting early signs of inflammation, even before disease is diagnosed.

The researchers plan to follow a larger group of participants over time to see whether these early markers predict heart disease.

“We hope our work helps shift the paradigm in cardiac care,” said Luu. “We want to make it normal to discuss mental wellness, social circumstances and stress in routine medical practice.”

A cancer immunotherapy drug that is already on pharmacy shelves is showing fresh potential in the fight against Parkinson’s disease.

In mouse experiments, nivolumab–relatlimab, a fixed‑dose antibody combination used for treating melanoma, blocked the cell‑to‑cell spread of toxic protein clumps that drive the disorder.

More than 8.5 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. Current drugs ease symptoms but do little to halt the relentless loss of movement, speech, and independence.

Xiaobo Mao of Johns Hopkins University led an international team that traced the blockade to a newly revealed partnership between two brain proteins, Aplp1 and LAG‑3. Their study offers a practical target for slowing disease progression.

How cancer drug blocks Parkinson’s

Alpha‑synuclein normally helps nerve cells chat across synapses, yet when it misfolds it becomes sticky and forms Lewy bodies.

The group discovered that Aplp1 and LAG‑3 act like twin door handles, swinging the misfolded cargo into neurons together.

“Now that we know how Aplp1 and LAG-3 interact, we have a new way of understanding how alpha‑synuclein contributes to the disease progression of Parkinson’s disease,” confirmed Mao.

Deleting either handle in genetically engineered mice cut protein uptake, but deleting both slashed it by 90 percent.

Using cultured neurons, the team showed that antibodies against LAG‑3 disrupted the partnership and kept most toxic fibrils outside. That hint of druggability set the stage for tests with the approved melanoma therapy.

Repurposing a cancer drug for Parkinson’s

Nivolumab–relatlimab, marketed as Opdualag^TM, won FDA clearance in 2022 as the first combination to target PD‑1 and LAG‑3 checkpoints in tumors.

Because relatlimab binds LAG‑3, the Parkinson’s team wondered whether it could also short‑circuit the neural handshake.

They injected the antibody mix into mice previously dosed with pathogenic fibrils. Treated animals accumulated far fewer Lewy‑like inclusions, keeping the midbrain’s dopamine supply and motor skills intact.

“The anti‑LAG-3 antibody was successful in preventing further spread of alpha‑synuclein seeds in the mouse models,” said Ted Dawson, also from Johns Hopkins.

The effect outperformed complete genetic knockout of LAG‑3 because the drug simultaneously disrupted its partner, Aplp1.

A protein traffic jam in the brain

The brain’s substantia nigra houses dopamine‑producing neurons that fine‑tune movement. When alpha‑synuclein fibrils march from cell to cell, these neurons choke and die, triggering tremor and rigidity.

LAG-3 had been flagged as a fibril receptor before, yet blocking it alone left plenty of pathology. The new work clarifies that Aplp1 forms a complex with LAG-3, which creates a high‑affinity docking site for toxic cargo.

By filming neurons with pH‑sensitive dye, researchers watched fibrils enter healthy cells in minutes. Removal of either handle delayed entry, while removal of both stopped it almost completely.

The discovery may explain why single‑target strategies have struggled to translate. Therapies that ignore Aplp1 risk leaving a back‑door route open for disease spread.

Why Parkinson’s is so difficult

Parkinson’s is diagnosed only after motor symptoms emerge, by which time over half of nigral dopamine neurons have perished. Lewy bodies start forming decades earlier and appear to propagate along neural highways.

Scientists debate whether the fibrils cause disease or merely mark dying cells, yet the correlation is strong enough that reducing their spread remains a key goal.

Animal studies that limit fibril movement often preserve motor behavior and cortical thinking.

The Aplp1–Lag3 duo offers a concise molecular explanation for long‑range propagation. It also supplies a measurable biomarker, their physical interaction, that drug developers can monitor.

Antibodies in action

Preclinical success seldom guarantees human benefit, yet repurposing an approved therapy skips many safety hurdles.

Opdualag’s^TM pharmacokinetics, dosing, and adverse‑event profile are already mapped in thousands of cancer patients.

The antibody crosses the mouse blood–brain barrier at roughly 0.5 percent of plasma levels, similar to other IgG medicines. That level sufficed to curb fibril uptake and protect motor performance in pole and cylinder tests.

