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Texas Children’s Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a transformational collaboration dedicated solely to pediatric cancer care. Approved by the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees and the UT System Board of Regents, this new, first-of-its-kind joint venture will unite the nation’s largest comprehensive pediatric system and a top pediatric cancer program with the nation’s leading comprehensive cancer center. The collaboration has a single mission: to end childhood cancer.

“The scope and scale of our combined effort will build the world’s preeminent pediatric cancer center, addressing the growing need for excellent patient care and greatly benefiting children with cancer through increased access to care and to clinical trials,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., President of MD Anderson. “MD Anderson and Texas Children’s offer unique strengths that when brought together will accelerate improved outcomes for patients in Texas and around the world.”

Collaborative operations and patient care will launch in early 2026. A focus on new facilities is required to offer patients and their families a best-in-class healing environment with the latest medical technology designed specifically with them in mind. Specifics are not yet established but will be forthcoming. The combination of Texas Children’s and MD Anderson patient populations will increase pediatric cancer clinical trials, ultimately expediting discoveries and enhancing the availability of innovative cancer treatments. Texas has one of the youngest and fastest growing populations in the country and has the second most total pediatric cancer cases in the United States, creating a significant opportunity for scientific advancement through this joint venture.

“This groundbreaking collaboration between two proven leaders in pediatric and cancer care marks the beginning of a new era in the fight against childhood cancer,” says Debra F. Sukin, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Children’s. “The combined force of our two iconic programs will be led with the nation’s top talent—from clinicians and researchers to nurses and administrative professionals—each committed to realizing the shared mission of eradicating pediatric cancer.”

While the two organizations have collaborated for years, this new effort will expand access while offering the nation’s largest complement of pediatric subspecialty care and services to children diagnosed with all types of cancer within a single entity. More than 200 Texas Children’s pediatric oncology specialists, who are full time faculty with Baylor College of Medicine, and over 100 MD Anderson pediatric clinicians and researchers will together advance this transformational care team. The collaboration will also feature pediatric oncology education programs aimed at training and expanding the next-generation pediatric oncology care team who will be key in our bold goal of eliminating childhood cancer.
NewsBit Bureau

A political battle over transgender healthcare has left some Virginia families scrambling to secure care for their children.

Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, three Virginia hospitals paused gender-affirming care for minors, leaving patients in limbo. But now, after a federal judge blocked the order, at least one hospital is resuming services — while others remain on hold.

The University of Virginia’s hospital has restarted gender-affirming care for patients under 19, but in Richmond, VCU Health’s pause remains in place. A spokesperson for Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk did not respond to questions for comment.

“We are reviewing the order to determine an appropriate course of action,” VCU Health communications director Danielle Pierce said in an email Friday. “(The hospital’s) doors have remained open, and will continue to be open, to all patients and their families for screening, counseling and all health care needs not affected by the executive order.”

Advocacy groups are calling for immediate action. Equality Virginia, alongside various LGBTQ+ organizations, signed a joint letter urging hospitals to resume care for minors.

“Virginians deserve health care that is rooted in medical integrity, legal protections, and ethical responsibility, not political expediency,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, families are struggling to navigate the uncertainty.

Sen. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, the first and only openly transgender member of Virginia’s General Assembly, said she’s been in touch with families trying to switch providers before their children’s medication runs out.

“Kids and families have been made to panic for weeks,” Roem said.

As hospitals around Virginia navigate the fallout from Trump’s late-January order, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wasted no time pushing for compliance.

He sent a memo to UVA Health and VCU Health advising them to halt gender-affirming care for minors immediately. By early February, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters followed suit, announcing it would suspend those services.

For Norfolk resident Lisa Suhay, the policy change is deeply frustrating. While her 21-year-old transgender daughter isn’t directly affected, she’s concerned for families who are now left scrambling — and for hospitals caught in the political crosshairs.

“A goal of (Trump’s) administration is to drive wedges between our medical communities and the public,” Suhay said. “By forcing hospitals to make these brutal decisions, they achieve that goal.”

