Infamous for their environmental persistence and potential links to health conditions, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals, are being discovered in unexpected places, including beer. Researchers publishing in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology tested beers brewed in different areas around the U.S. for these substances. They found that beers produced in parts of the country with known PFAS-contaminated water sources showed the highest levels of forever chemicals.
“As an occasional beer drinker myself, I wondered whether PFAS in water supplies was making its way into our pints,” says research lead Jennifer Hoponick Redmon. “I hope these findings inspire water treatment strategies and policies that help reduce the likelihood of PFAS in future pours.”
PFAS are human-made chemicals produced for their water-, oil- and stain-repellent properties. They have been found in surface water, groundwater and municipal water supplies across the U.S. and the world. Although breweries typically have water filtration and treatment systems, they are not designed to remove PFAS. By modifying a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing method for analyzing levels of PFAS in drinking water, Hoponick Redmon and colleagues tested 23 beers. The test subjects were produced by U.S. brewers in areas with documented water system contamination, plus popular domestic and international beers from larger companies with unknown water sources.
The researchers found a strong correlation between PFAS concentrations in municipal drinking water and levels in locally brewed beer — a phenomenon that Hoponick Redmon and colleagues say has not yet been studied in U.S. retail beer. They found PFAS in 95% of the beers they tested. These include perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), two forever chemicals with recently established EPA limits in drinking water. Notably, the team found that beers brewed near the Cape Fear River Basin in North Carolina, an area with known PFAS pollution, had the highest levels and most diverse mix of forever chemicals, including PFOS and PFOA.
This work shows that PFAS contamination at one source can spread into other products, and the researchers call for greater awareness among brewers, consumers and regulators to limit overall PFAS exposure. These results also highlight the possible need for water treatment upgrades at brewing facilities as PFAS regulations in drinking water change or updates to municipal water system treatment are implemented.
The authors acknowledge funding from an internal research grant from RTI International.

5 hours agoShareSaveAlison HoltSocial affairs editor andJames Melley and Judith BurnsShareSaveBBCThe cost of residential care for vulnerable children in England has nearly doubled in five years but many children still do not receive appropriate care, says a report from the independent public spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) says councils on average spent £318,400 on each child placed in a children’s home in the year ending March 2024. But these huge sums do not represent value for money, the report concludes. “I do not know where the money is being spent,” says Ezra Quinton, now 20, who recalls smashed windows and broken glass in the showers of one of the care homes he was placed in. Ezra, who now works for Become, a care leavers’ charity, first went into care aged nine. Originally from Greater Manchester, he remembers being moved to a different home every few months, often many miles from where he originally lived. He thinks he had up to 60 different placements and although he has spent most of his life in Salford and Stockport, he has lived in Wales, Liverpool, Crewe and Leeds.His education was considerably disrupted but he did achieve C grades in all of his GCSEs. At one home the windows were boarded up because of smashed windows. “We were told to wear shoes if we wanted to shower because they didn’t clean up the glass properly,” he told BBC News. The NAO report found rising costs were driven by a record number of children in care, the increasing complexity of their needs – and a profit driven market. In 2023-24 councils spent £3.1bn on residential placements, in a market the report describes as “dysfunctional”. It says councils are struggling to find enough appropriate placements, arguing that this allows many private care providers to cherry pick the children they take, based on how much support they need and how much profit this allows. The report draws on previous research which showed the 15 largest providers of children’s homes making average profits of more than 22%. Report author Emma Wilson says several factors contribute to rising costs but with the overwhelming majority (84%) of children’s homes run for profit: “It’s really important to get right that balance between supply of available care home places and demand.” She wants the Department for Education to do more to oversee a market which she says is failing children in residential care. “The NAO report concludes that the system of residential care for looked after children is not delivering value for money. On the one hand, costs have doubled to over three billion in the last five years, whilst many children are not in appropriate settings,” Ms Wilson told BBC News. The report highlights how in March 2024 two thirds of children in residential care were in homes outside their local authority and almost half (49%) were more than 20 miles from home. The Department for Education said in a statement: “Vulnerable children across the country have long been let down by years of drift and neglect in children’s social care, which this report lays bare.”It added that it was “driving the largest ever reform of children’s social care” to “break the cycle of crisis for children” – pointing to its planned recruitment of more family help workers and new legislation aimed at ending profiteering in care homes. Claire Bracey, interim chief executive of Become, says the report “is once again lifting the lid on the extortionate profits that are being made from providing homes for our most vulnerable children”.”This market failure is leading to the most unforgivable failure [for] the futures of the children in our care…”Children in care can’t wait. Urgent steps must be taken now,” she argues. But some small, privately run, children’s homes insist they don’t make excessive profits. Sara Milner, who set up Cherry Wood children’s home in Surrey four years ago, after a career in local authority care, says staffing accounts for 80% of costs. “The fees we charge the local authority are reflective of our direct costs and we make moderate margins… but obviously we have to be able to make profits to be a viable business and to offer security for the young people’s future which is obviously really important when you’re doing this type of work,” she told BBC News. With demand for places high, she had also hoped to invest in a second children’s home, but says current pressures, including rising costs and difficulties recruiting staff, mean that has been delayed. The government has already said it plans to limit the profits private companies can make, however the Children’s Homes Association, which represents providers paying tax in the UK, argues that council-run homes can in fact be more expensive. “We know that official data shows that local authority costs are higher,” said the association’s chief executive Mark Kerr. “So if there’s a value for money question then the independent sector arguably demonstrates more value for money than local authorities,” he added.

