Background: Youth experiencing early psychosis in West Africa often face delays in accessing evidence-based treatment. Digital mental health interventions may offer an acceptable and scalable approach to improve access to early psychosis care in West Africa; however, few data exist on the experiences and perspectives of patients with early psychosis and their caregivers to inform digital intervention development. Objective: This study aims to explore current experiences of early psychosis care, identify barriers and facilitators to in-person early psychosis care within health facilities, and identify opportunities for digital interventions to support patients with early psychosis and caregivers in Ghana. Methods: We conducted qualitative focus group discussions among patients with early psychosis, their caregivers, and their mental health care providers recruited at Accra Psychiatric Hospital in Accra, Ghana. Trained qualitative researchers facilitated discussions using a structured qualitative interview guide, exploring current care practices for early psychosis in Ghana, barriers and facilitators to facility-based care, and perceptions of digital mental health interventions. Transcripts were translated, transcribed, and analyzed thematically using a hybrid inductive and deductive approach grounded in the theoretical framework of acceptability. Results: Overall, we conducted 4 focus group discussions (N=31) among 7 patients with early psychosis (median age 28, IQR 21‐41 years), 6 caregivers (median age 58, IQR 29‐34 years), and 18 clinicians (median age 30, IQR 29‐34 years). Participants described current early psychosis care practices in Ghana, including seeking spiritual and traditional healing, the dearth of information and resources about psychosis, and the integral role of caregivers in facilitating treatment engagement and continuation (often at the cost of caregiver mental distress and burnout). Common barriers to facility-based mental health care included stigma associated with mental illness, lack of prior knowledge about early psychosis and treatment options, and practical constraints (eg, financial, logistical, and health care system limitations). Motivating factors for facility-based care included success stories from community members and strong rapport and trust in mental health clinicians. Technology (eg, mobile phones, laptops, radio, and television) was commonly used among participants in typical daily tasks, health information seeking, and stress reduction. Participants expressed support for digital tools that could deliver psychoeducation about early psychosis, support treatment adherence, and extend patient-provider communication between clinic visits. Conclusions: Digital mental health interventions have the potential to complement facility-based early psychosis services in Ghana by addressing misinformation, reducing access barriers, and supporting caregiver roles. These qualitative findings inform potential integration points, content, attributes, and strengths of digital modalities that could be leveraged to support patients with early psychosis and their caregivers in Ghana.
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Popular Online Content as a Treatment-as-Usual Control in Digital Mental Health Intervention Trials: Secondary Analysis of Two Online Randomized Controlled Trials With Repeated Measures
Background: Treatment-as-usual (TAU) conditions are intended to reflect the support typically received in routine treatment settings. For digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) delivered online, TAU conditions should reflect the usual patterns of online help-seeking. The lack of ecologically valid TAU control conditions has been a gap in effectiveness trials of online DMHIs. In this study, mental health–related popular online content (eg, advice TikToks, lived experience vlogs, and self-care infographics) was examined as a valuable TAU control condition. Objective: This study examined the feasibility of popular online content as a TAU control condition in DMHI trials. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials. Both trials recruited participants online, primarily via an online study recruitment platform. In study 1 (N=916), US adults with elevated depression or anxiety were randomized to either (1) complete a single-session DHMI for depression and anxiety (n=291), (2) search the web for popular online content relevant to their struggles (n=312), or (3) search a curated library of mental health–related popular online content (n=313). In study 2 (N=431), US adults with elevated loneliness were randomized to (1) complete a single-session DHMI for loneliness (n=136), (2) search a curated library of popular online content related to loneliness (n=145), or (3) complete an attention-matched control condition (n=150). All 6 programs took approximately 10 to 20 minutes to complete and were entirely self-guided. Participants rated each program’s credibility and expected benefit, as well as their feelings of distress (study 1) and loneliness (study 2). The studies did not involve interaction between participants and the research team. Results: In study 1, dropout during the treatment was 4.8% (14/291) for the single-session intervention, 25.9% (81/312) for online help-seeking, and 9.6% (30/313) for the curated library. The curated library’s credibility and expected benefit score did not differ from that of the single-session intervention (Cohen =0.08; =.88) and was higher than that of unguided help-seeking (Cohen =0.23; =.01). In