Robots & Pig Organs: The Future of Organ Transplants - CNN 5 Good Things - Podcast on CNN Audio

Robots & Pig Organs: The Future of Organ Transplants CNN 5 Good Things 16 mins
A woman who hadn't used CPR in 40 years didn't hesitate when it mattered most. In Staten Island, a deli manager is giving kids with good grades way more than sugar highs. A newer organ transplant approach could mean less pain, quicker recovery and more donors. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us inside the labs and the lives reshaped by cutting-edge transplant science. The FDA just greenlit a test that could change how millions detect cancer.

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Medscape

23 minutes ago

• Medscape

Stem Cell-Derived Islets Still Producing Insulin at 1 Year

CHICAGO — Ten people with type 1 diabetes, who had recurrent severe hypoglycemia and hypoglycemic unawareness, have remained insulin-independent for over a year following allogeneic stem cell-derived islet-cell therapy with immunosuppression, according to new phase 1/2 data from the multicenter FORWARD study sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The insulin-producing therapy VX-880, now named zimislecel, is delivered by infusion into the hepatic portal vein. A steroid-free immunosuppressive regimen is used, involving induction with antithymocyte globulin followed by maintenance with tacrolimus plus sirolimus. "It's really exciting to have a consistent, scalable source of insulin-producing tissue," study investigator Michael R. Rickels, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, told Medscape Medical News . Even with the need for immunosuppression, there are many patients who could benefit from cell therapy, including those experiencing severe hypoglycemia or having challenges with glycemic control, or those already immunosuppressed for an organ transplant, he said. "Having a product with reproducible efficacy and an established safety record will be important in testing new immunomodulatory approaches, and ultimately other approaches for immune evasion, whether that's through engineering or gene-editing types of approaches in the future," added Rickels. The findings were presented on June 20 here at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 85th Scientific Sessions and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine . Asked for comment, Jeffrey R. Millman, PhD, a professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, who helped develop the technique for deriving islets from stem cells, told Medscape Medical News: "It's what we hoped, but seeing it actually happen is just amazing. There's no stem cell-based therapy has come close to what they've been able to accomplish." But, Millman added, "It's still only going to be for a small portion [of people] with type 1 diabetes, which is why we need to have things like encapsulation or genetic engineering to avoid the immunosuppression part, to make it a therapy that's much more applicable to most or all people living with type 1 diabetes." 1-Year Data The new data extend the findings reported at last year's ADA meeting and continue to demonstrate the feasibility of the therapy for people with type 1 diabetes in whom the risks of immunosuppression outweigh the benefits. The 14 participants (5 men, 9 women) included in the analysis who completed 1 year of follow-up had a mean age of 43.6 years and a mean type 1 diabetes duration of 22.8 years. All had undetectable C-peptide at baseline, a mean A1c of 7.8%, and a mean total daily insulin dose of 39.3 units. All used continuous glucose monitors, 9 used insulin pumps, and 6 used automated insulin delivery systems. Despite the technology, study participants had had an average of 2.7 severe hypoglycemic episodes in the year prior to screening. All participants had engraftment and infusion, as detected by the appearance of C-peptide. Two patients received a half dose of zimislecel, and 12 received a full dose (0.8 × 109 cells) in a single infusion. At 1 year, none of the 14 patients had experienced severe hypoglycemia. All 12 who received the full dose were free of severe hypoglycemic events and had an A1c level below 7%. They also spent more than 70% of the time in the target glucose range (70-180 mg/dL), and 10 patients were insulin independent at 365 days. There were 14 adverse events, including diarrhea, headache, and nausea. Most were mild to moderate and attributed to the immune suppression. Neutropenia occurred in six participants. Two patients died, one from cryptococcal meningitis attributed to the immune suppression and one from severe dementia with agitation owing to the progression of preexisting neurocognitive impairment. The deaths resulted in a temporary pause of the research in early 2024. Overcoming the Need for Immune Suppression Millman said he is not optimistic about the potential of islet encapsulation techniques — several of which were discussed at the ADA meeting — of overcoming the need for immune suppression. "Encapsulation is promising in the sense that it is relatively simple in concept and execution, but historically it's been very challenging," he said. "The problem is that you need a certain amount of islets creating a certain amount of insulin to control blood sugars in an adult human. These cells have certain metabolic needs for glucose for the oxygen that they breathe, and if you are encapsulating them, these cells are not able to rely on blood vessels to provide the nutrients and oxygen that they need," Millman explained. He added, "There can potentially be more advanced ways of doing that that can overcome those barriers, but so far there hasn't been conclusive proof that that can be done in a way that translates to patients." Indeed, in March 2025 Vertex discontinued a phase 1/2 trial of an encapsulated islet product VX-264 because of lack of efficacy. Instead, Millman and others in the field are more optimistic about hypoimmune gene editing of the islets to avoid the necessity for immunosuppressant drugs. "There's been a lot of interesting scientific work coming out from both companies and academic labs with different ways of engineering cells to avoid immune destruction," he noted. Although this research is still in its early stages, Millman pointed to upcoming programs, such as one announced by Sana Biotechnology, for which a 6-month update will be presented here at the ADA meeting on Monday. "I'm hoping that we can learn from that, similar to what we just learned here today from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, about the challenges and the promises of genetic engineering to avoid the need for immunosuppression." Zimislecel will now be studied in a phase 3 trial, with a planned enrollment of 50 patients, to be completed by the end of summer 2025. Rickels has reported being a consultant for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Sernova, receiving research support from Dompé and Tandem Diabetes Care, and being a consultant for Novo Nordisk. Millman has reported holding stock in and receiving research support from Sana Biotechnology.