20 minutes agoShareSaveHugh PymHealth editorShareSaveBBC”It was really bad – we had patients dying on the waiting lists – politicians were getting desperate.”Jesper Fisker, chief executive of the Danish Cancer Society, is looking back 25 years – to the moment Denmark decided to transform its approach to treating cancer.At that point, he says, the country did not have a strong record.”It was a disaster,” he recalls. “We saw Danish patients out of their own pocket paying for tickets to China to get all sorts of treatments – endangering their health.”Some went to private hospitals in Germany that offered new treatments unavailable in Denmark.Back then, Denmark’s record on cancer was low compared to that of other rich countries. But so was the UK’s.From 1995 to 1999, Denmark’s five-year survival rate for rectal cancer was essentially tied with the UK’s, on around 48%, according to the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, a research body. It put both nations well below countries like Australia, which had a 59% rate.Now, thanks to a bold plan, Denmark’s performance on cancer has jumped ahead. By 2014, its five-year survival rate for rectal cancer had risen to 69%, close to Australia’s. (The UK’s rose too, but only to 62%.)Analysts think the trend has probably continued (though these are the most up-to-date figures available). And it’s a similar story for other cancers, including colon, stomach, and lung.This Danish success story has caught the attention of UK policymakers. Health Secretary Wes Streeting says that aspects of the Danish model are feeding into government plans. Some could well be included in a new long-term cancer plan for England, due to be published in the autumn.So, what’s their secret, and can the NHS learn from Denmark?Big investments and thoughtful touchesWalking today into Herlev Hospital on the outskirts of Copenhagen makes for a rather different experience to arriving at an average NHS hospital. The foyer is hung with bright, vivid paintings by the Danish artist Poul Gernes. There are 65 in all.The philosophy is that endless white walls can unnerve patients, while colour can be a pleasant distraction from their problems.Getty ImagesIt is a sign of the attention Denmark has paid to even the atmosphere of hospitals – small, thoughtful touches, alongside investment in more traditional equipment.Dr Michael Andersen, a consultant radiologist and associate professor at the hospital, shows off a high-tech scanner, only the fourth of its kind used by any hospital around the world.Buying hospital equipment like this – particularly scanners – has been central to Denmark’s cancer strategy.”In 2008 the government made the decision to make a heavy investment into scanner systems,” Dr Andersen explains. “They purchased between 30 and 60 – they’re an integral part of the way we work.”Particularly important for cancer are CT scanners, which look deep inside a person’s body. Denmark now has about 30 of them per million people – the average of other rich countries stands at 25.9. The UK, meanwhile, lags way behind with just 8.8 scanners per million people, according to the 2021 figures.Getty ImagesThe investment in cancer equipment, according to experts, led to a huge expansion in diagnostic capacity in Denmark. Unless funding to meet increasing patient demand is made, they argue, England could continue to lag behind on the quality of care.This all comes despite the fact that Denmark’s health spending hasn’t seen a huge boost. Calculated by spending per head of the population, Denmark is ahead; but as a share of national income, its health spending is similar to, and in fact slightly below that of the UK’s.A bold set of plansThis is just one part of a bold plan drawn up by Danish health leaders. Along with introducing new equipment, and rethinking the atmosphere of hospitals, they also made it possible for patients to be treated with chemotherapy at home.New national standards govern how quickly Danes must be treated: following a referral, a cancer diagnosis has to be given within two weeks. Then, if treatment is required, it has to start within the two weeks of diagnosis.If these targets are not met patients have the right to transfer to another hospital – or, failing that, another country – whilst still being funded by the Danish health system.This is quite a contrast to the UK nations. Here, the target is for patients to start treatment within around nine weeks (officially, 62 days) of an urgent cancer referral.Getty CreativeMichelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, believes that there is a lack of accountability in the English health system specifically, with too many NHS organisations. Addressing this, she says, should improve the quality of cancer care.”That means clarity over who in the government and NHS is responsible for delivering each part of the plan.”Ultimately, responsibility for the success or failure of the plan should rest with the health and social care secretary.”She points out that there are similarities between England and Denmark’s state-run health systems – for example, the roughly similar amount they spend on health as a share of national income, meaning Denmark’s example could be followed in England.But this would require a long-term plan, political