NIH Research Matters

A resource with information on gene regulation from more than 2,000 human brains yielded insights into mental disorders and will enable future studies of human brain development and function.

People had high blood levels of TMAO, a chemical that’s been linked to heart disease, when they ate a diet rich in red meat.

Researchers genetically modified an indoor houseplant to purify certain airborne toxins commonly found in the home that have been linked to cancer.

Noteworthy NIH advances in basic research include new insights into cancer, identification of a human skeletal stem cell, and an experimental male contraceptive that blocks sperm movement.

NIH findings with potential for enhancing human health include vaccines against HIV, anthrax, and plague, a wearable ultrasound patch to track blood pressure, and a technique to regrow neurons across scarred spinal tissue.

NIH accomplishments in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease include progress on preventing opioid overdoses, an antibody combination that suppresses HIV, and fecal transplants that restore gut microbes after antibiotics.

Women with simple ovarian cysts detected by ultrasound didn’t develop ovarian cancer at elevated rates over the next three years, adding to evidence that these cysts aren’t dangerous.