Science

Cancer Vaccines, Anti-Aging Treatments, and 5 Other Exciting Biomedical Advances

Getting older makes you more prone to all kinds of maladies. So why not become younger?

Ronald Bailey | From the October 2026 issue

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(Illustrations: George Mussel/Fiverr)

We are at the dawn of a golden age of biosciences, characterized by massive leaps in molecular biology. Breakthroughs in precise gene editing, mRNA vaccines, targeted cancer treatments, and more are transforming biomedicine.

Move Over, Wegovy and Zepbound

Retatrutide, a new diabetes and weight loss medication that targets three different receptors in the brain and body, is even more potent than earlier GLP-1 medications. In preliminary trials, the drug enabled people to lose an average of 70 pounds over 80 weeks. Millions of Americans with diabetes and/or obesity have benefited from GLP-1 medications, and the obesity rate for adults has begun declining largely due to their advent. GLP-1 drugs also reduce the risk of heart attacks, reverse fatty liver disease, slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, and effectively treat sleep apnea. Although retatrutide has not yet been reviewed, let alone approved, by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), black market versions are popular among biohackers.

Get Your Lipoprotein(a) Level Tested

Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is an especially dangerous kind of cholesterol that triples the risk of a heart attack. Your genes largely determine your Lp(a) level. Cardiologists have known for decades that around 20 percent of Americans are at risk of........

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