study 2, dropout was higher in the curated library condition (7/145, 4.8%) than in the single-session intervention and the attention-matched control condition (0/136, 0.0% and 0/150, 0.0%). The mean credibility and expected benefit score for the curated library was comparable to that of the attention-matched control condition (Cohen =0.00; >.99) but lower than that of the single-session intervention (Cohen =0.32; =.02). Changes in distress and loneliness from baseline to 8-week follow-up did not differ across the conditions in study 1. All effect sizes were small in study 1 (Cohen <0.15 and no comparisons were statistically significant >.06). Similarly, in study 2, all effect sizes were small (Cohen <0.12), and no comparisons were statistically significant (>.25). Conclusions: Curated libraries of popular online content are a feasible, ecologically valid TAU benchmark for effectiveness trials of online DMHIs. Future research on TAU conditions in online help-seeking contexts should better align with observed DMHI attrition rates and account for the increasingly central role of conversational artificial intelligence in online mental health support. Trial Registration: OSF Registries 3DYMA; https://osf.io/3dyma and NVD79; https://osf.io/nvd79; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05687162; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05687162
Distinct Nature of Parkinson’s Disease Gut Microbiome Identified
Research led by University College London has characterized a specific gut microbiome signature found in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Writing in Nature Medicine, the researchers also found that people carrying a genetic mutation in the GBA1 gene that put them at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease had gut microbiomes similar to people with the condition.
Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the U.S. after Alzheimer’s disease affecting more than one million people across the country. By the time full-blown motor symptoms emerge, a large degree of neurological damage has already occurred, so much work is underway to find ways to predict and diagnose early disease, as well as to develop more effective treatments.
“In recent years there has been a growing recognition of the links between Parkinson’s disease—a brain disorder—and gut health,” said co-lead author Anthony Schapira, MD, a professor at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, in a press statement.
“Here we have strengthened that evidence and shown that microbes in the gut can reveal signs of Parkinson’s and may be an early warning signal… years before symptom onset.”
For this study, the researchers evaluated gut microbiome samples from 271 Parkinson’s disease patients, 43 people carrying GBA1 risk variants who did not yet have disease symptoms and 150 healthy controls. They also validated their findings in a further 638 people with Parkinson’s and 319 healthy controls from the U.K., Korea, and Turkey.
Schapira and team used DNA sequencing to see which bacterial species were present in each person’s gut. Comparing people with Parkinson’s disease to healthy controls, they found 176 bacterial species that were more or less common in people with the condition.
For example, people with Parkinson’s had more potentially pro‑inflammatory bacteria, including Bifidobacterium longum and B. dentium, Streptococcus mutans, and Lactobacillus paragasseri, than healthy controls.
In contrast, healthy controls had more helpful, butyrate‑producing gut bacteria from including Roseburia intestinalis, R. inulinivorans and some Faecalibacterium species and less pro-inflammatory species.
Notably, people in the at-risk group who carried a GBA1 risk variant had a gut microbiome somewhere between healthy controls and people with Parkinson’s, suggesting that the composition of microbes in the gut may change over time as the disease develops. In this group, 142 of the 176 species that differed in people with Parkinson’s versus healthy controls also showed changed abundance.
“For the first time we identify bacteria in the gut of people with Parkinson’s that can also be found in those with a genetic risk for the disease, but before they develop symptoms. Importantly, these same changes can be found in a small proportion of the general population that may put them at increased risk for Parkinson’s,” said Schapira.
“This discovery opens the way not only to see if the bacteria are a way to identify those at risk of Parkinson’s, but also to see if changing the bacterial population, through dietary changes or medication, can reduce a person’s risk for Parkinson’s.”
The post Distinct Nature of Parkinson’s Disease Gut Microbiome Identified appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
STAT+: Trump order to advance psychedelic treatments generates excitement — and worries
President Trump’s executive order aimed at loosening restrictions on psychedelics as mental health treatments was largely applauded by advocates. But some also quietly worry the White House’s role in trying to bolster the field risks politicizing it and undermining the credibility of research.
The order, which was reported to have stemmed at least in part from a text podcaster Joe Rogan sent Trump about psychedelics research, directs the Food and Drug Administration to expedite the review of some compounds and calls for the establishment of a new regulatory pathway for experimental psychedelics to be tried by terminally ill patients. It also allocates funding to states developing research programs.
