Many mutations in DNA that contribute to disease are not in actual genes but instead lie in the 99% of the genome once considered "junk." Even though scientists have recently come to understand that these vast stretches of DNA do in fact play critical roles, deciphering these effects on a wide scale has been impossible until now.

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is creating a 'pool' of patient experts to strengthen the role and voice of patients in IMI activities at both strategic and operational levels. IMI has always involved patients in its work; now the plan is to take patient engagement at IMI to the next level.

Activity trackers and mobile phone apps are all the rage, but do they really help users increase and maintain physical activity? A new study has found that one mobile phone app designed for inactive women did help when combined with an activity tracker and personal counseling.

Interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) will become an increasingly common aspect of our lives. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now completed the first study of how "embodied AI" can help treat mental illness. Their conclusion: Important ethical questions of this technology remain unanswered. There is urgent need for action on the part of governments, professional associations and researchers.

When a child has cancer, what kind of information do parents seek out? Analyzing their online searches to obtain health-related information offers one window into their concerns, and provides insight into how healthcare providers may offer family education and support. Oncology researchers who investigated parents' online Google searches found that,

Researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), part of the University of Oxford, used an eight-year survey of UK households (Understanding Society, part of the UK Household Longitudinal Study) to study how long teenagers spent using social media on a normal school day and their corresponding life satisfaction ratings.

Novartis today announced results from a validation study of the innovative, algorithm-based digital solution MS Progression Discussion Tool, or MSProDiscussTM. The tool aims to support and facilitate a discussion between physicians and patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have transitioned, or are at risk of transitioning from relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS)[1].