Global Scans · Illness · Weekly Summary

• [New] Tropic Bioscience, a UK biotechnology company, is using CRISPR-Cas gene editing to develop Cavendish bananas resistant to Tropical Race 4, a fungal disease threatening global banana production. CRISPR Medicine
• [New] The multifactorial nature of PSM reveals a complex interplay of stressors, ranging from anthropogenic disruptions to environmental challenges, including river and stream temperatures, stocking density, genetic factors, fish length, pathogen burden, and disease that may all interplay. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Already a major cause of illness and death, CKD is projected to become the fifth leading cause of premature death globally by 2040. ScienceDaily
• [New] As climate change intensifies weather variations across the tropics, a new study offers important insights into how shifting temperature and precipitation patterns influence dengue risk in Costa Rica - and provides a practical framework for predicting disease outbreaks at the district level. The Microbiologist
• [New] Lorlatinib has the potential to transform advanced ALK-positive NSCLC into a chronic disease for some patients. Cancer Therapy Advisor
• [New] 33% of American adults are at risk for kidney disease (yes, one in three people), and if you are Black or African American, you are more than 3 times as likely to have kidney failure compared to White Americans. The Healthy
• [New] Research compiled by the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has linked PFAS exposure to certain cancers, thyroid disruption, immune effects in children, reproductive difficulties, and elevated cholesterol. / USA Crystal Quest Water Filters
• [New] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last Thursday endorsed updated COIVD-19 boosters, opening the way for a fall vaccination campaign that could blunt a winter surge if enough Americans roll up their sleeves. The Council of Industry
• [New] The first-in-human clinical trial of a new investigational genetic therapy that aims to lower cholesterol in people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease will take place at the Victorian Heart Hospital and the Victorian Heart Institute. Pulse+IT
• [New] The FDA has said people who switch from cigarettes completely to nicotine pouches reduce their risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease. WTOP News
• [New] In a future crisis, such as a major disease outbreak in Africa, countries with nominal local production capacity could be constrained by losing critical Chinese-controlled inputs. Council on Foreign Relations
• [New] Dietary patterns have a significant influence on human health, and poor diet quality is the leading preventable risk factor contributing to the global burden of non-communicable disease. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] WHO highlights rising youth tobacco and e-cigarette use, emphasizing the risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD, and other serious illnesses. Bankersadda
• [New] Seven GPs across four Shanghai community health centers completed approximately five weeks of training before screening 169 older adults at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. EurekAlert!
• [New] Despite the availability of current therapies, up to 75% of patients with chronic kidney disease still have uncontrolled or resistant blood pressure, contributing to a high risk of cardiovascular events and kidney disease progression. GlobeNewswire
• [New] Working with the FDA, Cogent has established active Expanded Access Programs for U.S. patients with GIST or SM who meet disease-specific criteria and could benefit from treatment with bezuclastinib or the combination of bezuclastinib and sunitinib. GlobeNewswire
• [New] AI experts will become the key to high-paying jobs in 2030 by acting as strategic partners to the leadership and predictors of disease outbreaks and optimization of global supply chains, etc. UniAthena
• [New] The WHO has declared an international public health emergency for the outbreak, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned could swell to become the largest Ebola epidemic on record, rivalling the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Al Jazeera
• [New] The White House plans to bring AI doctors into American medicine It wants chatbots to diagnose illness and prescribe medicine. MIT Technology Review
• [New] Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified experimental compounds that could help reduce the brain inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease. ScienceDaily
• [New] Snakes around the world are increasingly facing the threat of extinction, with disease emerging as a major concern alongside habitat loss. ScienceDaily
• [New] In 2026, kidney experts highlighted projections suggesting that chronic kidney disease deaths could keep rising in the decades ahead, even as deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease are expected to fall sharply. ScienceDaily
• [New] Several medications introduced over the past five years can slow kidney disease and lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. ScienceDaily

Last updated: 21 June 2026