University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM)

A soft neural implant, capable of delivering multiple drugs and color lights, might speed research on diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, addiction, depression and pain. A team of scientists in Korea and the United States have invented a device that can control neural circuits by  using a tiny brain implant managedby a smartphone. Publishing in Nature Biomedical Engineering,

Couples to enroll in yearlong study of pregnancy prevention; UW School of Medicine is one of 3 U.S. clinical sites Three U.S. sites are enrolling couples in the first clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a gel for men to prevent unintended pregnancy. (Trial subjects’ criteria and investigators’ contact info at clinicaltrials.gov) Today’s launch

The strategy introduces stable components of flu virus to the body to spur universal, and long-lasting DNA-enhanced protection. Getting a flu shot every year can be a pain. One UW Medicine researcher is hoping to make the yearly poke a thing of the past with the development of a universal vaccine that would protect from all strains of influenza virus,