leadership, higher investment, more cancer screening, and stronger targets. Which is no easy feat.Going beyond just ‘treating’ cancerElisabeth Ketelsen, who is 82, is an active person, still swimming in international events – she has broken world records for her age group. But in 2022, she discovered a lump in her breast.”I saw the doctor on Monday – on the following Thursday I had mammography and a biopsy and from then on it went so quickly my head was spinning, almost.”Elisabeth KetelsenJust three weeks after the diagnosis Elisabeth, who is from Denmark, had surgery. Radiotherapy started two weeks later.Last year, the cancer reappeared in her spine and she was immediately prescribed chemotherapy pills and hormone treatment. The cancer stabilised and she has come off chemotherapy.She has since returned to the swimming pool, competing at an event in Singapore.”The system works,” she tells me.Not all Danish patients are as complimentary, of course, but Danish health officials say their targets for rapid cancer diagnosis are being met for about 80% of their patients.Getty ImagesThis all comes down to the idea that Danish authorities are not just trying to treat cancer; they’re also keen to improve the experience of patients.Counselling houses, where therapy and companionship are offered to patients, have opened up across the country. These are funded largely by the voluntary sector with a small amount of state funding. (These follow a similar model as the Maggie’s cancer support charity in the UK.)Mette Engel, who runs a counselling centre in Copenhagen, tells me mental health is very important in Denmark’s cancer plan.”We see ourselves as a national part of this support system.”Benefits of chemotherapy at homeDenmark’s move to start treating more cancer patients away from hospitals is also part of this wider shift of Danish healthcare from hospitals into communities.Michael Ziegler, mayor of Høje-Taastrup Municipality near Copenhagen, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2022. After a stem cell transplant, he was back at work within seven months.Ziegler had chemotherapy in his own home, using what’s known as a chemo pump.”I could have some quality of life, being able to do things at home I wanted to do instead of being stuck in a hospital room,” he says.”I also think at hospitals there is always at risk of getting infections. The chemo has the effect of reducing my immune system to a very low level so I am vulnerable to infections.”Getty ImagesThere haven’t yet been any major studies and so hard data is limited, but it’s thought by some that at-home chemo could potentially boost survival chances by lowering the risk of a patient catching an infection while in hospital.His cancer has since returned and he will be restarting treatment, including more chemotherapy and a new stem cell transplant. He says he is “feeling optimistic”.A blueprint for the NHS?The Danish health system has certain parallels with the NHS – not least as both are mainly funded by taxpayers.The two nations also face similar challenges when considering the overall health of the population. Alcohol consumption is similar in both nations, though obesity levels in Denmark are lower and smoking rates are higher. (One Danish health leader told me that they were envious of UK initiatives on smoking, with the minimum age for tobacco sales rising each year.)However, there are certain challenges specific to the UK: the population of England, for example, is nearly 10 times larger than Denmark’s population. And the NHS is a complex organisation.Still, ministers have made no secret of their interest in the Danish system, with an official visit earlier this year.Wes Streeting, the UK Health Secretary, says: “Denmark’s healthcare system is known the world over for its excellence, having transformed outcomes through its cancer plans, and Health Minister Karin Smyth’s trip to the country earlier this year offered us vital insights up close.”Mr Streeting says these insights have “fed into” government health plans to “speed up cancer diagnoses and deliver cutting edge treatments to the NHS front line quicker”.Michelle Mitchell of Cancer Research UK agrees that Denmark offers a useful template. “They are diagnosing cancer earlier, people are surviving longer, more people are taking up screening – all of those factors as well as investment in workforce and kit are critical components of a cancer plan.”She argues that British health ministers could move towards Danish-style national waiting time targets rather than the UK’s current system of “benchmarks”, which are weaker and haven’t been met since 2015.’This is unfinished business’The greater challenge for the NHS though, is that there are so many other problems – crowded A&E departments, overstretched staff and, as one analyst put it, “multiple fires burning” – meaning that it can be difficult to persuade health leaders to focus on cancer survival.Ruth Thorlby, assistant director of policy at The Health Foundation think tank, says that policymakers in London and Copenhagen both realised at the same time, in the 1990s, that cancer needed urgent attention and urgent plans were drawn up.But whilst Danish policymakers saw policies through, she argues that in the UK the momentum “dissipated”, as other priorities and short-term problems emerged.”This is unfinished business – over the last decade there has been a move away from cancer plans,” she says.PA WireAt the heart of Denmark’s success was a sense of political consensus. From the 1990s onwards, figures from all major parties agreed that cancer should be a priority. This is a level of agreement the UK has not managed to reach, she says.Mr Fisker of the Danish Cancer Society argues that the usual cut-and-thrust of party politics needs to be set aside. “Politicians must promise each other there is going to be a long, lasting partnership. And health leaders need to operate on a 10-, 15-, 20-year basis,” he says – longer than the life of any one government or party.But does he think that’s possible in the UK? After all, Westminster is not known for much long-term, cross-party thinking.”If you are really decisive, if you really want to do this and are committed to it over a period of time, and you are also ready to invest then I think it can be done,” he says.With a pause, he adds: “Nothing comes without investment.”More from BBC InDepthBBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.

19 minutes agoShareSaveJim ReedHealth reporterShareSaveGetty ImagesDoctors say the NHS is struggling to meet demand in England as new data shows the waiting list for routine treatment increasing for the second month in a row.An estimated 7.4m planned procedures were waiting to be carried out in July, up 34,000 on the previous month and the highest level since March.NHS England said many more patients were coming forward for treatment and a doctors’ strike in July left 50,000 appointments cancelled.The Royal College of Surgeons said the system was coming under severe strain and called for more money for new operating theatres in the autumn budget.”Crumbling hospital buildings are leading surgeons to have to compete for space, directly contributing to delays and leaving patients waiting for the care they need,” said the organisation’s vice president Prof Frank Smith.The latest monthly data also showed the number facing very long waits to start routine treatment had increased.There were 1,429 patients waiting more than 18 months in July, up from 1,103 in June, though down sharply compared to last year. Routine treatment includes anything booked in advance, from a consultation with a specialist to minor operations or major surgery.The government has set a target of treating 65% of those patients within 18 weeks by March 2026 and 92% by March 2029.In July just 61.3% of treatments were delivered in that time, down slightly on the previous month but up from 58.8% in 2024.Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, an independent thinktank, said: “The NHS waiting list often increases at this time of year, but the government is likely to be disappointed not to have made further progress on its commitment to ending hospital backlogs.”While the NHS was able to maintain a relatively high volume of treatment in July, which included the five-day strike by resident doctors, this is the second consecutive month the waiting list has increased.”The NHS said that it delivered 3% more planned treatments compared with last year with the number of patients joining the waiting list up by 5%. It also saw its busiest August ever in A&E and for emergency calls to the ambulance service.NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, ambulance services and other trusts, said staff were “running to stand still” given the increase in demand, and A&E units were also under “relentless pressure”.”If we’re going to make a real dent in waiting lists and get more patients seen faster, we need to change how to deliver healthcare,” said the body’s chief executive Daniel Elkeles.”The shift to seeing patients closer to home and preventing sickness needs to happen quickly.”Latest cancer treatmentsNHS England said that progress had been made on cancer care, which is measured separately from the waiting list for routine treatment.The proportion of patients who had waited no longer than 62 days from an urgent suspected cancer referral to their first treatment was 69.2% in July, up from 67.1% in June.The government has set a target date of March 2026 for this figure to hit 75%.It comes as senior cancer doctors have told the BBC that excessive red tape means some patients are struggling to access the very latest treatments like immunotherapy drugs and advanced radiotherapy.The government is due to publish its long-awaited cancer strategy for England by the end of the year.Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, said: “Industrial action in the NHS is never easy for patients, but despite the disruption record number of cancer patients got the care they needed.”Ambulance response times were the fastest they’ve been in over four years – even as A&E and ambulance staff saw more patients than ever before.”The health secretary Wes Streeting said the government had delivered on its promise of delivering two million extra NHS appointments in its first year of power.”Our 10-year health plan will go even further, driving care out of our busy hospitals and into local communities as we deliver the radical transformation required to fix our broken health service,” he said.