While the order does not actually reschedule any drugs or change legislation, many advocates and researchers welcomed the move, saying it signals the administration’s interest in advancing psychedelics as treatments and could help ease bottlenecks in expanding access.
Opinion: The contradiction at the heart of Republicans’ embrace of psychedelics
On Saturday, with podcaster and psychedelics fan Joe Rogan standing over his shoulder, President Trump signed an executive order intended to expand access to psychedelics for mental health treatment.
For some, it may come as a surprise to see a Republican president embrace psychedelics. But he’s only the most recent member of the GOP to hop on the psychedelics bandwagon.
Correction: Promoting Sustained Real-Life Benefits of Virtual Reality–Based Interventions in People With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Qualitative Study
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Decoding Resistance to Targeted Therapy via New Cancer Models
ATCC and the Broad Institute report the development of engineered isogenic cancer models designed to replicate resistance to targeted therapies, beginning with osimertinib, the latest-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations.
According to the researchers, the work addresses a critical challenge in oncology—treatment resistance that emerges over time. EGFR-mutant lung cancer was among the first subsets of a major epithelial cancer where directly targeting an oncogene was associated with marked clinical benefit. While targeted therapies have significantly improved overall survival, resistance inevitably develops.
Developing resistant models directly from patient tumors can take years due to the scarcity of samples. In contrast, engineering resistance mechanisms in controlled laboratory models allows researchers to systematically study multiple escape pathways much faster.
To accelerate discovery, scientists from ATCC and the Broad Institute collaborated to engineer a panel of drug-resistant NSCLC models using CRISPR gene editing and gene overexpression techniques. These models systematically model the resistance mechanisms that arise in patients treated with osimertinib, note the researchers.
“With this powerful new set of tools, drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cancer cells can be studied side by side to understand therapeutic resistance and the underlying drivers,” says Roth Cheng, PhD, CEO of ATCC. “By creating and providing these cancer models along with a rich data-set to the global research community, our hope is to reveal hidden targets and combination strategies that turn today’s treatment failures into tomorrow’s breakthrough. We look forward to extending this approach to additional cancer types.”
Engineering drug-resistant lung cancer models
Led by William R. Sellers, MD, director of the cancer program at the Broad Institute, Fang Tian, PhD, director of biological content at ATCC, and Francisca Vazquez, PhD, director of the Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) at the Broad Institute, the team identified representative classes of resistance mechanisms to osimertinib. They then selected three disease-representative, osimertinib sensitive NSCLC cell lines as the foundation for developing the new isogenic drug-resistant cell models.
ATCC engineered the selected authenticated cell lines with resistance mechanisms using CRISPR-based methods. The six resistance mechanisms included: PIK3CA E545K mutation, KRAS G12D mutation, BRAF V600E mutation, EGFR C797S mutation, CCDC6-RET fusion, and TPM3–NTRK1 fusion.
In addition, scientists at the Broad Institute are generating additional resistant cell lines driven by gene amplification mechanisms using overexpression methods.
These engineered isogenic model systems allow researchers to compare genetically matched cancer cells that differ only by a specific resistance alteration—providing a powerful framework to study how tumors evolve under targeted therapy.
The models will be integrated into the DepMap, a global effort to identify genetic vulnerabilities across hundreds of cancer cell models. The collaboration also contributes to the development of a Response and Resistance Map (ResMap), an emerging framework designed to systematically characterize how cancers respond to therapy and how resistance evolves.
“Drug resistance remains one of the most significant barriers to durable cancer treatment,” said Kirsty Wienand, PhD, senior research scientist in DepMap at the Broad. “Systematically engineering resistance mechanisms in well-characterized cell models allows us to study how tumors adapt to targeted therapy. Integrating these models into DepMap will help researchers worldwide identify new vulnerabilities and potential therapeutic combinations.”
The collaboration ensures that both the biological models and the associated data will be widely accessible to the scientific community, says the research team. Data will be integrated into the DepMap portal, with links to the corresponding ATCC cell line identifiers. In addition, the engineered cell lines will be distributed globally through ATCC following authentication and quality control.
