Each year, roughly 2% to 5% of the population is affected by mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and mitral regurgitation (MR). These conditions can affect the heart’s rhythm and have been linked to sudden cardiac death, particularly in advanced stages of the disease, through the development of abnormal electrical activity. MVP causes the valve to bend backward as the heart contracts, while MR affects the valve’s ability to close fully, leading to blood leaking backward.

During cancer treatment, the same brain tumor can be treated with the same anticancer drug, but the effect can differ from patient to patient. A Korean research team has developed a chip that recreates a patient’s own tumor cells together with the surrounding peritumoral vascular environment, making it possible to predict patient-specific treatment responses in advance.

For people with severe lung diseases, a transplant of a healthy organ is often their only chance of survival. However, donor lungs are in short supply. A new artificial lung could provide a solution.

A protective layer that is extremely picky about not letting harmful substances in can sometimes also keep useful things from entering the very space it is meant to protect. The body’s blood-brain barrier (BBB) is one such case. Designed to keep harmful toxins and pathogens in the bloodstream from making their way into the brain while still allowing essential nutrients to pass through, the BBB has become a formidable foe for drugs that need to be delivered to the brain.