TerraPower Isotopes Invests $450M in Actinium-225 Production Facility

oncodaily - TerraPower Isotopes (TPI), the Bill Gates-founded nuclear science company, unveiled plans on March 17, 2026 to invest $450 million in a state-of-the-art actinium-225 (Ac-225) manufacturing facility in Philadelphia’s Bellwether District. The 250,000-square…

AI Summary: TerraPower announced a $450 million investment to construct a commercial Actinium‑225 production facility to supply alpha‑emitting radioisotopes for targeted cancer therapies. The plan tackles chronic supply shortages, strengthens domestic radiopharmaceutical capacity and positions the company at the center of growing demand for targeted‑alpha therapeutics — and yes, investors are watching.

This common vaccine cuts heart risk nearly in half in new study

sciencedaily - A shingles vaccine might double as a powerful heart protector. In people already at high risk, it cut major cardiac events by 46% and deaths by an impressive 66% within a year. Scientists think preventing shingles may also stop clot-related complications …

AI Summary: New research finds that receipt of a common shingles vaccine is associated with roughly a 50% reduction in serious cardiac events in the studied population. Investigators propose immune‑modulating mechanisms may underlie the protective effect; if confirmed, the vaccine could offer a tidy twofer—preventing shingles and cutting heart risk—proof that prevention sometimes moonlights as cardiology.

A liquid biopsy blood test may improve children's survival of cancer in Africa

medicalxpress - In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers from the University of Oxford and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania have shown that a minimally invasive liquid biopsy test can diagnose Burkitt l…

AI Summary: A blood‑based liquid biopsy for EBV‑positive Burkitt’s lymphoma shows promise for earlier, less invasive diagnosis in endemic regions, potentially improving pediatric survival where tissue biopsies are scarce. Early data indicate actionable sensitivity and feasibility for low‑resource settings, offering a scalable path to faster treatment.

What happens to your brain in nature? The neuroscience explained

medicalxpress - Have you ever felt calmer almost as soon as you step into the woods? Or maybe noticed your busy mind soften as you look out at the sea?

AI Summary: Researchers report that immersive time in natural settings produces detectable changes in brain networks tied to attention, emotion regulation and memory. The findings suggest brief nature exposure can recalibrate neural states and boost mental health — science’s polite way of telling you to go outside instead of doomscrolling.

Verily raises $300M, sheds Alphabet’s majority control

Shelby Livingston / endpoints - Verily has raised $300 million in new, outside funding that ends parent company Alphabet's controlling position in the healthcare innovation company, Endpoints News has learned exclusively. The funding round was led by Series X Capital ...

AI Summary: Verily secured a $300 million financing round that reduces Alphabet’s majority control, bringing new strategic investors on board including health system partners. The cash infusion aims to accelerate Verily’s healthcare technology and platform ambitions — because nothing says “healthcare disruption” like another well‑funded pivot.

Engineered tissue offers hope for children born with 'missing' esophagus

medicalxpress - Scientists from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London (UCL) have created the first lab‑grown esophagus—the food pipe—shown to safely replace a full section of the organ and restore normal function, including swallowing, in a gr…

AI Summary: Researchers report progress developing lab-grown esophageal tissue to treat children born with congenital absence or severe damage of the esophagus. Early preclinical and surgical work demonstrates that engineered tissue constructs can be implanted and integrated, offering a potential alternative to complex reconstructions — a promising step for tiny patients with very big problems.

Turquoise Health Snags $40M to Simplify Healthcare Contracts & Payments

Katie Adams / medcitynews - Turquoise Health raised $40 million in a Series C round to expand beyond price transparency into managing healthcare contracts. The startup’s platform aims to simplify payer–provider agreements, reduce administrative waste and enable patients to see guara…

AI Summary: Turquoise Health closed a $40 million funding round to accelerate its platform that standardizes healthcare contracts and payments, aiming to increase price transparency and streamline payer–provider interactions. The cash infusion will support product growth, sales expansion and the company's push to make messy contract data slightly less catastrophic for hospital finance teams.

