The experimental gum was created by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and was designed to target three microbes linked to the development and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of head and neck cancer.
In laboratory tests using saliva and oral rinse samples from patients, the researchers found that the gum reduced levels of human papillomavirus (HPV) by up to 93% in saliva and by about 80% in oral rinse samples.
Persistent infection with certain high-risk types of HPV has been linked to several cancers, including cancers of the throat and mouth.
The scientists also enhanced the chewing gum with an antimicrobial peptide known as protegrin-1.
This addition nearly eliminated two harmful bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum which have been associated with poorer outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer.
One of the study’s notable findings was that the gum had little effect on beneficial bacteria that naturally live in the mouth.
This is significant because some cancer treatments, such as radiation therapy, can disrupt the normal oral microbiome, increasing the risk of other infections.
According to the researchers, the bioengineered gum is made from lablab beans, which contain a naturally occurring antiviral protein called FRIL.
The team believes combining this protein with protegrin-1 creates a locally delivered therapy capable of targeting both viruses and harmful bacteria in the mouth.
Despite the encouraging findings, the researchers stressed that the gum is still in the early stages of development.
The results were obtained from laboratory analyses of patient samples rather than human clinical trials, meaning the product is not yet approved as a treatment or preventive measure for cancer.
The team hopes future clinical trials will determine whether the chewing gum can safely be used alongside existing therapies or as a preventive approach to reduce the spread of cancer-associated microbes.
If successful, the innovation could provide an affordable and non-invasive way to support oral health and potentially lower the risk of head and neck cancers.
Researchers have created chewing gum that targets HPV and bacteria linked to head and neck cancer.
He made the remarks on August 4, 2026, during a meeting with members of Rwanda’s creative industry, including artists and investors, where they discussed the sector’s role in contributing to national development.
The meeting came amid a government campaign against illicit alcoholic drinks, which has resulted in the closure of more than 130 factories producing unsafe beverages.
Dr. Nsanzimana urged people to take responsibility for their health by avoiding substances that harm the body, including drugs and unsafe alcohol.
He stressed that the human body does not come with replaceable parts. “The body I was born with is the one I will grow old with. We will not find replacements for the parts we have,” he said.
He added that what people consume directly affects their health, explaining that a person’s physical condition reflects the choices they make about what they put into their body.
“If you put good things into your body, it will show. But if you put harmful things into it, the damage will also become visible,” he said.
Musician Jean Paul Hagenimana, popularly known as Bushali, shared his personal journey of recovering from drug addiction, revealing that his substance abuse once landed him in prison.
Looking back, he said the experience became a turning point rather than a setback.
He explained that his time in prison gave him the opportunity to reflect on his life and his responsibilities to his country.
After his release, Bushali said he was encouraged by the progress Rwanda had made, particularly the development of infrastructure that has created more opportunities for artists to perform and grow their careers. He said this motivated him to contribute positively to the country’s development.
He also expressed concern about the growing number of young people becoming involved in drug abuse and other harmful behaviours.
“As young people, we should focus on positive actions, support one another, and grow alongside our country’s development,” he said.
Disc jockey Grace Divine Iradukunda, better known as DJ Ira, said artists do not need drugs to fuel their creativity, warning that substance abuse can instead undermine talent and personal values.
She encouraged young people to support friends struggling with addiction instead of being influenced by them.
“We should be the ones encouraging our friends to quit drugs, not allowing them to persuade us to use them,” she said.
Rwanda has intensified its campaign against illicit alcohol following a series of deadly incidents linked to toxic drinks.
In the past seven months alone, contaminated alcohol has claimed more than 50 lives, while over 100 people have lost their sight after consuming it.
For many people trying to lose weight, the biggest challenge is not only changing their diet or exercising more. The real battle may be happening inside the brain.
New research suggests that the human brain has powerful survival mechanisms that can make weight loss difficult by pushing the body to return to a previous weight. Scientists say this biological response developed thousands of years ago when humans needed to store energy to survive periods when food was scarce.
Today, however, the same survival system can work against people who are trying to maintain a healthier weight.
According to researchers, the brain can treat a person’s previous higher weight as the body’s normal state. After losing weight, the brain may send signals that encourage the body to regain what it has lost.
