Xuan Qin, Ph.D., and Bill Messer, M.D., Ph.D., are quoted in an OHA Oregon Health News post about XBB.1.5 on its way to becoming the predominant COVID-19 subvariant in Oregon. Qin says, “This new subvariant is a perfect example of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus is capable of adapting to selective pressure through mutations and re-combinations with earlier variants.”

News briefing held by Oregon Health Authority cites Jan. 6 statewide forecast by Peter Graven, Ph.D., predicting a small increase in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 due to the XBB.1.5 variant.

In a KOIN story about the increase in fentanyl overdoses in Oregon, Bradley Buchheit, M.D., says, “Everyone should be carrying and know how to use naloxone … Over the past few years within the state of Oregon, we’ve seen a dramatic change in our drug supply. We went from seeing black tar heroin in the drug supply to now almost all fentanyl -- which is about 50 times as potent as morphine.” Interview initially conducted as part of a special hourlong segment that aired in December. See OHSU News stories about the importance of naloxone and a roundtable discussion about the danger fentanyl presents to young people.

Peter G. Jacobs, Ph.D., and Leah M. Wilson, M.D., are organizing a clinical trial to evaluate how well patients can better manage their type 1 diabetes with the help of their artificial intelligence-powered app and the support of human experts in diabetes and behavioral health.

In a Politico story about new research led by Jane Zhu, M.D., revealing changes in the health care workforce after physician-owned practices are acquired by private equity, she says, “We’re facing huge changes in the practice environment. … The data that we know about in the industry reports are suggesting that [private equity] growth in health care has only increased during Covid, not decreased.”

OHSU and Oregon State University researchers are developing a new approach to gene therapy for inherited forms of blindness that uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver gene-altering mRNA. Renee Ryals, Ph.D., says: “Improving the technologies used for gene therapy can provide more treatment options to prevent blindness. Our study’s findings show that lipid nanoparticles could help us do just that.”

News briefing held by Oregon Health Authority cites Jan. 6 statewide forecast by Peter Graven, Ph.D., predicting a small increase in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 due to the XBB.1.5 variant.

The latest OHSU statewide forecast reveals that RSV and flu have peaked but to expect a bump in hospitalizations over the next few weeks due to the highly contagious XBB.1.5 variant. Bill Messer, M.D., Ph.D., says, “People can still get deathly ill and die from COVID. It’s understandable that people want to relax precautions, but we should not lose track of the fact that this is a dangerous virus, particularly in vulnerable people, and probably always will be.”

Peter G. Jacobs, Ph.D., and Leah M. Wilson, M.D., are organizing a clinical trial to evaluate how well patients can better manage their type 1 diabetes with the help of their artificial intelligence-powered app and the support of human experts in diabetes and behavioral health.

Becker’s Hospital Review includes Durinda Haukap, M.S., R.D., the new director of the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative, in its list of top oncology leaders “on the move” in 2022.