If forthcoming primate and human studies confirm brain penetration, clinicians could move swiftly into small Parkinson’s trials using this cancer treatment drug. Outcome measures might track motor scores, cerebrospinal fibril counts, and imaging of nigral dopamine.

Parkinson’s gets help from cancer drug

Cancer checkpoint drugs can unleash immune‑related side effects, including rash, thyroid imbalance, and fatigue. Whether similar events would occur at lower neurological doses remains unknown.

Another question is timing. Most cancer antibodies are delivered in pulses, whereas chronic neuroprotection for Parkinson’s patients might require years of therapy.

Finally, fibril spread is only one facet of Parkinson’s biology. Mitochondrial stress, environmental toxins, and genetics also contribute, so a combination of treatments will likely be needed.

Even so, the ease of testing an off‑the‑shelf cancer medicine for Parkinson’s patients makes this avenue irresistible. As Dawson observed, stopping spread “could significantly slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.”

The study is published in Nature Communications.

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A new study by investigators from Europe, including the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK), has shed light on significant ethical, administrative, regulatory, and logistical (EARL) hurdles in delivering multinational randomized clinical trials. The research was the first to comprehensively quantify these barriers for an international platform trial and emphasizes the need for urgent improvements, particularly in preparing for future public health crises.

Randomized controlled trials provide the highest level of evidence to inform medical practice. Yet, delivering such trials presents significant operational challenges and is becoming increasingly difficult. One of the many challenges of conducting high-quality, large-scale clinical research is ensuring compliance with all necessary ethical, administrative, regulatory, and logistical (EARL) requirements. In the event of severe infectious disease outbreaks requiring rapid action, EARL requirements and cross-country coordination make it challenging to implement clinical studies. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that there is wide variation in how countries approached clinical research in a public health emergency. However, the differences in timelines between countries have not been comprehensively quantified.

Comparing timelines

In this study, researchers quantified the timelines for EARL procedures, comparing different European countries. They used data from the Randomized Embedded Multifactorial Adaptive Platform trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia (REMAP-CAP), which spanned both the pre-pandemic (2016-2020) and pandemic (2020-2023) periods. REMAP-CAP, an international clinical trial with an innovative adaptive platform design, was designed to test multiple drugs for the treatment of pneumonia, including COVID-19, which allowed for the comparison of a large number of submissions. The new analysis, published this week in JAMA Network Open, covered 257 fully signed contracts with study sites in 19 European countries and focused on three key metrics: time to complete site contracts, time to regulatory and ethical approval (TTA), and time to first patient enrollment (FPI).

Differences between countries

The results showed that the UK achieved dramatic gains in efficiency during the pandemic, with median contract completion time dropping by 97 percent: from 196 days pre-pandemic to just 5 days during the pandemic. In contrast, non-UK countries in Europe saw only an 18 percent decrease, with median times dropping from 224 to 183 days. The study also revealed stark differences in the time to ethical and regulatory approvals. Median TTA in the UK during the pandemic was 8 days, compared to 115 days in non-UK countries. Time from approval to first patient enrollment was, on average, three months faster in the UK (26 days versus 116 days).

These findings highlight the striking differences in research infrastructure and interpretation of regulatory guidelines across Europe. For researchers, it is clear that EARL processes in Europe can be a major bottleneck to trial initiation and execution, slowing down patient access to potentially life-saving therapies. But addressing these challenges requires proactive efforts, also from researchers themselves.”

Denise van Hout, MD, PhD (Research Program Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, UMC Utrecht), epidemiologist, first author of the manuscript

Consistent, transparent processes

The researchers also noted that while the UK benefited from its established research networks and emergency trial frameworks, other countries continued to face considerable challenges. These differences underscore the need for harmonization of EARL procedures across countries to reduce delays and maximize the impact of collaborative trials.

“For researchers planning or conducting multinational studies, it is vital to acknowledge how preparation and engagement with ethical processes can contribute early on.” Van Hout emphasized. “Researchers, policymakers, legal experts, and regulators must collaborate to develop consistent, transparent processes that prioritize trial delivery without compromising safety and ethics. This also includes more efficient contracting. Greater collaboration and streamlining EARL procedures are essential to ensure that patients across Europe can benefit from innovative research, especially during future pandemics.”

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that helps clinicians identify brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, using a single, widely available scan – a transformative advance in early, accurate diagnosis. 

