Last update:
Laboratory medicine news
Hidden skin microbe activity revealed in real time with RNA method
Scientists have long known that our skin is home to vast communities of bacteria, fungi and viruses. But knowing which microbes are present only tells part of the story. What matters just as much is which microbes are active, ...
14 hours ago
0
1
Without the right tests, the best medicines make no difference
A new analysis from UC San Francisco argues that diagnostics—medical tests that match patients to the appropriate treatment—are being overlooked both in the United States and around the world. This is slowing progress against ...
Apr 9, 2026
0
6
AI-powered portable sensor enables rapid and multiplexed cardiac biomarker testing
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 20 million deaths each year. Rapid diagnosis and risk assessment of cardiac injury are therefore essential for improving patient outcomes.
Apr 9, 2026
0
3
AI outperforms doctors at summarizing complex cancer pathology reports
AI models can generate more complete summaries of complex cancer pathology reports than physicians, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study that tested six models developed by Meta, Google, DeepSeek and Mistral AI.
Apr 9, 2026
0
7
A urine test that could change the course of bladder cancer care
Bladder cancer arises from the lining of the bladder, the organ that stores urine, and is one of the most common cancers in the United States. Most patients are diagnosed at an early stage called non-muscle invasive bladder ...
Apr 8, 2026
0
6
Sequencing method exposes hidden gaps in immune signaling by tracking RNA and protein together
A new single-cell technology is giving scientists their clearest view yet of immune cell behavior—capturing not just genetic intent, but real-time activity. By measuring RNA and proteins simultaneously, it reveals cytokine ...
Apr 8, 2026
0
6
Gene-edited stem cells help five blood disorder patients stop transfusions in clinical trial
Stem cell transplantation could be a rapid and effective way to restore hemoglobin production in individuals with the blood disorder β-thalassaemia. The treatment, presented in a phase 1 clinical trial, could reduce dependence ...
Apr 8, 2026
0
4
Pilot study confirms cost-effective way to combat ICU drug-resistant infections
A QUT-led pilot study has shown the use of a relatively simple and cost-effective method of monitoring the presence of infectious disease-causing bacteria in intensive care units and their sites of transmission. The collaborative ...
Apr 8, 2026
0
2
A better way to see how brain cells falter in disease
To gain better insight into what's happening in the brain, researchers examine the molecules produced by brain cells, including RNA and proteins. But existing methods for molecular profiling don't always capture the cells' ...
Apr 7, 2026
0
5
AI-powered blood test paves the way for early diagnosis of leprosy
A new blood test combined with a standardized questionnaire and artificial intelligence may transform the way leprosy is diagnosed in Brazil. Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) tested the new test in Brazil ...
Apr 7, 2026
0
3
Detecting multiple cancers and other diseases from a single blood sample
UCLA scientists have developed a simple and cost-effective blood test that, in early studies, shows promise in detecting multiple cancers, various liver conditions and organ abnormalities simultaneously by analyzing DNA fragments ...
Apr 6, 2026
0
535
SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron BA.2 show clustered spike D614 reversions. What it could mean for surveillance
Researchers from University of Tsukuba and Institute of Science Tokyo have identified nonrandom patterns in the emergence of spike D614 reversions in publicly available SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. Analysis of publicly available ...
Apr 4, 2026
0
3
CDC pauses dozens of types of lab testing during evaluation and in wake of downsizing
The federal government's disease-tracking agency has paused its diagnostic testing for rabies, monkeypox and a number of other infectious diseases.
Apr 2, 2026
0
6
Simple blood test could spot dementia years earlier, research shows
A blood test could help identify people at higher risk of cognitive decline years before a traditional diagnosis is possible—according to University of East Anglia research published in the journal Gut Microbes.
Apr 1, 2026
0
5
AI model can detect multiple cognitive brain diseases from a single blood sample
The symptom profiles of different neurodegenerative diseases often overlap, and diagnosing age-related cognitive symptoms is complex. A patient may have multiple overlapping disease processes in the brain at the same time, ...
Mar 31, 2026
0
12
New test identifies active, infectious form of tuberculosis
Researchers in the UC Davis Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have created a new tuberculosis blood test that can detect the active, infectious form of the disease. The discovery enables faster diagnosis and ...
Mar 31, 2026
0
9
Organ-on-a-chip technology replicates decades of human aging in just four days
Over one billion people worldwide are over 60, and the population is projected to more than double by 2050. But as more people live into their 60s, 70s, and 80s, health care systems across the globe may face new challenges ...
Mar 30, 2026
0
19
Bile acid and steroid signatures tied to extreme longevity
Centenarians often live to 100+ due to a combination of protective genetic factors, which account for up to 50%, and healthy lifestyles, such as plant-forward diets, regular, natural movement and strong social connections. ...
Mar 30, 2026
0
44
Genetic code of growing bacterial threat identified using whole-genome sequencing
Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have discovered that a fast-rising strep bacterium comes in more forms than expected, including ones that may lead to life-threatening infections. The study, led by James ...
Mar 30, 2026
0
6
Rapid urine test identifies effective UTI antibiotics in about six hours
Patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) could receive the right antibiotic far sooner, thanks to a new test that produces results within hours rather than days. Researchers at the University of Reading, working with ...
Mar 30, 2026
0
4
New biomarker for immunoglobulin A nephropathy identified
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is an autoimmune disease characterized by the deposition of circulating IgA-containing immune complexes (IgA-ICs) in the glomerular mesangium, leading to mesangial cell proliferation, enhanced ...
Mar 30, 2026
0
3
How gene-targeting technology is transforming STI diagnosis
Most people who have heard of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (more commonly known as CRISPR) associate it with gene editing—the precise molecular scissors that allow scientists to cut and rewrite ...
Mar 29, 2026
0
10
Strong patient diversity in biobanks reveals new genetic links to disease risk and treatment response
A new study by UCLA Health published in Cell presents a major advancement in the future of personalized medicine by pinpointing new connections between people's genes, disease risk and medicine response by using a clinically ...
Mar 27, 2026
0
7
Molecular test for bile duct cancer nearly doubles detection rate
When patients develop a narrowing or blockage in the bile ducts—the tubes connecting the liver, gallbladder and intestines—physicians must determine whether the cause is cancer or a benign condition. The location of these ...
Mar 27, 2026
0
6
Tumor DNA circulating in patients' blood after pre-surgery treatments predicts whether breast cancer will return
Fragments of tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream of patients with breast cancer can predict whether they are likely to relapse, especially when samples are taken after the patients have received treatments prior to surgery. ...
Mar 26, 2026
0
9
