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Up-and-coming researchers who are blazing a trail in their respective fields share what they are most excited about and where their research going in the next 5 years.
Nature Medicine asks leading researchers to name their top clinical trial for 2023, from cervical and prostate cancer screening to new drugs for Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
This year saw breakthroughs in several fields, spurred by research in basic science and technology. Here is our selection of critical developments that moved medicine forward in 2022.
A variant of the IL7 gene predicts the toxicity of checkpoint inhibitors in patients with cancer, via a mechanism shared with autoimmune diseases — which could inform biomarker and treatment strategies in both of these contexts.
Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) refers to brief bouts of strenuous movement performed as part of daily living, such as walking uphill or running for a bus. We find that as little as 3–4 minutes of VILPA per day is associated with substantially reduced mortality risk compared to no VILPA.
Subgroup analysis of the EMPEROR-Preserved clinical trial of the glucose-lowering drug empagliflozin in chronic heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >40% found improved clinical outcomes in the cohort of patients with LVEF ≥50%. This is, to our knowledge, the first time a drug therapy has been unequivocally demonstrated to benefit this patient population.
This Perspective outlines how cell atlases can provide the missing links between genes, diseases and therapies, with advances already being made in several fields, including COVID-19 and cancer.
Inhaled particulates from environmental pollutants accumulate in macrophages in lung-associated lymph nodes over years, compromising immune surveillance via direct effects on immune cell function and lymphoid architecture. These findings reveal the importance of improved air quality to preserve immune health against current and emerging pathogens.
Osteoarthritis is highly heterogeneous, so effective therapies will need to target clearly defined molecular endotypes, restore mechanical joint function and reduce pain; thus, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is unlikely to succeed.