OPB-Radio cites a research initiative led by Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., to end HIV among the 10 stories from the Pacific Northwest that were bright spots for 2025. He says, “I think within our lifetimes for sure, we will see a cure.”

Phil and Penny Knight’s $2 billion commitment in 2025 to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute as the largest donation ever for a U.S. university. Brian Druker, M.D., says, “Penny and Phil Knight have always challenged us to do what no one else is doing. It can seem impossible to navigate the health care system after being diagnosed with cancer. We’re going to change that. We have revolutionized the way we detect and treat cancer. Now we are going to transform the way we care for patients while continuing to develop innovative treatments.”

The Scientist interviews Brian Scottoline, M.D., and Jamie Lo, M.D., in an explainer about the makeup of amniotic fluid. Lo says, “In every trimester of the pregnancy, this composition evolves to match the growing needs of the fetus, just like breast milk postnatally also changes to match the growing needs of the infant.”

In a Fox News story about an OHSU discovery of a promising new drug combination to help people with acute myeloid leukemia, Jeffrey Tyner, Ph.D., says, “The data show that this drug regimen may be especially effective in patients whose tumors exhibit features that cause resistance to the current standard of care, frontline therapies.”

Continued news coverage about an OHSU evidence review that finds short-term improvements in pain management for cannabis products relatively high in THC.

The Lund Report outlines a series of new laws taking effect in Oregon at the start of the year, including a law requiring the state Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission to work with OHSU to develop a strategy to prevent drug abuse among young people.

The PATHFINDER 2 study — the largest interventional multi-cancer early detection trial in North America — is examining the safety and efficacy of Grail’s Galleri MCED blood test, which can not only detect more than 50 types of cancer, but also pinpoint where it’s coming from with striking accuracy. “Having a blood test that detects a signal for a cancer in somebody with no symptoms and then seeing it confirmed on imaging? It’s a game-changer. It’s completely revolutionary,” says Nima Nabavizadeh, M.D.

A new systematic evidence review finds short-term improvements in pain management for cannabis products relatively high in THC, but they’re also high in side effects like sedation, dizziness and nausea. It also finds that CBD has only a trivial effect on pain. Roger Chou, M.D., says, “The idea or hope has been that the CBD component might be the one that provides the therapeutic effects. Unfortunately, what we found was that the CBD products essentially had no impact on pain.”

A new systematic evidence review finds short-term improvements in pain management for cannabis products relatively high in THC, but they’re also high in side effects like sedation, dizziness and nausea. It also finds that CBD has only a trivial effect on pain. Roger Chou, M.D., says, “The idea or hope has been that the CBD component might be the one that provides the therapeutic effects. Unfortunately, what we found was that the CBD products essentially had no impact on pain.”

New OHSU research finds that that air pollution is associated with structural changes in the adolescent brain. Calvin Jara, M.D., says, “What we’re discovering is that chronic exposure to common, low-level air pollutants may act like a slow, subtle pressure on the developing brain. It may not cause symptoms right away, but over time it appears capable of nudging brain development off its typical course, with potential consequences for developmental trajectories and outcomes across the life course.”