Medicine Matters: The Springer Medicine Podcast

The expansion of available treatments for migraine led to the development of evidence-based guidelines by the Italian Society for the Study of Headache and the International Headache Society to help guide clinicians in their pharmacologic decision making.

Prof. Simona Sacco, a key figure involved in their development, discusses them from a practical perspective, giving insights on escalation of acute treatment, introducing preventive treatment, and when to refer patients to a neurologist.

VEXAS syndrome is an adult-onset autoinflammatory disorder that was first identified in 2020. Caused by somatic mutations in the UBA1 gene, it can present with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations.

Dr. Peter Grayson, one of the researchers involved from the beginning, takes us through the story so far, from its discovery to the defining clinical features, current treatment strategies, and future hopes.

Around one in five cardiovascular deaths are attributable to environmental stressors, yet these are often overlooked.

Air pollution is perhaps the most prevalent, but how does it affect cardiovascular health? Dr. Anusha Seneviratne elaborates on the mechanisms, epidemiological evidence, and preventive measures.

Recently there has been a renewed interest in the prospect of therapeutic cancer vaccines. But what exactly does it mean to vaccinate against cancer, where are vaccines showing the most promise, and what are the challenges of making such vaccines a reality?

Dr. Elias Sayour answers these questions and more in this episode.

In this special edition of Medicine Matters , we're joined by Dr Gregory Lim, Claire Greenhill, and Sarah Onuora, Chief Editors of Nature Reviews Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Rheumatology, for a look back at the advances in their specialties in 2025.

Find out what caught their attention and why, and what they're looking forward to in 2026.

Around 10 to 20% of people will complain of dysphagia during their lifetime but uncertainty remains about optimal diagnostic work-up and management.

Prof. Edoardo Savarino takes us through the highlights of the updated UEG and ESNM dysphagia guidelines and the difference they could make to patient outcomes.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have transformed the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, a condition that had limited therapeutic options before.

In this 25th year since the first phase 2 trials of the first TKI, we speak to a researcher and clinician who has been involved since the early days. Dr. Jorge Cortes shares his experience and talks about the impact of these drugs, not only in the treatment of CML but also more widely.

Anti-CGRP therapy has dramatically improved migraine treatment for many patients since its introduction in 2018. However, 30–40% of patients do not respond adequately to these drugs. Prof. Messoud Ashina talks to us about PACAP and why targeting this pathway could offer a new future option for such patients.

In 2005 the US FDA approved the first GLP-1 medicine for type 2 diabetes, marking the start of a remarkable journey that goes beyond the stimulation of insulin secretion.

Prof. Daniel Drucker gives us a fascinating insight into the early work on GLP-1 and discusses how these medicines are impacting the lives of people with diabetes and obesity, covering what's known about how they work, treatment duration, side effects, and the role of bariatric surgery, plus what's in the pipeline in terms of drug development and the indications that GLP-1 medicines may be used to treat in the future.