Michele Solis

Journalist

Michele Solis is a freelance science writer based in Seattle, Washington

Warp drive: conducting experiments in space allows speedy results

Experiments in space with human tissue chips bring hope of discovering new ways of treating diseases back on Earth.…

Hacking the vagal system to treat chronic cough

Chronic cough places a huge burden on healthcare systems and is distressing for patients, but there are few targeted treatments available. In the past decade, a new theory that chronic cough is a neural, rather than respiratory, problem has invigorated clinical trials.…

Untangling anorexia: psychedelics offer hope for a neglected condition

Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder yet there are no medicines licensed globally to treat it; however, that might be about to change.…

Managing menopause: treating hot flushes without hormones

Menopausal hot flushes are estimated to lead one in five women to seek help from their GP, but the first choice of treatment — hormone replacement therapy — is not suitable for all women. To tackle this distressing symptom, experts hope that a new class of drugs, currently in development, will o…

Personalising antidepressants: should we be genetic testing?

Some health systems are already using pharmacogenomic testing to help tailor treatment for depression, but experts say the evidence for this approach is not quite there yet.…

Shifting the scales: a promising new era for weight-loss drugs

With obesity rates continuing to rise, the need for pharmacological options to help patients safely lose weight is urgent, but there are several promising drugs on the horizon.…

Never again: training our immune systems to neutralise killer coronaviruses

Experimental universal coronavirus vaccines target multiple related viruses, with the aim of warding off other pandemics before they can wreak the havoc endured while the world waited for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.…

Beyond valproate: treatment dilemmas for women with epilepsy continue

For women with epilepsy, seizure control during pregnancy is a moving target, and with increasing knowledge about the risks of antiepileptics on foetal development, prescribers are having to balance the risks and benefits for both mother and baby.…

‘Beyond our wildest dreams’ – CAR-T therapies in multiple myeloma

CAR-T therapies have been licensed in the UK since 2018 for the treatment of B cell lymphoma. But with positive results emerging for their use in multiple myeloma, and the promise of potential in solid tumours, excitement around CAR-T continues to grow.…

Personalised treatment for depression on the horizon: predicting response to antidepressants

Only one-third of patients with depression benefit from the first antidepressant they try, but researchers are striving to find biological features that predict how a person will respond to particular drugs so they can tailor treatment from the beginning.…