Cancer Vaccines, Anti-Aging Treatments, and 5 Other Exciting Biomedical Advances

Cancer Vaccines, Anti-Aging Treatments, and 5 Other Exciting Biomedical Advances Getting older makes you more prone to all kinds of maladies. So why not become younger? We are at the dawn of a golden age of biosciences, characterized by massive leaps in molecular biology. Breakthroughs in precise gene editing, mRNA vaccines, targeted cancer treatments, and more are transforming biomedicine. Move Over, Wegovy and Zepbound Retatrutide, a new diabetes and weight loss medication that targets three different receptors in the brain and body, is even more potent than earlier GLP-1 medications. In preliminary trials, the drug enabled people to lose an average of 70 pounds over 80 weeks. Millions of Americans with diabetes and/or obesity have benefited from GLP-1 medications, and the obesity rate for adults has begun declining largely due to their advent. GLP-1 drugs also reduce the risk of heart attacks, reverse fatty liver disease, slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, and effectively treat sleep apnea. Although retatrutide has not yet been reviewed, let alone approved, by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), black market versions are popular among biohackers. Get Your Lipoprotein(a) Level Tested Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is an especially dangerous kind of cholesterol that triples the risk of a heart attack. Your genes largely determine your Lp(a) level. Cardiologists have known for decades that around 20 percent of Americans are at risk of elevated Lp(a), but they have not offered to test their patients. Why? Because doctors could offer no treatments for the condition. Never mind that patients might want to know their risk for their own reasons, such as career planning. In April, the cadre of medical paternalists finally recommended that patients take a one-time blood test to determine their Lp(a) levels. Fortunately, treatments to lower Lp(a) may be available soon. Preliminary clinical trials show that small interfering RNA drugs shut down Lp(a) production in the liver, reducing levels by 80 percent to 94 percent. New Infectious Disease Vaccines The FDA willing, a powerful new mRNA influenza vaccine providing broad protection against various strains of the virus should be available during the next flu season. More than 620,000 Americans are estimated to be infected by Lyme disease each year. But thanks to trial lawyers, Americans have not had access to a vaccine against the tick-borne illness. That could soon change: This year, Pfizer and Valneva reported that their new vaccine is 70 percent effective in preventing Lyme disease. So far, 91 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, and 44 million have died of the disease. Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and the Scripps Research Institute report that they have developed a vaccine that induces broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV in primates. A preliminary human trial began earlier this year. Sequence Your Whole Genome on the Cheap Back in 2009, I paid 23andMe $1,000 for a genotyping test that analyzed about 555,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The test captured about 5 percent of the common human SNPs. Using the data, 23andMe compiled health predisposition reports, carrier status, and ancestry insights. I just paid sequencing.com $399 to sequence my entire genome. The company is analyzing my genetic data against more than 15,000 diseases, rare conditions, traits, and medication reactions. Cancer Vaccine Progress Highly effective vaccines targeting cancer-inducing pathogens—such as HPV and Hepatitis B—have been available for decades. Researchers are now developing therapeutic mRNA vaccines to prime patients' immune systems to attack their cancers. A preliminary 2026 study reported that seven of eight patients who responded to a pancreatic cancer vaccine were still alive four to six years after surgery. More excitingly, researchers are beginning to develop vaccines that trigger a preventative immune response to common cancer-causing mutations before tumors develop. In a preliminary preventative vaccine trial, none of the patients with a genetic predisposition or worrisome cysts developed pancreatic cancer. Human Reproduction Breakthroughs In May, Paterna Biosciences reported that it had grown functional human sperm entirely outside the body. Paterna used the lab-grown sperm to successfully fertilize human eggs. In June, the biotech company Conception announced that its researchers had turned blood cells into mini ovaries that contain millions of future human egg cells. That same month, a team of Columbia University researchers detailed how they used a precise version of CRISPR genome editing to correct a specific mutation in early-stage human embryos. (Not surprisingly, the achievement provoked bioethical warnings that rich people would start combining the tech with in vitro fertilization to optimize their children.) Reversing the Clock Getting older makes you more prone to all kinds of maladies. So why not become younger? Considerable research is focused on Yamanaka factors, a set of four proteins discovered by Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka that reprogram old cells into youthful stem cells. Life Biosciences is launching a clinical trial deploying three of the Yamanaka factors to restore sight by resetting old, damaged cells to more youthful patterns of gene expression. Several other startups, including Altos Labs, Retro Biosciences, and Rejuvenate Bio, are pursuing this route to increased longevity and health through cellular rejuvenation. More adventurous (reckless?) anti-aging pioneers might consider traveling to biotech startup Minicircle's clinic in the Honduran charter city of Próspera for Klotho injections. The company's gene therapy boosts the production of the Klotho protein, which has been shown to improve physical and cognitive health and extend lifespan in mice. As exciting as this short list of biomedical advances is, I am asking everyone involved to please hurry. None of us is getting any younger. This article originally appeared in print under the headline "7 Cool Advances in Biosciences."