As neuroscientist Dr. Sandra Aamodt explains, “Your brain has an internal thermostat that decides how much it wants you to weigh, and it will keep pushing you back to that weight.”
These signals can increase hunger, strengthen cravings for high-calorie foods, and reduce the amount of energy the body uses. As a result, many people regain weight after successful diets, even when they continue making efforts to stay healthy.
The findings challenge the idea that weight loss is simply a matter of discipline or willpower. Scientists say biology plays a major role in determining how the body responds to changes in weight.
Researchers explain that the human body evolved to protect itself from starvation. When food was unpredictable, storing fat provided an important survival advantage. However, in today’s world where high-calorie foods are widely available, these same biological systems can contribute to weight challenges.
The study also highlights why some people struggle after stopping weight-loss medications. Drugs such as those that affect appetite signals between the brain and the digestive system can help people lose weight, but the body may attempt to restore its previous weight once treatment ends.
Experts say long-term weight management requires more than short-term diets. They recommend focusing on sustainable habits such as balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, enough sleep, and creating environments that support healthy choices.
Scientists also emphasize that health should not only be measured by the number on a weighing scale. Improvements in fitness, eating habits, and overall wellbeing can bring important health benefits, even when weight loss happens slowly.
The research provides a new understanding of why maintaining weight loss remains one of the biggest challenges in health. By recognizing the role of the brain and biology, experts hope future approaches to weight management will become more effective and supportive.
Rather than viewing weight regain as a personal failure, scientists say it should be understood as a complex interaction between human biology, environment, and lifestyle.
Researchers say weight regain is not only about lifestyle choices but also about powerful signals from the brain and body.
Speaking to IGIHE, Dr. Nsanzimana said authorities examined every link in the chain, from consumers and manufacturers to regulators, local leaders and institutions responsible for enforcing food and beverage safety standards.
“There were things all of us were supposed to do but didn’t do. We all have a responsibility, including those who don’t drink and local leaders in every village. Everyone has a role to play. Now we have all risen together to address this,” he said.
He said the illicit drinks have contributed to a growing burden of non-communicable diseases, while deaths linked to their consumption continue to rise.
“From January through July, more than 500 people sought medical treatment after consuming these alcoholic drinks,” he said.
“They arrived in critical condition, vomiting, suffering from severe diarrhoea; some had lost their eyesight, while others were brought to hospital on stretchers after collapsing at social gatherings, including weddings. Investigations consistently found links to adulterated alcoholic drinks.”
According to the minister, more than 50 people have died after consuming the toxic beverages.
He added that the government’s assessment also identified a far broader group of people whose lives have been severely affected by alcohol dependence.
“We asked ourselves whether there were people who had not been hospitalised but were slowly dying because of alcohol addiction. We have so far identified more than 10,000, close to 11,000 people across the country who are addicted to alcohol,” he said.
“These are only the cases we know about and represent just a small fraction of the actual number. They are people who spend much of their lives intoxicated.”
Authorities have so far shut down more than 100 alcoholic beverage manufacturers for regulatory non-compliance as part of an ongoing crackdown.
Dr. Nsanzimana noted that non-communicable diseases now claim more lives in Rwanda than infectious diseases, with harmful alcohol consumption among the major contributing factors.
“We are seeing young people develop kidney disease because of these alcoholic drinks,” he explained.
He further disclosed that more than 100 people lost their eyesight after consuming the illicit alcohol during the first seven months of the year.
Inspections expose widespread violations
As the crisis deepened, the government ordered the closure of factories producing the drinks after inspections found widespread non-compliance with manufacturing standards.
“Every factory inspected so far failed to meet the conditions it had committed to when obtaining its operating licence,” Dr. Nsanzimana said.
He explained that while each factory is required to employ qualified technical personnel, investigators found instances where the same professional had been listed as responsible for more than 10 factories simultaneously, making effective oversight impossible.
Inspectors also found poor hygiene standards and unsafe storage of raw materials at many production sites.
Laboratory tests further revealed serious discrepancies between product labels and actual alcohol content.
“In some cases, bottles labelled as containing 40% alcohol were found to contain 70%,” he revealed.