Yahoo

35 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Sword Health Now Valued At $4 Billion, Announces Expansion Into Mental Health Services

Sword Health announced Tuesday that it had raised $40 million in a recent funding round, giving it a $4 billion valuation. Founded in 2015, the healthcare startup has focused on helping people manage chronic pain at home. Using AI tools, the platform connects users with expert clinicians who then provide patients with tools for digital physical therapy, pelvic health, and overall mobility health. However, the company says this new round of funding will largely go towards developing a mental health arm of its program called Mind. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can "Today, nearly 1 billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition. Yet care remains fragmented, reactive, and inaccessible," Sword said in the announcement. "Mind redefines mental health care delivery with a proactive, 24/7 model that integrates cutting-edge AI with licensed, Ph.D-level mental health specialists. Together, they provide seamless, contextual, and responsive support any time people need it, not just when they have an appointment." Sword CEO Virgílio Bento told CNBC, "[Mind] really a breakthrough in terms of how we address mental health, and this is only possible because we have AI." Users will be equipped with a wearable device called an M-band, which will measure their environmental and physiological signals so that experts can reach out proactively as needed. The program will also offer access to services like traditional talk therapy. Bento told CNBC that a human is "always involved" in patients care in each of its programs, and that AI is not making any clinical decisions. Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . For example, if a Sword patient has an anxiety attack, AI will identify it through the wearable and bring it to the attention of a clinician, who can then provide an appropriate care plan. "You have an anxiety issue today, and the way you're going to manage is to talk about it one week from now? That just doesn't work," Bento told CNBC. "Mental health should be always on, where you have a problem now, and you can have immediate help in the moment." According to Bento, Sword Mind already has a waiting list, and is being tested by some of its partners who appreciate it's "personalized approach and convenience." "We believe that it is really the future of how mental health is going to be delivered in the future, by us and by other companies," he told CNBC. "AI plays a very important role, but the use of AI — and I think this is very important — needs to be used in a very smart way." The rest of the cash raised in the funding round, which was led by General Catalyst, will go towards acquisitions, global expansion, and AI development, Sword Health says. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Sword Health Now Valued At $4 Billion, Announces Expansion Into Mental Health Services originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

CNN

an hour ago

• CNN

A potent heat dome is sending temperatures into the triple digits

The hottest temperatures of the year so far will soon reach the eastern half of the United States as a brutal heat dome starts to build over the weekend. Dangerous, record-breaking heat will impact millions next week. Much of the East is getting a brief respite from the July-like heat that baked the region earlier this week, but thermometers will soar to even more extreme levels starting Sunday. Tens of millions of people from the Midwest to the East Coast will face a level 4-of-4 extreme heat risk Sunday through at least Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Such long-lasting heat is rare, will likely offer little to no overnight relief and will affect anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,' the agency warns. High temperatures across the Plains, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are expected to hit at least 15 degrees above normal next week and will mark the hottest temperatures of the year to date, rising well into the 90s. With humidity, it could feel as hot as 110 degrees — especially in the Mid-Atlantic. The heat will peak in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic early next week. Forecast highs are around 97 degrees in New York City Sunday through Tuesday and could break daily records. In Washington, DC, the temperature could reach 100 — matching or breaking records on both days. Boston is expected to be around 90 degrees on Monday and 94 on Tuesday, just shy of daily records set in the mid-90s. Over 250 daily temperature records could be broken on Monday and Tuesday, including both record highs and record warm lows — many at sites with data going back to the early 1900s. Heat remains the deadliest form of extreme weather in the US, contributing to more than 800 deaths annually on average since 1999, a 2023 study found. Days of intense heat disproportionately drive more severe public health impacts, even in places accustomed to summer heat. Emergency room visits for heat-related illness surge on 'major' and 'extreme' risk days, particularly when high humidity and warm nights prevent the body from cooling, according to the National Weather Service. Nighttime temperatures are also warming faster than daytime highs due to climate change. This makes it harder for the body to cool and recover and increases the risk of heat-related illness and death. This stretch of heat is building just as the seasons officially change. The summer solstice was on Friday at 10:42 p.m. ET, the moment the Northern Hemisphere is tilted closest to the sun. The solstice brings the highest sun angles and longest days of the year, meaning more solar energy is available to fuel extreme heat. The solstice is the start of astronomical summer, but meteorologists mark the beginning of summer on June 1, using calendar months to better match seasonal weather patterns. The hottest weeks of the year still lie ahead. For nearly all of the country — outside of parts of the Desert Southwest in Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas — the warmest days typically occur in July or August. This early-season event is likely just a preview of what's to come, though this stretch of heat is expected to ease by the end of next week. CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert contributed to this report.