https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Duke-NUS Medical School In eye clinics and clinical trials, doctors increasingly rely on patients' own reports of how eye disease and treatment affect daily life. Yet these patient questionnaires are often long, repetitive and difficult to use in real-time care, limiting their value in both research and care improvement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-driven-patient-feedback-vision.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news694784281 Scientists have identified the transporter protein that allows essential fats in the bloodstream to enter the skin, reshaping understanding of how the skin maintains its protective barrier. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-scientists-uncover-key-lipid-skin.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:16:33 EDT news693486961 Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have found that viruses circulating in live poultry markets can be detected more effectively by sampling the surrounding environment than by testing individual birds. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that environmental sampling can uncover a broader range of poultry viruses—including highly pathogenic avian influenza strains that traditional surveillance may miss. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-environmental-sampling-poultry-viruses-bird.html Veterinary medicine Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:40:01 EST news691936741 Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have identified a molecular "switch" that determines whether pancreatic cancer cells resist chemotherapy or respond to it—a finding that could help convert some of the most treatment-resistant tumors into forms that are more manageable with existing drugs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-molecular-pancreatic-cancer-treatable.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:20:07 EST news691684081 Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, working with collaborators at Imperial College London and partners in Europe and the United States, have uncovered new insights into how an additional copy of chromosome 21 alters brain development in Down syndrome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-syndrome-brain-scientists-molecular-date.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:40:03 EST news691320421 After a cardiac arrest, families and doctors are often faced with agonizing uncertainty about a patient's chances of recovery. This uncertainty is even greater in hospitals with limited resources, where access to advanced diagnostic tools and large datasets is constrained. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-ai-tools-diagnostics-patient-outcome.html Health informatics Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:28:36 EST news688660081 Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School and the National University Health System (NUHS), together with an international team of researchers, have uncovered a complex interplay of factors that increase the risk of developing stomach cancer (gastric cancer). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-aging-oral-bacteria-genetic-mutations.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:12:58 EST news688032721 Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have uncovered how exercise helps aging muscles regain their ability to repair themselves, shedding light on why physical activity remains one of the most effective ways to preserve strength and mobility later in life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-aging-muscles.html Gerontology & Geriatrics Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:23:55 EST news685707421 Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have developed two powerful computational tools that could transform how researchers study the "conversations" between cells inside the body. The tools, called sCCIgen and QuadST, help scientists understand both where cells are located in tissues and how they communicate through genetic activity and chemical signals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-scientists-virtual-tissue-tools-cells.html Medical research Mon, 22 Dec 2025 05:51:53 EST news685605076 Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and their international collaborators have developed a new computational tool that maps how gene pathways interact in complex biological systems. Using this novel algorithm, the team discovered a previously unknown protein pathway that, when blocked, triggers the death of blood cancer cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-hidden-metabolic-weakness-blood-cancers.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:29:25 EST news684415741 Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI) has offered the first public preview of PathGen, an AI-powered sense-making and decision-making support platform for pathogen genomics and contextual data. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-pathgen-ai-powered-outbreak-intelligence.html Health Tue, 02 Dec 2025 05:18:36 EST news683875081 A new study by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School has revealed that almost all community-dwelling older adults with advanced dementia in Singapore experience at least one potentially burdensome intervention in their last year of life. The findings highlight an urgent need for new strategies to support families and reduce unnecessary interventions at the end of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-older-adults-dementia-burdensome-interventions.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 17 Nov 2025 07:04:05 EST news682585442 Imagine a medical student diagnosing a virtual patient or a junior doctor practicing procedural skills such as drawing blood in a metaverse classroom. These Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools aren't science fiction—they are emerging realities that could train more doctors, faster and better, to meet the world's growing health care needs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-collaborations-key-potential-ai-medical.html Health informatics Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:52:05 EST news682260722 Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and their collaborators have created one of the most comprehensive single cell maps of the developing human brain. The atlas captures nearly every cell type, their genetic fingerprints, and how they grow and interact. It also benchmarks best-in-class laboratory methods for producing high-quality neurons, marking a major step toward new therapies for Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-human-brain-pathways-parkinson-treatment.html Neuroscience Mon, 03 Nov 2025 11:01:03 EST news681390061 Duke-NUS Medical School, working with an international team of experts, has contributed to a new evidence-based plan to tackle anemia—a condition affecting nearly two billion people worldwide and a persistent obstacle to achieving global health goals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-experts-global-roadmap-anemia.html Health Thu, 11 Sep 2025 05:43:06 EDT news676788181 Just as a computer's operating system can be rewritten after a major update, dengue infection can "re-program" the body's immune system, leaving a long-lasting genetic imprint that influences how people respond to future infections—an effect not seen with vaccination. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-dengue-rewires-immune-reshaping-vaccine.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:25:05 EDT news676556701 Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, in collaboration with researchers in Nepal, have found that waning immunity to Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) may increase the risk of more severe dengue disease in humans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-declining-japanese-encephalitis-antibodies-higher.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:00:01 EDT news676109101 A team of scientists led by Duke-NUS Medical School has solved a mystery behind a rare and previously undiagnosed disease that affects multiple organs, shedding new light on its cause—and offering fresh hope for treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-scientists-medical-mystery-rare-multi.html Genetics Fri, 29 Aug 2025 14:10:04 EDT news675693299 In a key advance for regenerative medicine and gut health, scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have uncovered a precise and unexpected communication system in the gut. Support cells known as telocytes use fine extensions—like neurons in the brain—to deliver signals directly to intestinal stem cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-gut-cells-brain-neurons-discovery.html Inflammatory disorders Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:35:55 EDT news672557749 Pinpointing the precise culprits behind harmful biological processes—such as excessive scarring (fibrosis) in organs like the kidneys and lungs—has long remained challenging even though this affects almost a billion people worldwide. But thanks to the emergence of single-cell isolation technologies, researchers have been able to zero in on the specific immune cells causing trouble. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-handbook-fast-track-breakthroughs-scarring.html Medical research Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:31:42 EDT news668338297 A team of Duke-NUS Medical School researchers designed and tested a new digital toolkit that helps consumers make healthier grocery choices online—an innovation that could play a major role in the global fight against chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-nudges-food-choices-calories-groceries.html Health Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:05:05 EDT news664776301 A team of Singapore scientists has made a significant discovery in understanding stomach cancer, a disease that remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. By using advanced mapping technologies, they created a detailed "atlas" of stomach tumors, revealing hidden patterns in how cancer cells behave, evolve and interact with their environment. These insights could lead to more precise, targeted treatments that improve survival rates and reduce side effects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-scientists-tumors-precise-treatments-stomach.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:55:52 EDT news662291748 A discovery at Duke-NUS Medical School offers new hope in the battle against pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating lung condition that progressively makes it harder for patients to breathe. Scientists have pinpointed proteins in immune cells that, when blocked, could significantly reduce lung tissue scarring. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-blocking-specific-proteins-immune-cells.html Immunology Thu, 20 Feb 2025 07:25:05 EST news659258702 Could the key to easing anxiety be hidden in our gut? Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Neuroscience Institute have discovered a crucial connection between gut microbes and anxiety-related behavior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-gut-microbes-anxiety-potential-probiotic.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:01:57 EST news657993707 A novel mechanism that enables cells to maintain energy production even when their main power supply drops/fails has been uncovered by biologists at Duke-NUS Medical School. In collaboration with an international team of researchers, the scientists found that a previously unknown protein supercomplex, dubbed SC-XL, enhances energy production and reduces harmful byproducts in cells with specific genetic disruptions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-energy-supercomplex-options-heart-disease.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:02:05 EST news657277321 Antibiotic overuse is a key driver in the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a major global health crisis. Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS (NUS Medicine) and Duke-NUS Medical School have provided compelling evidence that short-course antibiotic treatments can be a game-changer in tackling ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a serious infection common in critically ill patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-shorter-smarter-safer-short-antibiotics.html Medications Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:04:04 EST news656679841 Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and the Singapore General Hospital have discovered that T cells—white blood cells that can destroy harmful pathogens—can completely prevent viral infection, to an extent previously thought only possible due to neutralizing antibodies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-cells-capability-fully-acute-viral.html Immunology Fri, 10 Jan 2025 10:41:05 EST news655728061 Research from Duke-NUS Medical School has revealed that fetuses are not as defenseless as once thought; they can actually fight infections from within the womb. This new understanding could significantly change the way doctors protect fetuses from infections that lead to serious health conditions, like microcephaly, where the baby's head is significantly smaller than expected for its age. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-fetal-defense-reveals-early-immune.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:06:05 EST news652961161 A novel test developed by Duke-NUS researchers enables real-time monitoring of T cells that have been engineered to fight cancer after re-introduction into the body of a cancer patient. This simple and innovative test provides clinicians with the ability to track the function of these cancer-fighting cells over the course of the treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-scientists-play-cell-immunotherapy-effectiveness.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 15 Nov 2024 09:17:27 EST news650884642 Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School and their collaborators have identified an inherited genetic variation prevalent among East Asians that contributes to drug resistance, driving the aggressive growth of cancer cells in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-inhibiting-specific-protein-action-precision.html Oncology & Cancer Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:40:34 EST news650216430