Systematically engineering clinically relevant resistance mechanisms in lung cancer models, the collaboration establishes a scalable framework for studying how tumors escape targeted therapies, explain the scientists, adding that the resulting models and datasets will help researchers identify new vulnerabilities and therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance and improve outcomes for patients with cancer.
By combining advanced cell engineering, functional genomics, and computational biology, the collaboration should provide an important resource for studying drug resistance, cancer vulnerabilities, and precision oncology strategies.
ATCC and the Broad Institute will present the research findings at the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, April 17–22 in San Diego:
Title: Engineering isogenic models harboring resistance mechanisms to the latest-generation EGFR inhibitor in non-small cell lung cancer
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics; Session Title: Drug Resistance 2: Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
Date: April 22, 2026, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM, Poster Section 11, Poster Board: 8, Poster Number: 7029
The post Decoding Resistance to Targeted Therapy via New Cancer Models appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
The Download: murderous ‘mirror’ bacteria, and Chinese workers fighting AI doubles
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
No one’s sure if synthetic mirror life will kill us all
In February 2019, a group of scientists proposed a high-risk, cutting-edge, irresistibly exciting idea that the National Science Foundation should fund: making “mirror” bacteria.
These lab-created microbes would be organized like ordinary bacteria, but their proteins and sugars would be mirror images of those found in nature. Researchers believed they could reveal new insights into building cells, designing drugs, and even the origins of life.
But now, many of them have reversed course. They’ve become convinced that mirror organisms could trigger a catastrophic event threatening every form of life on Earth. Find out why they’re ringing alarm bells.
—Stephen Ornes
This story is from the next issue of our print magazine, which is all about nature. Subscribe now to read it when it lands this Wednesday.
Chinese tech workers are starting to train their AI doubles—and pushing back
Earlier this month, a GitHub project called Colleague Skill struck a nerve by claiming to “distill” a worker’s skills and personality—and replicate them with an AI agent. Though the project was a spoof, it prompted a wave of soul-searching among otherwise enthusiastic early adopters.
A number of tech workers told MIT Technology Review that their bosses are already encouraging them to document their workflows for automation via tools like OpenClaw. Many now fear that they are being flattened into code and losing their professional identity.
In response, some are fighting back with tools designed to sabotage the automation process.
—Caiwei Chen
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The White House and Anthropic are working toward a compromise
The Trump administration says they had a “productive meeting.” (Reuters $)
+ Trump had ordered US agencies to phase out Anthropic’s tech. (Guardian)
+ Despite the blacklist, the NSA is using Anthropic’s new Mythos model. (Axios)
2 Palantir has unveiled a manifesto calling for universal national service
While denouncing inclusivity and “regressive” cultures. (TechCrunch)
+ It’s a summary of CEO Alex Karp’s book “The Technological Republic.” (Engadget)
+ One critic called the book “a piece of corporate sales material.“ (Bloomberg $)
3 Germany’s chancellor and largest company want looser AI rules
Chancellor Merz said industrial AI needs more regulatory freedom. (Reuters $)
+ Siemens says it plans to shift investments to the US if EU rules don’t change. (Bloomberg $)
+ Fractures over AI regulation are also emerging in the US. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Nvidia’s once-tight bond with gamers is cracking over AI
Consumer graphics cards are no longer the priority. (CNBC)
+ But generative AI could reinvent what it means to play. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Insurers are trying to exclude AI-related harms from their coverage
And escape legal liability for AI’s mistakes. (FT $)
+ AI images are being used in insurance scams. (BBC)
6 AI is about to make the global e-waste crisis much worse
And most of the trash will end up in non-Western countries. (Rest of World)
+ Here’s what we can do about it. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Tinder and Zoom have partnered with Sam Altman’s eye-scanning firm
To offer a “proof of humanity” badge to users. (BBC)
8 Islamist insurgents in West Africa are driving surging demand for drones
A Nigerian UAV startup is opening its first factory abroad in Ghana. (Bloomberg $)
9 Hundreds of fake pro-Trump AI influencers are flooding social media
In an apparent bid to hook conservative voters. (NYT)
10 A Chinese humanoid has smashed the human half-marathon record
Despite crashing into a railing near the end of the race. (NBC News)
+ Chinese tech firm Honor swept the podium spots. (Engadget)
+ Last year, humans won the race by a mile. (CNN)
Quote of the day
“This is the only issue where you’ve got Steve Bannon and Ralph Nader, Glenn Beck and Bernie Sanders fighting for the same thing.”