Ingredients of our daily diet – including caffeine – can influence the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. This has been shown in a new study by a team of researchers at the Universities of Tübingen and Würzburg led by Professor Ana Rita Brochado. They discovered bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) orchestrate complex regulatory cascades to react to chemical stimuli from their direct environment which can influence the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs.
In a systematic screening, Brochado’s team investigated how 94 different substances – including antibiotics, prescription drugs, and food ingredients – influence the expression of key gene regulators and transport proteins of the bacterium E. coli, a potential pathogen. Transport proteins function as pores and pumps in the bacterial envelope and control which substances enter or leave the cell. A finely tuned balance of these mechanisms is crucial for the survival of bacteria.
Researchers describe phenomenon as an ‘antagonistic interaction’
“Our data show that several substances can subtly but systematically influence gene regulation in bacteria,” says PhD student Christoph Binsfeld, first author of the study. The findings suggest even everyday substances without a direct antimicrobial effect – e.g. caffeinated drinks – can impact certain gene regulators that control transport proteins, thereby changing what enters and leaves the bacterium. “Caffeine triggers a cascade of events starting with the gene regulator Rob and culminating in the change of several transport proteins in E. coli – which in turn leads to a reduced uptake of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin,” explains Ana Rita Brochado. This results in caffeine weakening the effect of this antibiotic. The researchers describe this phenomenon as an ‘antagonistic interaction.'”Caffeine triggers a cascade of events starting with the gene regulator Rob and culminating in the change of several transport proteins in E. coli – which in turn leads to a reduced uptake of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin.” Ana Rita BrochadoThis weakening effect of certain antibiotics was not detectable in Salmonella enterica, a pathogen closely related to E. coli. This shows that even in similar bacterial species, the same environmental stimuli can lead to different reactions – possibly due to differences in transport pathways or their contribution to antibiotic uptake. President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. (Dōshisha) Karla Pollmann emphasizes: “Such fundamental research into the effect of substances consumed on a daily basis underscores the vital role of science in understanding and resolving real-world problems.”
The study, which has been published in the scientific journal PLOS Biology, makes an important contribution to the understanding of what is called ‘low-level’ antibiotic resistance, which is not due to classic resistance genes, but to regulation and environmental adaptation. This could have implications for future therapeutic approaches, including what is taken during treatment and in what amount, and whether another drug or food ingredient – should be given greater consideration.

People with operable diffuse pleural mesothelioma may benefit from immunotherapy before and after surgery, based on results of a clinical trial exploring the sequence of treatment and the role of surgery for this difficult to treat cancer.
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the tissue that lines many organs of the body. Approximately 30,000 cases are diagnosed every year worldwide, most of them in the pleura, or lining of the lungs. It occurs most often in people who have been exposed to asbestos.
“Mesothelioma is a difficult tumor to treat,” said the study’s lead author Joshua Reuss, MD, a thoracic medical oncologist with Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Our study demonstrated the feasibility and safety of using immunotherapy before surgery for patients who have tumors that can potentially be removed surgically.
“Immunotherapy is making substantial contributions to extending the lives of patients with lung cancer and many other solid tumors. This is an important step in identifying mesothelioma patients who could benefit from immunotherapy in the perioperative period, meaning right before or after their surgery and in choosing patients who are actually candidates for that surgery,” said Reuss, who is also an attending physician at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Reuss designed the clinical trial during fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the primary site where the study was conducted. He presented the results of the phase II study, Neoadjuvant Nivolumab or Nivolumab plus Ipililumab in Resectable Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma, at the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, Spain on September 8 and is lead author of the study published concurrently in the journal Nature Medicine (DOI 10.1038/s41591-025-03958-3).
Phase II clinical trials are designed to assess whether it is possible to deliver innovative treatments to specific patient populations, and whether the potential benefits of the therapy outweigh any adverse effects that patients experience.
“When looking at patient outcomes to date, the issue of whether any mesothelioma is truly resectable is controversial,” said Reuss. “Several major studies have not shown improvement in survival when surgery is incorporated into systemic therapy for mesothelioma. This study incorporates immunotherapy into the treatment of patients who might benefit from surgery.

