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Injections are considered the most important first-line treatment for acute, severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), which can manifest, among other symptoms, as a drop in blood pressure. This recommendation is based primarily on clinical experience and observational data, as placebo-controlled studies in humans with severe anaphylaxis are not feasible.

In a recently published review, a research team led by MedUni Vienna has highlighted a promising new approach to drug discovery. The focus is on the targeted modulation of certain intracellular signalling proteins as a strategy for controlling disease-relevant signalling pathways and reducing side effects.

Consistent and permanent abstinence from alcohol can lead to the regression of existing liver-related complications, even in cases of advanced alcohol-related cirrhosis. This is shown by an international multicentre study led by MedUni Vienna, which was recently published in the Journal of Hepatology.

A research team led by Helena Niziolek and Peter Wolf from the Department of Medicine III at the Medical University of Vienna has investigated whether drug-induced reduction of cortisol production can cause metabolic changes in patients with hormonally active adrenal adenoma. The results show for the first time that treatment with the cortisol synthesis inhibitor metyrapone is associated with measurable positive effects on liver and sugar metabolism.

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a new approach to treating a particularly frequent and difficult-to-treat form of lung cancer. The study shows that a combination of two well-studied classes of drugs - ERBB inhibitors and Aurora kinase inhibitors - is significantly more effective against KRAS-mutated lung adenocarcinomas than existing therapies.

A research team led by Erwin F. Wagner from the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism that contributes to the development of psoriasis - and at the same time represents a potential biomarker for a new treatment concept. The study published in Cell Death & Differentiation shows that a specific fatty acid-binding protein (FABP5) drives ferroptosis, a certain form of cell death, and amplifies inflammatory processes in the skin.

An international research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has shown that continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in women with gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of a newborn with above-average birth weight. The study, published in the leading journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, is the first multicenter randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the advantages of the digital method over conventional self-monitoring of blood glucose using finger pricks and opens up new perspectives for the targeted care of women with gestational diabetes.

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has gained new insights into how ticks influence the human immune system in order to introduce pathogens. The study shows that the saliva of Ixodes ricinus - the most common tick species in Central Europe - plays a central role in altering the immune response of skin cells, thereby facilitating the transmission of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi.

Researchers at MedUni Vienna have tested the prognostic significance of their previously developed artificial intelligence (AI) model based on simple blood tests. The Vienna 3P/5P models, which are using just three or five routine laboratory parameters, can predict the clinical course of patients with advanced chronic liver disease - without invasive procedures or the need for special equipment.

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna, the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences and the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest has developed a groundbreaking new chemotherapeutic agent, LiPyDau, which shows remarkable efficacy against multiple tumor types in preclinical studies.

An international clinical study led by the Medical University of Vienna shows that the drug patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd) can have a promising effect in patients with active brain metastases of various tumour types. Patients with advanced disease benefited from treatment in both non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic breast cancer, as shown in two simultaneous publications in The Lancet Oncology.

An international research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has demonstrated for the first time that thyroid hormone plays a key role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. By blocking a specific thyroid hormone receptor, cancer growth was inhibited in both animal models and tumour cell cultures.

A recent study led by the Center for Public Health at the Medical University of Vienna shows that in people who are obese or overweight and are treated with so-called incretin-based drugs, changes in taste perception may be linked to differences in appetite regulation. The study, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, thus provides important evidence that sensory changes could be an additional factor in the effect of these therapies.

An Austria-wide research team coordinated by MedUni Vienna has demonstrated for the first time in a large observational study that the drug risdiplam leads to a significant improvement in motor function in adult patients with 5q-associated spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The results close an important evidence gap, as previous approval studies had mainly examined children.

Despite decades of optimisation of therapy protocols, the prognosis for acute myeloid leukaemia in children (paediatric AML) remains poor for many patients. A research team from St. Anna Children's Cancer Research, the CeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Medical University of Vienna and St. Anna Children's Hospital has now succeeded in developing a method for the early detection of resistance mechanisms in paediatric AML with the aid of state-of-the-art imaging, molecular methods and computer-assisted data analysis.

An international research team involving MedUni Vienna has shown that an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in early pregnancy provides crucial information about the risk of gestational diabetes. The study, currently published in the journal Diabetologia, proves that blood sugar levels from an early OGTT can predict not only the later development of gestational diabetes, but also the need for insulin therapy - and thus a more severe course of the disease.

Three recent studies conducted by the Clinical Division of Rheumatology at MedUni Vienna's Department of Internal Medicine III exemplify a research approach that consistently puts patients at the centre. They specifically address questions that arise from everyday clinical practice: What information do doctors lack in their everyday work, what concerns do patients have, and what data is crucial for improving treatment decisions?

Completely abstaining from alcohol can improve the prognosis of patients with predominantly alcohol-related liver disease. Even a regression of liver-related complications appears possible through abstinence - even after the progression to cirrhosis. However, whether these clinical improvements are also accompanied by an improvement in portal hypertension - a key trigger for complications - had remained unclear.

A research team at the Medical University of Vienna has systematically described the safety and efficacy of targeted immunotherapy in refractory idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) for the first time.

Levosimendan is an established drug in cardiology that strengthens the contractile force of the heart muscle and is used in certain forms of acute heart failure. A study has now investigated whether levosimendan can also help to prevent undetected but measurable cardiac stress after major non-cardiac surgery.