“Others used labels that did not match the contents or even counterfeited established brands by refilling bottles from legitimate manufacturers with their own products before attaching counterfeit labels.”
He described the scheme as a coordinated network involving licensed manufacturers, unlicensed producers and distributors.
Ingufu Gin Ltd, which produces a range of alcoholic beverages, is among the manufacturers shut down by the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority in the ongoing crackdown.
Sophisticated distribution network
The minister also revealed that some large manufacturers imported industrial alcohol, used part of it in licensed production and illegally diverted the remainder for distribution across the country.
“You would find motorcycles transporting four jerrycans to Nyagatare, Rusizi or Nyabihu. These deliveries were carried out at night through a highly organised network,” he said.
“The operation was only uncovered after an extensive investigation that went beyond the institutions responsible for issuing licences.”
According to Dr. Nsanzimana, alcohol found in remote communities could often be traced back to factories in Kigali, with those involved driven by the significant profits generated by the illegal trade.
He warned that producers deliberately manufactured highly intoxicating drinks because they understood their addictive effects.
“They know these drinks create dependency,” he said.
“The stronger the intoxication, the more likely the consumer is to crave another drink the following day. They keep returning in search of that feeling until they eventually become addicted.”
The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) has so far shut down more than 100 alcoholic beverage manufacturers for regulatory non-compliance as part of an ongoing crackdown.
The regulator has also ordered the immediate recall of their products from the market and banned all advertising of the affected products.
Speaking to IGIHE, Health Minister Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana said authorities examined every link in the chain, from consumers and manufacturers to regulators, local leaders and institutions responsible for enforcing food and beverage safety standards.
Scientists have uncovered how two highly poisonous flowers produce complex chemical compounds that could one day contribute to the development of new medicines for conditions such as pain, malaria and cancer.
Researchers from Michigan State University and the Czech Academy of Sciences studied two toxic plants, wolfsbane and larkspur, to understand how they create powerful natural chemicals known as diterpenoid alkaloids.
Although these plants can cause severe nerve damage and paralysis when consumed in dangerous amounts, scientists say their chemical properties may also provide valuable opportunities for medical research.
The study focused on a compound called atisinium, which belongs to the diterpenoid alkaloid family. These natural substances have attracted scientific interest because of their potential biological effects, but their complicated structures have made them extremely difficult to produce and study.
To discover how these plants manufacture their chemicals, researchers analyzed thousands of genes from different species of wolfsbane and larkspur.
They identified six key enzymes that work together like a biological production line, allowing the plants to build atisinium.
Scientists then transferred the genetic instructions responsible for producing the compound into tobacco plants. The modified plants successfully recreated the chemical process, showing that they could potentially serve as “living factories” for producing rare natural compounds.
Plants have long been a major source of medicines. Many widely used substances, including caffeine, menthol and some cancer treatments, are either directly obtained from plants or inspired by plant chemistry.
Researchers believe that understanding how poisonous plants create these compounds could help develop safer and more sustainable ways to produce them in larger quantities.
“Our vision is to provide green, sustainable tools that will allow us to harness these plants’ natural power,” said Björn Hamberger, one of the researchers involved in the study.
The findings, published in the scientific journal Molecular Plant, could open new possibilities for studying plant-based chemicals and exploring their future applications in medicine and agriculture.
Researchers from Michigan State University and the Czech Academy of Sciences studied two toxic plants, wolfsbane and larkspur, to understand how they create powerful natural chemicals known as diterpenoid alkaloids.
His remarks come after the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) suspended the operations of eight alcohol manufacturers following an inspection aimed at assessing compliance with regulations governing the production of fermented beverages.
The suspension, announced on August 2, 2026, specifically targeted manufacturers producing locally made spirits. Their products were immediately withdrawn from the market.
In a statement, Rwanda FDA said the decision was taken to protect public health and strengthen oversight of product quality on the market.
Speaking to RBA, Dr. Nsanzimana described the growing impact of substandard alcohol as a public health epidemic, citing the sharp rise in alcohol-related illnesses recorded across the country.
“We consider this a public health emergency based on the data we have. Since the beginning of this year, our hospitals have treated slightly more than 500 people who became ill after consuming these alcoholic drinks.
