Welcome to The Pulse, a weekly roundup of health-focused news. Each Thursday, we bring you updates on health policy, community surveys, new clinical studies, programs and services in Southwest and Southside Virginia.
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Virginia Department of Health reaffirms support for childhood vaccine schedule
The Virginia Department of Health reaffirmed its support for childhood vaccines Tuesday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to overhaul the childhood vaccination schedule.
The order, signed Monday, calls for changes to federal vaccine recommendations, including how the measles, mumps and rubella, MMR, vaccine is recommended. It also asks states to reconsider their own vaccine requirements.
VDH continues to recommend that Virginia children receive vaccines according to the 2026 schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics, according to a department news release.
“Virginia’s families should be able to trust that our vaccine recommendations are grounded in the best available science and focused on protecting the health and well-being of their children,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Cameron Webb said in the release.
“The evidence supporting the AAP [American Academy of Pediatrics] immunization schedule is extensive, and we remain confident that following it is one of the best ways to protect children from serious, preventable diseases. VDH will continue to follow the evidence, work with trusted clinical partners, and ensure families have access to the vaccines and reliable information they need,” he said.
Trump’s executive order calls for separating the MMR vaccine into three separate shots for measles, mumps and rubella, with the shots administered at separate doctor visits. Currently, the combined MMR vaccine protects against all three diseases with one injection.
Virginia law and regulations require children to receive the MMR vaccine to attend public school. A change to federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would not automatically change Virginia’s school vaccination requirements.
The Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics also reaffirmed its support for its recommended immunization schedule.
“The Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (VA AAP) stands behind the AAP’s Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, which is evidenced-based and rooted in decades of research and data,” Dr. Erin Brickley, a practicing pediatrician in Marion and chair of the VA AAP’s Immunization Committee, said in the release. “We will work together with VDH to continue protecting Virginia children from vaccine-preventable illnesses and ensuring parents have accurate information regarding the importance of on-time immunization.”
Virginia Tech scientists discover new experimental therapy for certain genetic deletion disorders
Scientists at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have found that an experimental therapy can help brain cells overcome some effects of a disease-causing genetic deletion.
Genetic deletion disorders occur when a segment of DNA is missing. The missing genetic material can cause developmental problems, intellectual disabilities and other health conditions.
The Virginia Tech research suggests that some genetic brain disorders could be treated by targeting the cellular processes disrupted by a genetic change rather than repairing the genetic deletion itself, according to a university news release.
The study, published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, focused on 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, the second most common chromosomal deletion syndrome. The condition is associated with schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and a range of other cognitive and developmental challenges. It affects approximately one in every 2,000 to 4,000 births.
Using mice with a genetic condition similar to this deletion syndrome, researchers found that oxidative stress — an excess of harmful oxygen-containing molecules inside brain cells — may play an important role in abnormal brain development.
The researchers then gave the mice an antioxidant that can reach the brain, to see whether reducing oxidative stress could improve brain development.
The treatment improved the health of the cells’ energy-producing structures, strengthened connections between brain cells and restored the growth of dendrites, the branch-like parts of nerve cells that receive signals from other cells.
“Think of it as a detour around a network of winding roads where several trees have fallen,” Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and the study’s corresponding author, said in the release. “The detour still gets you to your destination even though the original route remains blocked. In this case, the therapy activates a different set of genes that helps neurons form functional brain circuits despite the genetic deletion.”
In this case, the therapy activated a different set of genes that helped neurons form functional brain circuits despite the genetic deletion, LaMantia said.
The researchers found that the treatment activated a network of genes that allowed neurons to achieve many of the same developmental outcomes as healthy cells.
Most therapies for genetic deletions aim to restore normal gene expression. The findings suggest that targeting other cellular pathways could offer an alternative approach, LaMantia said in the release.
Health and Human Services funding supports Virginia Tech research grants, black lung clinics in Southwest Virginia
Virginia Tech has received $1.94 million in research grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, who is chairman of the health subcommittee.
The four grants support research into safe drinking water in Appalachia, brain development, new painkiller treatments and therapies for osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
The largest grant, $774,123, will support a trial focused on safe drinking water in Appalachia. Other grants include $667,837 for research related to brain development in children, $451,417 for research into new painkiller treatments and $43,528 for osteosarcoma therapies.
Griffith said the grants will help Virginia Tech use research findings to inform scientists, doctors and patients.
Separately, HHS awarded St. Charles Health Council Inc. in Jonesville $80,921 to support Stone Mountain Health Services’ black lung clinic program.
Griffith said the funding will help provide treatment resources to coal communities affected by black lung disease.
The grant comes after Griffith announced more than $1.1 million in federal funding for Stone Mountain Health Services’ black lung program in May. Earlier this year, St. Charles Health Council received more than $5 million to support health center operations.
The grants were awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration.
