Petition Urges EPA to Ban Antibiotic-Laced Pesticides

A coalition of public health, environmental, and farmworker groups has petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency to ban pesticides containing medically important antibiotics and antifungals. Led by the Center for Biological Diversity, the filing targets oxytetracycline and streptomycin used on citrus and fruit crops, plus gentamicin, kasugamycin, ipflufenoquin, and triazole fungicides. Petitioners say spraying these drugs at low doses across vast acreage speeds the emergence of resistant bacteria and fungi, weakening medicines the World Health Organization deems critical for people and animals. They also warn of damage to water, soil, and wildlife. A 2023 court ruling overturned EPA approval of streptomycin on citrus, but oxytetracycline use persists. Advocates say they are “playing the long game” and may sue if the agency declines to act. (CIDRAP)

Endangered Monk Seals Join Experimental Bird Flu Vaccine Trial

Two endangered Hawaiian monk seals have become the first of their species to receive an H5N1 bird flu vaccine, in a new push to protect them from a fast-spreading global outbreak. RU28 and RU99, orphaned young males at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola hospital, were vaccinated after a small trial in northern elephant seals suggested a Zoetis shot could trigger protective antibodies without obvious side effects. With only about 1,600 monk seals left, scientists fear that an outbreak like the one that killed tens of thousands of southern elephant seals could reverse years of fragile recovery. Testing the vaccine in hospital patients allows vets to track reactions and immunity before any wider beach-side campaign, with the hope that targeted doses could prevent mass deaths in this already stressed species. (New York Times)

FDA Expands SMA Gene Therapy Options With Itvisma

The FDA has approved Novartis’ new gene therapy Itvisma for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients aged two and older with confirmed SMN1 mutations. Itvisma uses the same gene-replacement payload as Zolgensma but in a more concentrated formulation delivered directly into the spinal canal, rather than by weight-based intravenous infusion. The list price is $2.59 million for the one-time treatment, slightly above Zolgensma’s $2.5 million. SMA is a rare neuromuscular disease and a leading genetic cause of infant death; about 9,000 people in the U.S. live with the condition. The approval gives older children and some adults a one-shot treatment option that could reduce reliance on chronic therapies. (Reuters)

One-Shot CRISPR Therapy Dramatically Cuts ‘Bad’ Cholesterol

A small first-in-human trial suggests CRISPR gene editing could one day replace lifelong statin therapy. Researchers used an in vivo CRISPR system to disable a liver gene linked to production of “bad” LDL cholesterol in people with very high cardiovascular risk. A single infusion sharply reduced LDL levels—on the order of 80–90% in top-dose participants—with effects expected to last for years because the edit permanently alters liver cells. Early safety data are encouraging but far from definitive: the study enrolled few volunteers and will need longer follow-up for off-target edits or immune complications. Still, the work builds on earlier gene-editing efforts targeting cholesterol and moves the field closer to one-and-done prevention for heart disease. (Singularity Hub)

Experimental mRNA Flu Shot Outperforms Standard Vaccines

An experimental mRNA-based influenza vaccine has outperformed conventional flu shots in a randomized trial, according to new data highlighted by CIDRAP. The candidate, designed to be updated quickly as strains drift, showed significantly higher protection against symptomatic lab-confirmed flu than current egg-based vaccines over multiple seasons. It also generated broader immune responses against mismatched strains, hinting at more durable performance when the circulating virus surprises forecasters. Reactogenicity—short-term side effects like fatigue and arm soreness—was somewhat higher but within acceptable ranges. Researchers stress that real-world effectiveness, cost, and manufacturing capacity will shape whether mRNA flu vaccines become standard. If results hold up in larger, more diverse populations, seasonal influenza immunization could be headed for the same mRNA revolution seen in COVID-19. (CIDRAP)

