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Listen: Closing the gender gap in cardiology
In this episode of the FemTech World Podcast, host Stephanie Price speaks with Dr Malissa Wood, Chief Medical Officer at Women As One, about the gender gap in cardiology and what it means for patient care.
Women as One is on a mission to build infrastructure, not just raise awareness, to ensure women receive accurate, equitable cardiovascular care worldwide.
Stephanie and Malissa discuss:
- Why women remain underrepresented in cardiology leadership and research
- How structural barriers, visibility, and network access limit women’s careers
- How diverse research teams improve cardiovascular outcomes for women
- The power of mentorship and sponsorship in retaining women in cardiology
- Future milestones for gender equity, from clinical trials to medical education
Listen now on YouTube or your podcast platform of choice:
A vaccine trial will test whether an mRNA jab can help stop precancerous cells developing into bowel and ovarian cancer in people with Lynch syndrome.
The first stage is due to launch this summer and will assess whether the jab can train the immune system to recognise and eliminate precancerous cells before cancer develops.
Around 175,000 people in England have Lynch syndrome, but only five per cent, or around 10,000 people, know they have it.
The inherited condition increases the risk of developing bowel cancer by 80 per cent and is linked to around 1,100 bowel cancer cases each year.
Lynch syndrome is also linked to a far higher risk of bowel, womb and ovarian cancer, alongside other types including stomach, pancreatic, kidney and skin cancer.
While the syndrome does not directly cause cancer, the genetic changes can lead to more abnormal cells developing, which then multiply and increase the risk of cancers such as bowel, prostate and endometrial cancer.
It is caused by an alteration in a mismatch repair gene. Carriers do not have any symptoms.
The new Intercept-Lynch trial is part of a scientific collaboration between the University of Oxford and Moderna, while Cancer Research UK has backed the vaccine’s development.
Once patients receive the new mRNA-4194 jab, experts will analyse their immune responses, assess the best dose and check whether the jab is safe.
The second phase of the study will include multiple centres across the UK, including Oxford, and is expected to begin in 2027.
The aim of the trial is to train the immune system with a vaccine to recognise abnormalities and stop them developing into cancer.
Professor David Church, Cancer Research UK senior cancer research fellow in the University of Oxford’s centre for human genetics and lead investigator of the trial, said: “People with Lynch syndrome are at risk of cancers over their entire lives.
“So, it’s very common, for instance, a woman to have a first cancer of her womb, and then some years later have a bowel cancer, or vice versa.
“The targets we’ve chosen for the vaccine were chosen based on their sharedness across multiple cancer types in Lynch syndrome, so we think they should provide broad protection, if the vaccine works.”
In people with Lynch syndrome, mutations can build up, making the cells containing them more likely to turn into cancerous cells.
However, those mutations can be made visible to the immune system and, with enough stimulation, the immune system can attack the abnormal cells and stop cancer from forming.
Professor Church said the mRNA jab acts as “an instruction manual” for the body to attack precancerous cells.
He added that, as with many vaccines, patients may need a booster jab at some stage.
On whether similar approaches could help prevent cancers not caused by Lynch syndrome, Professor Church said: “In terms of proof of principle that we can train the immune system to recognise these cancer-associated alterations and enhance the immune response against them to prevent these pre-cancers or prevent the progression of pre-cancer to cancer, that proof of principle should give us insights that are generalisable.”
David Berman, chief development officer at Moderna, said: “By applying mRNA technology earlier in the patient journey, we aim to harness the immune system when it can have the greatest impact.
“We are proud to bring this innovation to the UK, building on our long-standing collaboration with leading UK institutions to advance mRNA research and development.”
Apple announced menopause and perimenopause tracking for its Health app at WWDC 2026, with symptom logging and cycle alerts for some users.
The update expands the app’s cycle tracking beyond fertility and menstrual periods.
If logged cycle patterns suggest a user may be experiencing perimenopause, the app will send a notification prompting a conversation with a doctor.
However, this perimenopause-specific cycle deviation notification is only for users aged 40 and over and is not intended to replace a doctor’s diagnosis or treatment.
Stacey Ford, Apple’s vice-president of OS management, said users will also be able to log menopause and perimenopause symptoms in the Health app.
Educational content will also be available to help users learn more about these life stages and understand changes in their bodies.
Every year, about 2 million women enter perimenopause, the stage before menopause when levels of the hormone oestrogen decline.
According to a February 2025 survey involving 4,432 participants aged over 30, more than half of women aged 30 to 35 experienced moderate or severe perimenopause symptoms.
The findings suggest perimenopause does not affect only older adults.
About 6,000 women in the US enter menopause every day, according to the Society for Women’s Health Research.
Given the number of women affected by perimenopause and menopause, the update broadens the Health app’s scope.
The app launched in 2019, meaning it has gone seven years without these women’s health tracking features, which could help users better understand their bodies and prepare for informed conversations with doctors.
A £50m maternity consortium will bring together UK clinicians, researchers and communities to tackle the most critical gaps in maternal care.
Funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research has established the NIHR Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium under the leadership of the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University.
Higher education bodies, NHS organisations, community groups and voluntary organisations from across the UK will work together through the programme.
The NIHR has committed £50m over five years to support research led by clinicians, researchers and communities across the consortium.
Professor Joht Singh Chandan, consortium co-lead for research at the University of Birmingham, said: “National attention on maternity safety and equity has never been greater, but ambition must now be matched by evidence and implementation.
“Through this consortium, we will work across the UK to understand what works, for whom and in what contexts, and to ensure that research leads to practical changes in care for the women, babies and families who need them most.”
The launch comes at a pivotal moment for UK maternity care, with growing national attention on improving safety, equity and women’s experiences of care.
The government’s renewed Women’s Health Strategy highlights the need to improve care before and between pregnancies for underserved communities.
Against that backdrop, the consortium will generate the evidence, interventions and research capacity needed to help turn national ambition into practical improvements for women, babies and families.
University of Birmingham is leading work to improve maternity care pathways across the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods.
Antenatal care covers pregnancy before labour, while intrapartum care refers to care during labour and birth.
The consortium will examine how women and families can be better supported before pregnancy and between pregnancies.
This includes improving access to advice and care that can help people prepare for pregnancy, manage existing health conditions and reduce risks before they build up.
Other research will focus on improving care during pregnancy, birth and the early weeks after birth.
This will include work on major causes of poor maternal health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes in pregnancy, obesity, perinatal mental health and complications during recovery after birth.
Professor Judith Rankin OBE, consortium co-lead for research and capacity development at Newcastle University, said: “This funding represents a critical opportunity to make the step change we need to improve outcomes for women and their babies.
“Alongside the research, the Consortium will be investing in tomorrow’s research leaders today to ensure we have the capacity to deliver on improving pregnancy outcomes, access to, and experience of, care.”
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