“Since they occur in the tissue that lines the lungs, mesotheliomas don’t grow and spread like other cancers.” Reuss said. “They don’t typically form solid masses or nodules. These tumors are more fluid, or diffuse throughout the lining of the lung. That makes it more difficult to use our usual methods to determine how extensive a tumor is or to measure whether a treatment is effective by standard imaging assessments.”
In this study, the clinical team worked closely with scientists in the laboratory to test a novel approach studying circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in their patient’s blood. Tumors frequently shed cancer DNA into the blood stream. Oncologists can test the blood to detect the presence of this ctDNA, but their role in clinical decision-making is an evolving area of interest. This is particularly challenging in mesothelioma, a tumor type that has a low number of cancer mutations that can be detected by traditional ctDNA techniques.
“Imaging doesn’t always capture what’s happening with mesothelioma, especially during treatment,” said the study’s senior author, Valsamo Anagnostou, MD, PhD, the Alex Grass professor of oncology and co-director of the upper aerodigestive cancers program at Johns Hopkins. “By using an ultra-sensitive genome-wide ctDNA sequencing method, we were able to detect microscopic signs of cancer that imaging missed and predict which patients were most likely to benefit from treatment or experience relapse.”
“This approach may give us a baseline to monitor the efficacy of that treatment,” Reuss said. “If the ctDNA decreases or disappears, it is a good indication that the therapy is working, If not, it indicates a change in therapy may be warranted.” Reuss added that further validation of this methodology is required before it can routinely be incorporated into clinical practice.
“These analyses contribute to our understanding of which patients with mesothelioma may be candidates for surgery,” Reuss said. “Up until now, ctDNA assessments have not been part of the clinical landscape in the management of diffuse pleural mesothelioma, but our analyses suggest this may be nearing a change in the future.”
Phase II clinical trials are not designed to measure the clinical efficacy of treatment options but both arms of this trial showed improvements in the time from treatment to when the tumors began to grow again and overall length of survival.

Reuss cautions against drawing conclusions about that data, but notes that the results do provide positive signals about the potential value of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for mesothelioma patients with tumors that can be surgically removed and point the way to future studies.
“This is a small study,” he said, “and it does not tell us whether neoadjuvant immunotherapy will improve outcomes for these patients, but it does open windows of opportunity. We need to take what we learned and do further studies, dig deeper so that we can develop better therapies for patients with mesothelioma.”
The study was conducted across multiple academic cancer centers. The trial was sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb. The research was supported in part by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs grant CA190755, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center NCI Support Grant NCI CCSG P30 CA006973, the US Food and Drug Administration grant U01FD005942-FDA, National Institutes of Health grant CA1211113, the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, the ECOG-ACRIN Thoracic Malignancies Integrated Translational Science Center Grant UG1CA233259, the Robyn Adler Fellowship Award, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Florence Lomax Eley Fund.
Reuss reports receives research funding through Georgetown University from Genentech/Roche, Verastem, Nuvalent, Arcus, Revolution Medicines, Regeneron, Amgen, DualityBio, and AstraZeneca, and serves in a consultant/advisory role for AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Seagen, Gilead, Janssen, Novocure, Regeneron, Summit Therapeutics, Pfizer, Lilly, Natera, Merck, EMD Serono, Roche Diagnostics, and OncoHost. Anagnostou reports receiving research funding from Astra Zeneca and Personal Genome Diagnostics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Delfi Diagnostics, is an advisor to Astra Zeneca and Neogenomics and receives honoraria from Foundation Medicine, Guardant Health, Roche and Personal Genome Diagnostics. Other author disclosures are included in the manuscript.
Additional authors include Paul K. Lee, Reza J. Mehran, Chen Hu, Suqi Ke, Amna Jamali, Mimi Najjar, Noushin Niknafs, Jaime Wehr, Ezgi Oner, Qiong Meng, Gavin Pereira, Samira Hosseini-Nami, Mark Sausen, Marianna Zahurak, Richard J. Battafarano, Russell K. Hales, Joseph Friedberg, Boris Sepesi, Julie S. Deutsch, Tricia Cottrell, Janis Taube, Peter B. Illei, Kellie N. Smith, Drew M. Pardoll, Anne S. Tsao, Julie R. Brahmer, and Patrick M. Forde.

Hoarding is often misunderstood, but it can be a symptom of deep trauma. One woman shares how hoarding impacted her life – and her road to recovery.