The tool, StateViewer, helped researchers identify the dementia type in 88% of cases, according to research published online on June 27, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. It also enabled clinicians to interpret brain scans nearly twice as fast and with up to three times greater accuracy than standard workflows. Researchers trained and tested the AI on more than 3,600 scans, including images from patients with dementia and people without cognitive impairment. 

This innovation addresses a core challenge in dementia care: identifying the disease early and precisely, even when multiple conditions are present. As new treatments emerge, timely diagnosis helps match patients with the most appropriate care when it can have the greatest impact. The tool could bring advanced diagnostic support to clinics that lack neurology expertise. 

The rising toll of dementia 

Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases each year. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form, is now the fifth-leading cause of death globally. Diagnosing dementia typically requires cognitive tests, blood draws, imaging, clinical interviews and specialist referrals. Even with extensive testing, distinguishing conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia remains challenging, including for highly experienced specialists. 

StateViewer was developed under the direction of David Jones, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist and director of the Mayo Clinic Neurology Artificial Intelligence Program. 

Every patient who walks into my clinic carries a unique story shaped by the brain’s complexity. That complexity drew me to neurology and continues to drive my commitment to clearer answers. StateViewer reflects that commitment – a step toward earlier understanding, more precise treatment and, one day, changing the course of these diseases.” 

Dr. David Jones, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist

To bring that vision to life, Dr. Jones worked alongside Leland Barnard, Ph.D., a data scientist who leads the AI engineering behind StateViewer. 

“As we were designing StateViewer, we never lost sight of the fact that behind every data point and brain scan was a person facing a difficult diagnosis and urgent questions,” Dr. Barnard says. “Seeing how this tool could assist physicians with real-time, precise insights and guidance highlights the potential of machine learning for clinical medicine.” 

Turning brain patterns into clinical insight 

The tool analyzes a fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan, which shows how the brain uses glucose for energy. It then compares the scan to a large database of scans from people with confirmed dementia diagnoses and identifies patterns that match specific types, or combinations, of dementia. 

Alzheimer’s typically affects memory and processing regions, Lewy body dementia involves areas tied to attention and movement, and frontotemporal dementia alters regions responsible for language and behavior. StateViewer displays these patterns through color-coded brain maps that highlight key areas of brain activity, giving all clinicians, even those without neurology training, a visual explanation of what the AI sees and how it supports the diagnosis. 

Mayo Clinic researchers plan to expand the tool’s use and will continue evaluating its performance in a variety of clinical settings. 

Journal: JSES Reviews, Reports & Techniques

Title: Mechanisms and Trends of Pediatric Clavicular Fractures in the United States: A 10-Year Epidemiologic Analysis of National Injury Data

Authors: Charu Jain, MD candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Sheena Ranade, MD, Associate Professor of Orthopedics (Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Bottom line: Clavicular fractures are common injuries among children, usually due to sports-related trauma or accidental falls. The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiology of clavicular fractures among children in the United States between 2014 and 2023.

Why this study is unique: This study is the first of its kind to analyze 10 years of national emergency department data on pediatric clavicle fractures in the United States.

Why the study is important: Understanding how and where children sustain clavicular fractures helps guide injury prevention, especially in sports and at home. The rise in hospital admissions over the course of this study underscores a need to examine why these injuries may be getting more severe.

How the research was conducted: Data were extracted from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a publicly available database representing approximately 100 emergency departments in the United States. NEISS was queried for all shoulder fractures in patients 0-18 years old. These fractures were then filtered for clavicle fractures. Queries were restricted to fractures from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2023.

Results: The findings show that while overall rates for pediatric clavicular fractures remained stable over the course of the study, there was a statistically significant increase in hospital admissions due to those injuries during that same period. This suggests an increase in severity of those injuries necessitating admission.

What this study means for doctors: The data suggest that pediatric clavicular fractures may be becoming more severe, which calls for better injury prevention and management strategies for doctors, parents, and patients. For physicians, this requires careful assessment and more intensive treatment or monitoring as needed. This study provides valuable insight into where pediatric clavicle fractures are treated—whether in emergency departments, outpatient clinics, or primary care—which can help guide resource allocation for health systems and improve care pathways for patients. Since many clavicle fractures in children heal well without surgery, understanding treatment settings can support better patient management, reduce unnecessary ED visits, and optimize follow-up care.

What this study means for patients: For patients and their parents, the findings emphasize that while many clavicular fractures may heal, some may require closer care or even hospitalization. The findings also emphasize the need for rigorous safety protocols during play and sports to reduce injury risk.