“In Ngoma alone, more than 100 people were hospitalized at once. We have also recorded cases in Nyagatare and the Southern Province. These are only the people who reached health facilities and were treated although some died. Others died before making it to hospital. So far, we have documented about 50 deaths,” he said.
The Health Minister added that the health consequences extend far beyond fatalities.
According to him, around 100 people have suffered permanent blindness, while others have developed long-term brain damage, liver disease and other serious medical conditions linked to the consumption of unsafe alcohol.
“The problem has been growing gradually. We used to know traditional drinks such as banana beer and sorghum beer. Then came alcoholic beverages with alcohol concentrations of 40 to 50 percent, far stronger than what many people had ever consumed. Now there are also those being produced through unsafe methods,” he said.
Dr. Nsanzimana warned that Rwanda must treat the issue as a public health emergency.
“This is an epidemic, and we must fight it as one. If we fail to act now, we will pay a much heavier price in the future.”
He further explained that while some investors establish legitimate factories to produce quality beverages, others secretly mix hazardous chemicals into alcoholic drinks before packaging and distributing them to consumers, exposing the public to severe illness and death.
Health Minister Dr. Nsanzimana said substandard alcohol should be fought with the same urgency as other public health epidemics.
As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 percent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.
The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country’s east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.
The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
The outbreak has also taken a growing toll on health workers, with 151 infections and 44 deaths reported so far, highlighting persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at health facilities, the WHO said.
The agency warned that insecurity, population displacement, high mobility and cross-border movements were hampering surveillance and response operations, raising the risk of further spread.
The outbreak is unfolding in conflict-affected areas where access to health care, clean water, food and shelter remains limited. Attacks on health facilities have restricted access for response teams and increased the risk of transmission going undetected.
Assessing the risk within the DRC as “very high,” the WHO said a substantial expansion of surveillance, testing, clinical care, infection control, community engagement and logistics was needed to get ahead of the outbreak.
The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
During an online press briefing on Thursday evening, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya stressed that the continued outbreak “is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded” and is now the second-largest by total confirmed cases.
“It is a very serious outbreak. We are now fighting because we don’t want this outbreak to become the (largest ever) Ebola outbreak,” he said.
According to Kaseya, he will join World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to visit Bunia, the capital of the eastern DRC’s Ituri Province and the epicenter of the outbreak, on Aug. 2. They are scheduled to meet with national authorities, frontline health workers, affected communities, and response partners.
“We really need to strengthen our capacity to stop the spread of this outbreak to other new zones. We need to continue to strengthen the capacity to detect early, and to respond appropriately,” he said.
According to the latest data from the Africa CDC and the DRC health authorities, since the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, the country has recorded a total of 3,442 confirmed cases and 1,521 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of more than 44 percent. A total of 48 health zones are now affected by the outbreak across five provinces in the country.
Kaseya expressed concern over critical constraints hindering the response efforts in the DRC, citing limited contact tracing capabilities, climbing community cases and deaths, a rising case fatality rate, and inadequate bed capacity. He also noted persistent funding shortages, insecurity, unsafe burial practices, and infections and deaths among healthcare workers as major obstacles to containing the outbreak.
Despite challenges, the Africa CDC highlighted progress in several areas of the response, including improvements in laboratory testing capacity. Currently, 19 laboratories are actively engaged in testing, marking a notable boost from only two active laboratories at the onset, while daily testing capacity has now surpassed 3,000 samples.
The recent launch of clinical trials of therapeutics targeting the Bundibugyo strain is also considered a breakthrough, given the lack of licensed vaccines or targeted medical countermeasures for this particular Ebola variant.
Despite the worsening situation in the DRC, Kaseya recognized Uganda’s decisive national leadership and response in effectively containing the outbreak’s transmission after the country officially declared the outbreak over on Tuesday.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health officially said that advances in epidemiological investigations and the fully characterized nature of the outbreak provided sufficient scientific evidence that transmission had been interrupted.