Cutting off blood flow can prematurely age the bone marrow, weakening the immune system’s ability to fight cancer, according to a new study from NYU Langone Health.
Published online August 19 in JACC-CardioOncology, the study showed that peripheral ischemia-restricted blood flow in the arteries in the legs-caused breast tumors in mice to grow at double the rate seen in mice without restricted flow. These findings build on a 2020 study from the same team that found ischemia during a heart attack to have the same effect.
Ischemia occurs when fatty deposits, such as cholesterol, accumulate in artery walls, leading to inflammation and clotting that restrict the flow of oxygen-rich blood. When this happens in the legs, it causes peripheral artery disease, which affects millions of Americans, and can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
“Our study shows that impaired blood flow drives cancer growth regardless of where it happens in the body,” says corresponding author Kathryn J. Moore, PhD, the Jean and David Blechman Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine, Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “This link between peripheral artery disease and breast cancer growth underscores the critical importance of addressing metabolic and vascular risk factors as part of a comprehensive cancer treatment strategy.”
Importantly, the research team found that restricted blood flow triggers a shift toward immune cell populations that cannot efficiently fight infections and cancer, mirroring changes seen with aging.
Systemic Skewing
To examine the mechanisms behind the link between cardiovascular disease and cancer growth, the study authors developed a mouse model with breast tumors and induced temporary ischemia in one hind limb. The team then compared cancer growth in mice with and without impaired blood flow.

Their findings build on the nature of the immune system, which evolved to attack invading bacteria and viruses, and under normal conditions, to detect and eliminate cancer cells. These protective functions rely on stem cell reserves in the bone marrow, which can be activated as needed to produce key white blood cell populations throughout life.
Normally, the immune system responds to injury or infection by ramping up inflammation to eliminate threats, then scaling back to avoid harm to healthy tissue. This balance is maintained by a mix of immune cells that either activate or suppress inflammation. The researchers found that reduced blood flow disrupts this equilibrium. It reprograms stem cells in the bone marrow to favor the production of “myeloid” immune cells (monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils) that dampen immune responses, while reducing output of lymphocytes like T cells that help to mount strong anti-tumor responses.
The local environment within tumors showed a similar shift, accumulating more immune-suppressive cells- including Ly6Chi monocytes, M2-like F4/80+ MHCIIlo macrophages, and regulatory T cells – that shield cancer from immune attack.
Further experiments showed that these immune changes were long-lasting. Ischemia not only altered the expression of hundreds of genes, shifting immune cells into a more cancer-tolerant state, but also reorganized the structure of chromatin-the protein scaffolding that controls access to DNA-making it harder for immune cells to activate genes involved in fighting cancer.
“Our results reveal a direct mechanism by which ischemia drives cancer growth, reprogramming stem cells in ways that resemble aging and promote immune tolerance,” says first author Alexandra Newman, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Moore’s lab. “These findings open the door to new strategies in cancer prevention and treatment, like earlier cancer screening for patients with peripheral artery disease and using inflammation-modulating therapies to counter these effects.”
Moving forward, the research team hopes to help design clinical studies that evaluate whether existing inflammation-targeted therapies can counter post-ischemic changes driving tumor growth.
Along with Drs. Newman and Moore, study authors from the Cardiovascular Research Center and the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, both within the Department of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, were Jose Gabriel Barcia Duran, Richard Von Itter, Jessie Dalman, Brian Lim, Morgane Gourvest, Tarik Zahr, Kristin Wang, Tracy Zhang, Noah Albarracin, Whitney Rubin, Fazli K. Bozal, Chiara Giannarelli, Michael Gildea, and Coen van Solingen. Also an author was Kory Lavine of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis.
The study was supported by American Heart Association grants 915560, 25CDA1437452, 23POST1029885, 25PRE1373174, and 23SCEFIA1153739; as well as by National Institutes of Health grants T32GM136542, F30HL167568, T32HL098129; R01 HL151078, R01 HL161185, R35 HL161185, R01HL153712, R01HL172335, R01HL172365, and P01HL131481. The work was also supported by the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, the LeDucq Foundation Network, and Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center support grant P30CA016087.

A team of Canadian scientists has discovered a surprising new way to improve blood sugar levels and reduce liver damage: by trapping a little-known fuel made by gut bacteria before they wreak havoc on the body.
The findings, published in Cell Metabolism on July 29, 2025, could open the door to new therapies to treat metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.