Trump’s order, which is temporarily blocked as legal challenges play out, directs federal agencies to ensure that institutions receiving federal research or education grants “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”

While Suhay said she believes hospitals should resist the order, she acknowledges the difficult position they’re in, as defying it could mean losing federal funding.

“The parents who are shouting ‘you need to resist for the sake of my child’ still need to have a hospital for their kid to go to if they break an arm or have cancer,” she said. Fauquier

Hormone testing has long relied on laboratory blood tests, which only capture a single moment in time and require frequent clinic visits. For patients undergoing IVF, managing menopause, or receiving testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), this means invasive, inconvenient, and often delayed insights into their hormonal health.

Healthtech startup Level Zero Health is tackling this problem with the world’s first remote and continuous hormone monitoring device. Now, the company has secured £5.5 million in pre-seed funding, led by Swiss VC Redalpine, with support from HAX (SOSV), Entrepreneur First, and industry experts, to bring this technology to market.

Expansion and growth plans
With fresh funding secured, Level Zero Health is focusing on the following:

• Advancing R&D to refine its DNA-based hormone monitoring system
• Expanding its team in the UK and US
• Preparing for clinical trials and regulatory approvals
• Bringing its technology to market, starting with B2B clinical applications

A new era for hormone tracking
Rather than relying on invasive blood draws, Level Zero Health’s device measures hormones in interstitial fluid, which surrounds cells and tissues. This sleek, wearable patch, worn on the arm, provides real-time readings of key hormones like cortisol, progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. Its DNA-based sensors allow users to track hormone levels in real-time, similar to how continuous glucose monitors have transformed diabetes care.

By enabling on-demand, continuous hormone tracking, Level Zero Health is democratising access to hormone data, making it easier for both patients and clinicians to understand and manage hormonal health effectively.

Proven results
In just under a year, Level Zero Health has made remarkable progress, validating its DNA-based sensors in simulated samples across 98% of the human clinical range. As per the company, this is a milestone that significantly outperforms industry standards.

Its non-invasive, real-time monitoring capabilities place it at the forefront of next-generation diagnostics, opening the door for B2B clinical adoption as well as pharma and consumer applications in the future.

Experienced leadership and visionary advisory board
Founded in 2023 by Ula Rustamova (ex-Palantir Enterprise Tech Lead and wearable startup founder) and Irene Jia (former medical device developer at Philips), Level Zero Health brings together expertise in enterprise tech, medical devices, and biotech innovation.

The company has also assembled an impressive clinical advisory board, including Aaron Styer, Medical Director at CCRM Fertility and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School; Kelly Walker, Board-certified urologist and medical advisor at hims; and Joshua Klein, Medical Director at Extend Fertility and Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai.

What’s next?
By modernising hormone diagnostics, Level Zero Health is setting a new standard for real-time, personalised healthcare. With continuous hormone monitoring, patients and clinicians will soon have access to unprecedented insights, making hormone-related treatments more precise, accessible, and effective than ever before.

Ula Rustamova, CEO of Level Zero Health, said: “Our innovative remote monitoring technology marks an enormous leap forward in hormone testing, and this funding will enable us to bring this revolutionary solution to market. This breakthrough in health technology has come about in a relatively short amount of time, but already we are seeing strong demand from customers who recognise the benefits of hormone monitoring not only because it allows patients to skip invasive and inconvenient lab tests, but also because it captures critical data inaccessible before.”

Philip Kneis, investor at redalpine and board member of Level Zero Health, said: “We did it for blood pressure and will do it again for hormones. Continuous hormone measurement is one of the holy grails of diagnostics, and as fundamental science transitions to engineering, we couldn’t be more excited to back Level Zero Health in their mission to transform hormone tracking with their novel biosensor – paving the way for a new era of personalised health management.”