“Uganda’s success sends a clear message: when political leadership, communities, and public health move together, outbreaks can be stopped,” said Kaseya, adding that the country’s achievement reflects the commitment and dedication of health workers, communities, national authorities, and partners who worked tirelessly to detect, contain, and overcome this outbreak.
Meanwhile, Kaseya urged the United States to lift its Ebola-related entry restrictions on Uganda as he underscored the country’s successful outbreak containment efforts.
The Africa CDC also called on Uganda’s health authorities to remain fully engaged with continued vigilance and infection prevention measures, alongside enhanced risk communication and community surveillance efforts as the outbreak evolves in parts of the DRC, which borders Uganda.
A hygienist wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) begins cleaning and disinfection operations at the Rwampara Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Bunia, Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 13, 2026.
The study, led by researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and published in Cancer Discovery, used long-term genetic tracking to understand how chronic blood cancers develop over time.
Researchers focused on myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a group of rare blood cancers that begin in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. These cancers often progress slowly and can remain stable for years before becoming more dangerous.
By analysing DNA from blood cells, scientists created genetic “family trees” that allowed them to trace how cancerous cell populations evolved.
The research showed that patients whose conditions later became more severe had accumulated additional genetic changes long before doctors could detect major clinical changes.
The team followed 30 patients with chronic blood cancers and examined more than 450 samples through repeated genomic testing.
Some participants were monitored for up to 25 years, providing researchers with a rare long-term view of how these diseases progress.
The findings suggest that future cancer care could use regular genetic monitoring to identify high-risk patients earlier, allowing doctors to provide more personalised treatment and closer follow-up.
Researchers also found that some people who are currently diagnosed with certain blood cancer conditions may not actually have cancer. In patients without common mutations linked to MPNs, genetic patterns appeared more consistent with normal ageing rather than true cancer development.
Scientists say the discovery could help doctors avoid unnecessary treatments for some patients while ensuring that those at greater risk receive early medical attention.
Dr Daniel Leongamornlert, the study’s first author, said that combining genome sequencing with long-term medical records helped researchers understand how blood cell populations change over time and why some cancers remain stable while others progress.
The researchers believe that advances in genomic technology could eventually transform how blood cancers are diagnosed, monitored and treated, moving healthcare closer to predicting disease progression before serious symptoms appear.
DNA changes could help predict which blood cancers will become dangerous
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, indicate that communication between the gut and the brain helps strengthen memories after eating nutritious food, while long-term consumption of unhealthy diets may weaken this process.
The research was led by scientists at the University of Southern California, who investigated how the vagus nerve, a major communication pathway between the gut and the brain, influences memory formation.
Using rats in laboratory experiments, the researchers found that nutrient-rich foods triggered the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays a critical role in learning and memory. The increase occurred only when signals from the gut reached the brain through the vagus nerve.
When researchers blocked the vagus nerve, the animals struggled to remember where they had previously found food, suggesting that gut signals are essential for forming certain types of memories.
The study also found that the brain responded to the nutritional value of food rather than its taste alone. Rats that consumed foods containing nutrients, such as sugar or fat, showed stronger memory-related brain activity than those given sweet-tasting drinks with little or no nutritional value.
According to the researchers, this mechanism may have evolved to help animals remember the locations of reliable food sources, improving their chances of survival by encouraging them to return to places where they previously found nutritious meals.
However, the benefits appeared to diminish with long-term unhealthy eating habits. Rats fed diets high in fat and sugar early in life later showed weaker communication between the gut and the brain, even after returning to healthier diets. They also performed worse in memory tests involving food locations.
The researchers say the findings could help explain why obesity, poor nutrition and metabolic diseases such as diabetes are often associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. The study points to disrupted gut-to-brain communication as one possible biological link.
The discovery may also have implications for neurodegenerative diseases. The researchers noted that reduced acetylcholine activity in the hippocampus is one of the earliest changes observed in Alzheimer’s disease, raising the possibility that therapies targeting the vagus nerve could one day help support memory and cognitive function.
While the experiments were conducted in animals, scientists say more research is needed to determine whether the same process occurs in humans. Even so, the findings provide fresh insight into the close relationship between the gut and the brain and could open new avenues for treating memory disorders in the future.
A new study has revealed how what we eat can shape the brain’s ability to remember.