Researchers at McMaster University, Université Laval and the University of Ottawa showed that a molecule produced by microbes in the gut can sneak into the bloodstream and fuel the liver to make more glucose and fat than necessary. But when researchers developed a way to trap this molecule in the gut before it enters the body, they saw dramatic improvements in blood sugar control and fatty liver disease in mice with obesity.
“This is a new twist on a classic metabolic pathway,” says Jonathan Schertzer, senior and corresponding author and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster. “We’ve known for nearly a century that muscles and the liver exchange lactate and glucose — a process called the Cori cycle. What we’ve discovered is a new branch of that cycle, where gut bacteria are also part of the conversation.”
In 1947, married scientists Carl Ferdinand Cori and Gerty Theresa Cori were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work showing how muscles in the body generate lactate that fuels the liver to produce blood glucose, which then cycles back to fuel the muscle. The work laid the foundation to explain how muscles use a form of lactate (L-lactate), and the liver uses blood glucose, to communicate and exchange fuel with each other.
The Canadian team found that obese mice — and even people with obesity — have higher levels of a lesser-known molecule, D-lactate, in their blood. Unlike the more familiar L-lactate made by muscles, most of the D-lactate comes from gut microbes and was shown to raise blood sugar and liver fat more aggressively.
To stop this, the researchers created a “gut substrate trap” — a safe, biodegradable polymer that binds to D-lactate in the gut and prevents it from being absorbed. Mice fed this trap had lower blood glucose, less insulin resistance, and reduced liver inflammation and fibrosis — all without changing their diet or body weight.
“This is a completely new way to think about treating metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. Instead of targeting hormones or the liver directly, we’re intercepting a microbial fuel source before it can do harm,” says Schertzer, a member of the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity, and Diabetes Research (MODR) and Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute at McMaster. Schertzer holds a Canada Research Chair in Metabolic Inflammation.
The research, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), highlights the growing importance of the microbiome in chronic diseases.

Glioblastoma is a devastatingly effective brain cancer. Doctors can cut it out or blast it with radiation, but that only buys time. The cancer has an insidious ability to hide enough tumor cells in tissue around the tumor to allow it to return as deadly as ever.
Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma survive for an average of 15 months.
What’s needed is a better way of identifying those hidden cancer cells and predicting where the tumor might grow next. Jennifer Munson believes she and her research team at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have developed a tool to do just that.
Their method, described recently in npj Biomedical Innovations, combines magnetic resonance imaging, Munson’s in-depth knowledge of how fluid moves through human tissues, and an algorithm Munson’s team developed to identify and predict where the cancer might reappear.
“If you can’t find the tumor cells, you can’t kill the tumor cells, whether that’s by cutting them out, hitting them with radiation therapy, or getting drugs to them,” said Munson, professor and director of the FBRI Cancer Research Center — Roanoke. “This is a method that now we believe can allow us to find those tumor cells.”
Currently, doctors plan surgeries to remove glioblastoma tumors based on radiological scans, but that only provides a view of the area just outside the cancer’s edge. During surgery, fluorescent dyes highlight cancer cells, but the dyes don’t penetrate deeply and the cells have to be visible to the eye.
“Those methods are not going to see a cell that has migrated or invaded further into the tissue, which is something that we think we can do with this method,” said Munson, who also holds an appointment in Virginia Tech’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics.

Munson’s research focuses primarily on interstitial fluid flow — the movement of fluid through the spaces between cells in tissues. The flow behaves differently in different diseases.
In studying glioblastoma, Munson’s lab found that faster flows predict where tumor cells are invading. More random motion of the fluid, or diffusion, however, correlates with less invasion by the cancer cells.
But a new metric Munson’s team developed proved to be the best predictor. The fluid flow around the tumor establishes pathways, like streams merging into rivers, which the cancer cells follow to migrate into the surrounding tissue.
“This could tell a surgeon where there’s going to be a higher chance of there being more tumor cells, so they might be a little more aggressive, if it’s safe to the patient to go after a more invasive region,” Munson said.
Munson’s findings underpin the work of a new spinoff company, Cairina, which aims to improve cancer treatment through a more personalized approach to surgery and cancer therapies.
“Cairina is trying to take this to the next level,” Munson said. “Our goal is to supply surgeons and radiation oncologists with probability maps or hotspot maps, where we would predict more cancer cell invasion to support more aggressive therapeutic application, and also to identify where there may be less invasion, to help spare tissue from unnecessary treatment.”
This research was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the Red Gates Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.