Aaron Styer MD, co-founding partner and medical director at CCRM Fertility Boston stated: “Improvements in healthcare delivery have been impacted by the limitations of existing devices and applications. This technological breakthrough by Level Zero Health will transform the clinician’s ability to manage and monitor hormonal-based diseases and treatments. The technology has a myriad of applications across remote hormonal monitoring for fertility treatments and endocrine disorders. It will significantly expand patient access to care, reduce healthcare costs, and enable clinicians to change the paradigm of medical practice.” TechFundingNews

India and the US are committed to increasing bilateral trade to $500 billion and negotiating a “strong” trade agreement within the next 6-8 months, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

During the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, India and the US announced to more than double the two-way commerce to $500 billion by 2030 and negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by fall of 2025.

Goyal said once his US counterpart takes charge, both countries will discuss the contours of the pact.

“…In the next 6-8 months, by establishing a strong trade agreement, we are committed to increasing trade to $500 billion,” Goyal told reporters here on the sidelines of CII’s India-Qatar Business Forum meet.

He added businesses of both the countries are excited about the agreement.

When asked if the pact would have chapters related to goods, services and investments, he said, “My counterpart has not yet confirmed in the US…After the (confirmation), we will do talks and then only we can decide the way forward”.

Normally in a free trade agreement, two trading partners either eliminate or significantly reduce customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they ease norms to promote trade in services and boost investments.

During the first term of US President Donald Trump, the two countries had discussed a mini-trade deal, but it was shelved by the Joe Biden administration as they were not in favour of such pacts.

In 2023, the US and India bilateral trade in goods and services stood at $190.08 billion ($123.89 billion in goods and $66.19 billion in services trade). In that year, India’s merchandise exports to the US stood at $83.77 billion, while imports were $40.12 billion, leaving a trade gap of $43.65 billion in favour of India.

The country’s services export to America was $36.33 billion in 2023, while imports were aggregated at $29.86 billion. The trade gap (difference between imports and exports) was $6.47 billion in favour of New Delhi.

During 2021-24, America was the largest trading partner of India. The US is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus.

In 2023-24, the US was the largest trading partner of India with $119.71 billion bilateral trade in goods ($77.51 billion worth of exports, $42.19 billion of imports and $35.31 billion trade surplus).

India received $67.8 billion in foreign direct investments from America during April 2000 and September 2024. PTI

The state of Punjab has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it will settle all outstanding payments owed to private hospitals up to December 31, 2024, by March 21.

The commitment was made before Justice Kuldeep Tiwari’s Bench during the hearing of a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Punjab and other petitioner-hospitals/medical institutions registered under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.

The petitioners had sought the release of pending dues amounting to over Rs 500 crore.

As the petition filed against the state and other respondents through senior counsel DS Patwalia and advocate Adityajit Singh Chadha came up for a resumed hearing, the state counsel gave the undertaking on instructions from the Principle Secretary, Finance. He, at the same time, sought liberty to “further raise the claim regarding contribution to the Central Government as per the scheme”.

In view of the specific stand taken by the state counsel, the counsel for the petitioners submitted that they at the current stage did not want to press the petition. They, too, sought liberty to revive the petition in case the undertaking was not been adhered to by Punjab.

Taking up the matter in September last year, Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj of the high court had observed that the liability to pay had been acknowledged, but only about Rs 26 crore had been released. The court had also called for details of expenses incurred on advertising in print and audio-visual media, renovating houses and offices of ministers, MLAs and Class I officers, and the purchase of new vehicles. The Principal Secretary, Finance, was directed to file an affidavit detailing expenses incurred under specific heads.

Justice Bhardwaj had noted Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain’s contention that the Centre was to reimburse 60 per cent of the medical bills and had already released Rs 355.48 crore to the state government. The responsibility to disburse the funds, along with their own dues, rested with the state health agencies. “The state has not only not released its own share but also misutilised the share already released by the Union of India,” Jain had added.

“What is surprising is that even though more than Rs 350 crore has been claimed to be released by the Union of India, the amount received by the state of Punjab/state health agency from the Union of India has not been disbursed and they have unlawfully retained the amount,” Justice Bhardwaj had asserted. Tribune India