What the next steps are for this work: Next steps include using this data to investigate whether clavicular fracture cases presenting to the ED are more severe or more likely to require surgery compared to those seen in outpatient settings. We also aim to identify how many cases go untreated and explore whether specific injury patterns or treatment settings correlate with better long-term outcomes. This will help refine clinical decision-making and improve care strategies for pediatric clavicular fractures.

Quotes:

“Our review of recent national data on pediatric clavicle fractures demonstrates that among younger children, there has been an increase in bed-related falls causing clavicular fractures,” says Dr. Ranade. “Just as there has been a strong emphasis on safe sleep for infants, this study shows that attention should be placed in safe sleeping environments for toddler aged children to prevent falls out of bed.”

“Understanding common mechanisms like sports injuries and falls from beds can help guide targeted prevention strategies and parent education,” says Ms. Jain. “I would like to thank the Mount Sinai Department of Orthopedics for their support, our co-authors for their contributions, and Dr. Ranade for her guidance and mentorship throughout this project.”

About the Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.

Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report‘s® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

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A study led by Cedars-Sinai investigators uncovered a significant uptick in chronic digestive disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurogastroenterology & Motility, highlight a potential link between pandemic-related stress on the gut-brain axis.

Using data from a national online study, we found that rates of digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome and chronic idiopathic constipation rose significantly. These findings underscore the significant toll the pandemic has taken on digestive health.”

Christopher V. Almario, MD, MSHPM, lead author and gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai

Also known as disorders of gut-brain interaction, conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and chronic idiopathic constipation are common gastrointestinal disorders driven by complex interactions between the gut and nervous system.

Nearly 40% of people in the U.S. are estimated to meet diagnostic criteria for at least one disorders of gut-brain interaction, making these conditions a major source of healthcare burden and reduced quality of life.

“These disorders involve chronic gastrointestinal symptoms that are often triggered or worsened by psychological stress,” said Almario.

To better understand how the viral infection might be linked with digestive health, researchers analyzed data from over 160,000 adults across the U.S. who participated in a national online survey conducted from May 2020 to May 2022.

Participants completed detailed questionnaires covering digestive symptoms, mental health and lifestyle changes. By tracking responses over time, the researchers observed a steady rise in gut-related health issues that began early in the pandemic and persisted throughout the survey period.

Key findings showed that:

• Rates of irritable bowel syndrome increased from around 6% among U.S. adults in May 2020 to about 11% in May 2022.
• Chronic idiopathic constipation rose slightly from 6.0% to 6.4%.
• Among adults who reported IBS, investigators noted that the prevalence of mixed IBS, a subtype of IBS where a person experiences both diarrhea and constipation, was most commonly reported. The investigators did not observe significant increases in other types of functional digestive disorders.

As doctors uncover the long-term health effects of COVID-19, study investigators hope this study may draw attention to how the virus’ impact on mental health may affect the gut-potentially triggering or worsening disorders like IBS and other gut-brain conditions.

“This research calls for a renewed focus on gastrointestinal health in the post-pandemic era,” said Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, corresponding author of the study and director of Health Services Research for Cedars-Sinai.

Spiegel, director of the Cedars-Sinai Master’s Degree Program in Health Delivery Science and the George and Dorothy Gourrich Chair in Digital Health Ethics, says even those who did not get COVID-19 but endured significant psychological distress also may have had alterations in their gut-brain axis.

“Healthcare providers must be vigilant in recognizing and addressing the long-term effects of the pandemic on digestive health,” said Spiegel.

• Two new H5N1 outbreaks confirmed in North West and Mpumalanga provinces.
• Government plans first-ever mass poultry vaccination campaign underway.
• Past 2023 epidemic led to culling of 10.5 million birds and $529 million losses.

South Africa’s poultry sector faces renewed threats from avian influenza after two new H5N1 outbreaks were reported, raising fears of another crisis in an industry still recovering from the devastating 2023 epidemic.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) announced on July 2 that South African authorities confirmed outbreaks on poultry farms in North West and Mpumalanga provinces, killing 1,150 birds.

This new detection of the virus comes just four months after the Ministry of Agriculture identified H5N1 in wild birds on Marion Island, where cases were recorded in six species, including the wandering albatross and the king penguin.

Nearly two years have passed since the industry endured its worst avian influenza outbreak in 2023. That crisis, driven by simultaneous H5N1 and H7N1 strains, forced farmers to cull around 10.5 million birds—about a third of the national poultry stock—resulting in estimated economic losses of over $529 million.