Next-Gen COVID Vaccines Advance, but U.S. Stumbles

In a new Absolutely Maybe column, Hilda Bastian surveys the rapidly shifting landscape of next-generation COVID-19 vaccines. Several candidates—aiming for broader variant coverage, longer-lasting immunity, or mucosal protection via nasal delivery—have posted encouraging early or mid-stage data in Europe and Asia. These include intranasal and inhaled formulations designed to block infection at the airway, and T cell–focused vaccines intended to blunt severe disease even as the virus evolves. The setback comes in the United States, where one advanced candidate has effectively been sidelined after discouraging regulatory feedback, raising concerns about domestic preparedness and innovation incentives. Bastian argues that fragmented support and shifting standards risk leaving the U.S. dependent on incremental updates rather than truly novel platforms. (PLOS)

Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise in Rare Pediatric Liver Tumor

Johns Hopkins and St. Jude investigators report encouraging phase I results for a therapeutic vaccine targeting fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC), a rare liver cancer that primarily affects adolescents and young adults. The vaccine zeroes in on a fusion protein (DNAJB1–PRKACA) found in essentially all FLC tumors, allowing a “one-size-fits-all” antigen. In 16 patients with unresectable disease, 75% achieved disease control, and three—including a 13-year-old—are now believed to be cancer-free after deep, sustained responses. Treatment paired the vaccine with checkpoint inhibitors and was generally well-tolerated, with mainly injection-site reactions, headaches, and fatigue. While very early and uncontrolled, the results offer a badly needed therapeutic avenue for a cancer with no approved standard of care and poor outcomes when surgery is impossible. (Hopkins Medicine)

New Cell-Death Pathway ‘Mitoxyperilysis’ Could Be Harnessed Against Cancer

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have identified a previously unknown form of inflammatory cell death they call “mitoxyperilysis.” When innate immune signals and nutrient stress collide, damaged mitochondria migrate to the cell membrane and linger there, spewing reactive oxygen species that ultimately rupture the membrane. The pathway, described in Cell, relies on both immune and metabolic signaling; blocking mTOR or key innate receptors prevents the lethal cascade. In cancer models, deliberately triggering mitoxyperilysis caused tumors to regress, suggesting the mechanism could be therapeutically exploited. The work expands the catalog of regulated cell-death programs beyond apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis, and highlights mitochondria’s dual role as powerhouses and executioners when conditions in the tumor microenvironment turn hostile. (St. Jude)

CAR T Therapy Repurposed to Tackle Atherosclerosis in Preclinical Study

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have adapted CAR T-cell technology—best known for treating blood cancers—to attack atherosclerosis, the most common cause of heart disease. In animal models, experimental CAR T cells targeting an oxidized form of LDL cholesterol sharply reduced arterial inflammation and prevented more than two-thirds of plaque buildup seen in untreated controls. The work, published in Circulation, suggests immune engineering could address residual cardiovascular risk that persists even on aggressive cholesterol-lowering drugs. Scientists emphasize that this is early-stage, preclinical research; any human therapy would need careful balancing of potency, safety, and cost. Still, the study points toward a future where advanced cell therapies aren’t confined to oncology but become tools against widespread chronic diseases. (Penn Today)

High-Flying Mosquitoes Turn Winds into Disease Highways

A first-of-its-kind study shows that tropical mosquitoes riding nighttime winds high above West Africa can ferry human and animal pathogens across long distances. Using helium balloons over Mali and Ghana from 2018 to 2022, researchers trapped 1,017 mosquitoes from 61 species at altitudes up to nearly 300 meters. Lab tests found infections with Plasmodium parasites (7.2%), nematode worms (1.6%), and flaviviruses such as dengue and West Nile (3.5%), totaling 21 pathogen species. Many insects carried disseminated infections, meaning they were likely ready to transmit upon landing. The findings challenge assumptions that long-range spread mainly follows human or animal movement and suggest downwind communities hundreds of kilometers away may face invisible, wind-borne seeding of outbreaks. (CIDRAP)