Rob Winn Appointed Director of NCI-Designated Fox Chase Cancer Center

oncodaily - Fox Chase Cancer Center shared a post on LinkedIn: “Temple Health – Temple University Health System today announced the appointment of Dr. Rob Winn, MD, as the next Cancer Center […]

AI Summary: Rob Winn has been appointed director of the NCI‑designated Fox Chase Cancer Center, taking the reins of clinical, research and strategic operations. His role will focus on strengthening translational research, patient care integration and institutional partnerships to advance the center's mission — you know, the usual: cure more cancer, argue less in committee meetings.

Why Providence Wants to Sell Its Health Plan

Katie Adams / medcitynews - Providence announced its intent to sell its health plan, exiting the “payvider” model as rising costs and operational complexity weigh on smaller regional insurers. The move reflects a broader trend of health systems refocusing on core care delivery and e…

AI Summary: Providence Healthcare is actively weighing the sale of its health insurance arm as mounting fiscal pressures force leaders to consider dramatic options. The move would reshape the system’s payer-provider footprint, potentially easing balance‑sheet strain while unnerving patients, employers and regulators who’ll suddenly have a stake in the decision.

Lantern Secures $30M to Fuel Growth Across Employers and Health Plans

Marissa Plescia / medcitynews - Lantern’s $30 million raise was led by Morgan Health, a JPMorganChase business unit focused on employer-sponsored healthcare, as well as Echo Health Ventures, a strategic investment platform that invests on behalf of multiple Blues health plans.The post L…

AI Summary: Lantern secured a $30 million investment led by Morgan Health and Echo Health Ventures to scale its employer- and plan-facing digital health platform. The capital will accelerate product development, deepen payer-employer partnerships, and expand deployment of Lantern’s care navigation and benefits tools as it chases broader market traction — because nothing says progress like more tech for paperwork.

‘Lack of Substantial Evidence’ Leads to FDA Rejection of Aldeyra Dry Eye Disease Drug

Frank Vinluan / medcitynews - Aldeyra said the FDA did not ask for another clinical trial for reproxalap in dry eye disease, but the drug’s mixed record in clinical testing warrants exploration about the reasons for failure, which could identify the appropriate patients for the eye dr…

AI Summary: The FDA has rejected Aldeyra’s reproxalap application, citing a lack of substantial evidence—marking the company’s third setback. Regulators did not demand a fresh, large trial but flagged inconsistent results, prompting investor angst and a slide in the stock. The decision underscores the gap between hopeful early data and regulatory standards.

'Leaky' brain barrier revealed as driver of chronic brain damage in retired combat and collision sports athletes

medicalxpress - Research, led by teams at Trinity College Dublin and the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Center, has pinpointed the mechanism linking some sports injuries to poor brain health in retired athletes. The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, ha…

AI Summary: New research links repetitive head impacts in contact and combat sports to blood–brain barrier breakdown, which appears to drive chronic traumatic encephalopathy and progressive cognitive decline. The studies identify vascular leakage as a key mechanism and suggest that strategies to bolster the barrier could reduce long-term brain damage in athletes and veterans.

New EPA rule could loosen limits on medical device sterilization gas emissions

medicalxpress - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to loosen limits on emissions of ethylene oxide, a gas used to sterilize many medical devices that is also linked to cancer.

AI Summary: The Environmental Protection Agency proposed easing limits on ethylene oxide — the gas hospitals use to sterilize medical devices — arguing the change protects the medical supply chain. Public‑health experts and community advocates warn long‑term exposure raises cancer risks and say rolling back 2024 safeguards could shift the burden onto nearby residents.

Officials examine deaths after plasma donations in Winnipeg

medicalxpress - Canadian health officials are investigating the deaths of two people who donated plasma at private clinics in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

AI Summary: Health officials are investigating the deaths of two people who recently donated plasma at for‑profit clinics in Winnipeg, prompting scrutiny of donation frequency, screening practices and clinic oversight. Regulators are reviewing protocols and collecting evidence as public health teams work to determine whether systemic safety failures or procedural lapses contributed to the fatalities.

Neoadjuvant GOLP Prolongs EFS Among Patients with Resectable High-Risk Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

esmo - Findings from the ZSAB-neoGOLP study

AI Summary: The ZSAB‑neoGOLP trial shows that giving a four‑drug neoadjuvant regimen—gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, lenvatinib and toripalimab—before surgery prolongs event‑free survival for patients with resectable, high‑risk intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The finding suggests preoperative systemic therapy can downstage aggressive tumors and delay recurrence, potentially changing treatment sequencing for this challenging disease.