A Proactive Government Response

While it is too early to predict if the current situation will escalate to a similar scale, the reemergence of H5N1 has renewed urgency for preventive measures. The Ministry of Agriculture recently announced plans for the country’s first-ever mass poultry vaccination campaign against avian influenza.

On June 5, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen explained that the initiative aims to prevent the catastrophe an epidemic could cause by strengthening the immunity of the local poultry stock against pathogenic avian influenza, drawing on the best international practices and lessons learned from other countries.

In a statement on June 30, Astral Foods, South Africa’s leading chicken meat producer, confirmed it had received authorization to vaccinate 5% of its flock in a pilot program against the H5 strain.

“The vaccine will ensure that the birds develop immunity to infection from any potential circulating strain of the H5 virus in the field. This immunity will develop within three weeks of being vaccinated. The vaccine is designed to prevent the birds from succumbing to bird flu infection through the immunity that they will develop. The vaccine does not prevent infection from a H5 bird flu virus, but the producer will at least not suffer huge financial implications from losing their breeding stock or having to cull the birds due to infection,” the company stated.

Astral Foods clarified that the current vaccine does not target the H7N1 strain, which contributed heavily to the high bird mortality during the 2023 outbreak. As vaccination efforts begin, vigilance remains critical for the poultry industry.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

 

New research from the University of Sydney has uncovered a key brain protein involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease, and identified a way to modify it, offering hope for future treatments.

Led by Professor Kay Double at the Brain and Mind Centre, the team has spent over a decade investigating the biological mechanisms that drive Parkinson’s. The condition affects more than 10 million people worldwide and is the second most common neurological disorder after dementia.

From discovery to breakthrough

In 2017, Professor Double’s team published a study identifying the abnormal presence of a protein called SOD1 in the brains of people with Parkinson’s. While SOD1 normally serves a protective function in the brain, in Parkinson’s patients it becomes faulty, clumping together and damaging neurons.

Building on this, the latest study, published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications, has shown that targeting this malfunctioning protein can dramatically improve motor function in animal models.

“All the mice we treated saw a dramatic improvement in their motor skills which is a really promising sign it could be effective in treating people who have Parkinson disease too,” said Professor Double. “We hoped that by treating this malfunctioning protein, we might be able to improve the Parkinson-like symptoms in the mice we were treating – but even we were astonished by the success of the intervention.”

Treating the protein with copper

The study involved two groups of mice bred to show Parkinson’s-like symptoms. One group was treated for three months with a special copper supplement, while the other received a placebo.

The results showed that mice in the placebo group continued to experience worsening motor symptoms. However, the mice treated with the copper supplement were protected from these effects and retained normal movement.

“The results were beyond our expectations and suggest, once further studies are carried out, this treatment approach could slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease in humans,” Professor Double said.

Understanding Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease occurs when dopamine-producing cells in the brain die off, resulting in tremors, stiffness, slow movements and poor balance. While the exact causes remain unclear, this research strengthens the case that the faulty SOD1 protein is a key player in its progression.

“As our understanding of Parkinson’s disease grows, we are finding that there are many factors contributing to its development and progression in humans – and faulty forms of the SOD1 protein is likely one of them,” said Professor Double.

Toward multi-faceted treatments

The findings also point to the need for combination therapies, echoing lessons from other complex diseases.

“Just as researchers found with HIV, Parkinson’s disease is a complex condition that likely requires multiple interventions. A single treatment may have a small effect when used alone but, when combined with other interventions, contributes to a significant overall improvement in health,” Professor Double added.

What’s next?

The team’s next goal is to determine how best to target the faulty SOD1 protein in human clinical trials. If successful, it could be the beginning of a new class of treatments aimed at slowing – or even halting – the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Many modern devices – from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines – rely on strong magnets made from a type of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and the United States has moved toward renewable energy, accessing these minerals has become critical – and the markets for these elements have grown rapidly.

Modern society now uses rare earth magnets in everything from national defense, where magnet-based systems are integral to missile guidance and aircraft, to the clean energy transition, which depends on wind turbines and electric vehicles.

The rapid growth of the rare earth metal trade and its effects on society isn’t the only case study of its kind. Throughout history, materials have quietly shaped the trajectory of human civilization. They form the tools people use, the buildings they inhabit, the devices that mediate their relationships and the systems that structure economies. Newly discovered materials can set off ripple effects that shape industries, shift geopolitical balances and transform people’s daily habits.

