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Researchers say they've located a "kill switch" that can trigger the death of cancer cells. Scientists at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, California, have identified a protein on the CD95 receptor that can "program" cancer cells to die, as detailed in a study published in the journal Cell Death & Differentiation last month. A receptor is a protein within a cell that receives and transmits signals. (Rudy, 11/12)

The handful of patients had severe heart disease that had caused chest pain and heart attacks. After trying available cholesterol-lowering medications, they could not get their cholesterol as low as cardiologists recommended. So they volunteered for an experimental cholesterol-lowering treatment using gene editing that was unlike anything tried in patients before. The result, reported Sunday by the company Verve Therapeutics of Boston at a meeting of the American Heart Association, showed that the treatment appeared to reduce cholesterol levels markedly in patients and that it appeared to be safe. (Kolata, 11/12)

Preliminary results from a study involving 10 patients born with a genetic condition that causes very high cholesterol found that editing a gene inside the liver can significantly reduce levels of "bad cholesterol." The experimental treatment needs to be tested on more patients who would be followed for much longer to confirm the approach is safe and effective. But the results are being hailed as a potential landmark proof-of-concept that could eventually provide a powerful new way to prevent heart attacks and strokes. (Stein, 11/12)

Cutting 1 teaspoon of salt from your diet each day can lower your top blood pressure reading just as much as a typical hypertension medication, even if you don’t have high blood pressure, a new study found. (LaMotte, 11/11)

A new study, and the bold doctor who led it, could result in big questions about how researchers study medical devices and surgical treatments and, eventually, what procedures patients undergo. (Herper, 11/11)

A pair of studies have found that older adults who use marijuana have more risk of heart attack or stroke when hospitalized than non-users and are more likely to develop heart failure if they are a daily user. The two studies, which have not been published, were presented Monday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia. Both studies excluded cannabis users who also smoke tobacco to focus solely on the cardiovascular effects of marijuana consumption. (Matthews, 11/9)

Scientists have developed a new toothpaste that shows potential to prevent severe allergic reactions in adults with peanut allergies. An early-stage clinical trial tested whether 32 adults with peanut allergies could safely brush their teeth with the toothpaste, which contains trace amounts of peanut protein. The hope is that introducing small amounts of peanuts to the body over time will help the immune system get used to the allergen and reduce severe reactions. (Mogg, 11/9)