With an estimated five-year survival rate of less than 10 percent, liver cancer is the United States’ fastest growing cause of cancer-related death in men. These dire statistics hail, in part, from the lack of validated biomarkers to characterize the biological features of an individual’s cancer and inform therapeutic decisions. However a novel method, reported recently in the journal Hepatology, stands poised to change that.

A look back at the drivers behind early COVID-19 outbreaks the US attests that social distancing was, and is, a key intervention to reduce disease spread. A CHOP/DBEI team's dynamic model continues to highlight  trends within counties in real time—and has revealed some disturbing new facts.

Why do some people carry a disease like COVID-19 and remain asymptomatic, while others who have no underlying conditions may die from it? Genetics may be key—and an especially promising approach is the polygenic risk score, using data from biobank-linked electronic health records. But there are challenges.

Some of our major health risks were actually predicted by environmental factors our mothers experienced while we were still in the womb—and some, such as temperature and humidity, can even affect the number of grandchildren we will have. This bigger picture is known as the “birth environment”—and its influence on health has long fascinated Mary Regina Boland, PhD.

Given the fundamental role that proteins play in the processes that underlie various diseases, including cancer, it's important to identify relevant proteomic biomarkers—for early detection, new drug target identification and precision medicine strategies. But standard methods fail to detect some useful ones.

A new statistical method identifies bacteria that grow at different rates in disease, such as inflammatory bowel disease, vs. in normal individuals. The potential: develop treatments by inhibiting or promoting bacterial growth.

Does exposure to air pollution during early gestation increase our risk of heart disease? The answer appears to be yes—both for humans and for some of our closest animal companions—according to several studies led by Mary Regina Boland, PhD.