Materials science is the study of the atomic structure, properties, processing and performance of materials. In many ways, materials science is a discipline of immense social consequence.

As a materials scientist, I’m interested in what can happen when new materials become available. Glass, steel and rare earth magnets are all examples of how innovation in materials science has driven technological change and, as a result, shaped global economies, politics and the environment.

Glass lenses and the scientific revolution

In the early 13th century, after the sacking of Constantinople, some excellent Byzantine glassmakers left their homes to settle in Venice – at the time a powerful economic and political center. The local nobility welcomed the glassmakers’ beautiful wares. However, to prevent the glass furnaces from causing fires, the nobles exiled the glassmakers – under penalty of death – to the island of Murano.

Murano became a center for glass craftsmanship. In the 15th century, the glassmaker Angelo Barovier experimented with adding the ash from burned plants, which contained a chemical substance called potash, to the glass.

The potash reduced the melting temperature and made liquid glass more fluid. It also eliminated bubbles in the glass and improved optical clarity. This transparent glass was later used in magnifying lenses and spectacles.

Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, completed in 1455, made reading more accessible to people across Europe. With it came a need for reading glasses, which grew popular among scholars, merchants and clergy – enough that spectacle-making became an established profession.

By the early 17th century, glass lenses evolved into compound optical devices. Galileo Galilei pointed a telescope toward celestial bodies, while Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered microbial life with a microscope.

Lens-based instruments have been transformative. Telescopes have redefined long-standing cosmological views. Microscopes have opened entirely new fields in biology and medicine.

These changes marked the dawn of empirical science, where observation and measurement drove the creation of knowledge. Today, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory continue those early telescopes’ legacies of knowledge creation.

Steel and empires

In the late 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution created demand for stronger, more reliable materials for machines, railroads, ships and infrastructure. The material that emerged was steel, which is strong, durable and cheap. Steel is a mixture of mostly iron, with small amounts of carbon and other elements added.

Countries with large-scale steel manufacturing once had outsized economic and political power and influence over geopolitical decisions. For example, the British Parliament intended to prevent the colonies from exporting finished steel with the iron act of 1750. They wanted the colonies’ raw iron as supply for their steel industry in England.

Benjamin Huntsman invented a smelting process using 3-foot tall ceramic vessels, called crucibles, in 18th-century Sheffield. Huntsman’s crucible process produced higher-quality steel for tools and weapons.

One hundred years later, Henry Bessemer developed the oxygen-blowing steelmaking process, which drastically increased production speed and lowered costs. In the United States, figures such as Andrew Carnegie created a vast industry based on Bessemer’s process.

The widespread availability of steel transformed how societies built, traveled and defended themselves. Skyscrapers and transit systems made of steel allowed cities to grow, steel-built battleships and tanks empowered militaries, and cars containing steel became staples in consumer life.

Control over steel resources and infrastructure made steel a foundation of national power. China’s 21st-century rise to steel dominance is a continuation of this pattern. From 1995 to 2015, China’s contribution to the world steel production increased from about 10% to more than 50%. The White House responded in 2018 with massive tariffs on Chinese steel.

Rare earth metals and global trade

Early in the 21st century, the advance of digital technologies and the transition to an economy based on renewable energies created a demand for rare earth elements.

Rare earth elements are 17 chemically very similar elements, including neodymium, dysprosium, samarium and others. They occur in nature in bundles and are the ingredients that make magnets super strong and useful. They are necessary for highly efficient electric motors, wind turbines and electronic devices.

Because of their chemical similarity, separating and purifying rare earth elements involves complex and expensive processes.

China controls the majority of global rare earth processing capacity. Political tensions between countries, especially around trade tariffs and strategic competition, can risk shortages or disruptions in the supply chain.

The rare earth metals case illustrates how a single category of materials can shape trade policy, industrial planning and even diplomatic alliances.

Technological transformation begins with societal pressure. New materials create opportunities for scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Once a material proves useful, it quickly becomes woven into the fabric of daily life and broader systems. With each innovation, the material world subtly reorganizes the social world — redefining what is possible, desirable and normal.

Understanding how societies respond to new innovations in materials science can help today’s engineers and scientists solve crises in sustainability and security. Every technical decision is, in some ways, a cultural one, and every material has a story that extends far beyond its molecular structure.