—Ben Cumming, head of communications at the AI safety nonprofit Future of Life Institute, tells the Washington Post that diverse public figures are endorsing a declaration of AI policy priorities.
One More Thing
NASA
The great commercial takeover of low Earth orbit
The International Space Station will be decommissioned as soon as 2030, but the story of America in low Earth orbit (LEO) will continue.
Using lessons from the ISS, NASA has partnered with private companies to develop new commercial space stations for research, manufacturing, and tourism. If they are successful, these businesses will bring about a new era of space exploration: private rockets flying to private destinations.
They will also demonstrate a new model in which NASA builds infrastructure and the private sector takes it from there—freeing the agency to explore deeper and deeper into space. Read the full story.
—David W. Brown
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ Bask in thisadorable test of a dog’s devotion.
+ This vocal pitch trainer improves your singing straight from your browser.
+ Master international etiquette with this interactive guide to the world’s cultures.
+ Explore the networks of public figures with this intriguing interactive graph.
Altered static and dynamic regional homogeneity in basal ganglia–thalamocortical circuits and their association with neuropsychiatric manifestations in Wilson’s disease
PurposeWilson’s disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by ATP7B mutations, resulting in impaired copper metabolism and progressive neuropsychiatric manifestations. This study investigated spatiotemporal alterations in regional brain activity using static and dynamic resting-state fMRI with regional homogeneity (ReHo), and their relationships with clinical features.MethodsResting-state fMRI data were acquired from WD patients and healthy controls (HCs). Static and dynamic ReHo analyses were performed to characterize local synchronization strength and temporal variability of spontaneous neural activity. Group differences were assessed across the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, and cortical regions. Associations between altered ReHo metrics and clinical measures were evaluated with FDR correction for multiple comparisons.ResultsCompared with HCs, WD patients exhibited widespread ReHo abnormalities involving the basal ganglia (putamen and globus pallidus), thalamus, cerebellum, and cortical regions. Static ReHo in the left putamen and globus pallidus was positively associated with anxiety severity, while right putaminal ReHo was negatively associated with neurological severity and positively associated with disease duration. Dynamic ReHo in the left middle frontal gyrus showed negative associations with depression severity and disease duration. All brain–behavior correlations survived FDR correction, indicating robust effects.ConclusionWD is characterized by disrupted spatiotemporal organization of local functional synchronization within cerebellar and basal ganglia–thalamo–cortical circuits. These findings support a network-level dysfunction model involving subcortical synchronization deficits and cortical temporal instability, which together underpin neuropsychiatric manifestations and disease progression.
Neurobiological effects of microbial treatments within psychiatry: a systematic review
ObjectiveThough microbial interventions such as probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation have had a growing body of evidence suggesting their efficacy in alleviating the symptoms of psychiatric illnesses, their exact mechanisms of action and impacts on the brain are still not fully characterized. The aim of this review is to compile and summarize the current literature regarding neurobiological changes associated with microbial interventions targeting psychiatric symptoms in healthy and psychiatric populations.MethodsA systematic search of four databases was conducted using key terms related to neuroimaging, microbial interventions, and psychiatric illnesses and/or symptoms. All results were then evaluated based on specific eligibility criteria.Results10 studies met eligibility criteria and were included in this systematic review. Three of the five healthy control studies and all five of the studies conducted within psychiatric populations, observed significant neurobiological changes associated with probiotic intervention either in areas with psychiatric relevance, in the direction of a healthier profile, or correlated with improved psychiatric and/or affective symptoms. The interventions used in these studies consisted of probiotics with bacterial species primarily from the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium genera, at doses ranging from 1–900 billion CFU, taken for durations ranging from 4 weeks to 6 months.ConclusionsThe findings from this review suggest that probiotic intervention may be associated with neurobiological changes, and that these changes could play a role in ameliorating psychiatric symptoms. More research is needed to replicate these findings, explore other psychiatric populations and microbial interventions, and fully elucidate the mechanisms driving these promising neurobiological and clinical changes.