Moving Ahead with CRISPR Therapy

"This is the first step toward the use of gene editing therapies to treat a wide variety of rare genetic disorders for which there are currently no definitive medical treatments."

"As we get better and better at making these therapies and shorten the time frame even more, economies of scale will kick in and I would expect the costs to come down."

"Think of it like a GPS signal. You can change where the GPS is going depending on what specific sequence of genes you want to change."

"We want each and every patient to have the potential to experience the same results we saw in this first patient, and we hope that other academic investigators will replicate this method for many rare diseases and give many patients a fair shot at living a healthy life."

"The promise of gene therapy that we’ve heard about for decades is coming to fruition, and it’s going to utterly transform the way we approach medicine."

Dr. Kiran Musunuru, gene editing expert, University of Pennsylvania 

 

"Years and years of progress in gene editing and collaboration between researchers and clinicians made this moment possible, and while KJ is just one patient, we hope he is the first of many to benefit from a methodology that can be scaled to fit an individual patient’s needs."

"While KJ will need to be monitored carefully for the rest of his life, our initial findings are quite promising." 

Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, MD, PhD, director, Gene Therapy for Inherited Metabolic Disorders Frontier Program (GTIMD), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

KJ was only days old when he was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder and transferred to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where doctors were actively researching new cell and gene therapies.

 

"[We weighed] all the options, asking all the questions for either the liver transplant, which is invasive, or something that's never been done before."

"We prayed, we talked to people, we gathered information, and we eventually decided that this was the way we were going to go."

"[Considering his poor prognosis earlier], any time we see even the smallest milestone that he's meeting -- like a little wave or rolling over -- that's a big moment for us."

"We would do anything for our kids, so with KJ, we wanted to figure out how we were going to support him and how we were going to get him to the point where he can do all the things a normal kid should be able to do."

"We thought it was our responsibility to help our child, so when the doctors came to us with their idea, we put our trust in them in the hopes that it could help not just KJ but other families in our position."

Kyle and Nicole Muldoon, parents of infant KJ Muldoon

Kiran Musunru, MD, PhD, MPH, ML, MRA, (left) and Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, MD, PhD, (right) led the group of researchers from CHOP and Penn who developed a personalized treatment for baby KJ.

A new study has been published, describing by researchers an experimental therapy highlighting a baby born with a rare and dangerous genetic disease who is now growing and thriving following a gene editing treatment designed specifically for him. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The child is among the first ever to be treated successfully with a custom therapy meant to correct a tiny, critical error on his genetic code, one that kills fifty percent of affected infants. 

It is the hope of doctors that some day in the near future emerging technology can help millions of people whose conditions are rare -- often referred to as 'orphan' conditions -- as genetic medicine advances. The era awaits when similar personalized treatments become available for individuals afflicted with rare conditions. The baby, identified as KJ Muldoon of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania represents one of some 350 million individuals worldwide with mostly genetically inherited rare diseases. 

Infant KJ was diagnosed soon after his birth with severe CPS1 deficiency which according to experts affects about one in a million babies who lack an enzyme required to help remove ammonia from their body. Their condition can lead to the ammonia building up in their blood to become toxic. For some, a liver transplant is an option. For baby KJ, once his parents had agreed, the team at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine created an individualized therapy to correct the child's faulty gene.

 

CRISPR, the gene editing tool representing a huge step forward in understanding nature's architectural designs of human biology, led to researchers using a technique to flip the mutated DNA 'letter' -- known as a base -- to its correct version. "Base editing" reduces risk of unintended genetic changes. KJ received his initial IV infusion in February, when the gene editing therapy was delivered through tiny fatty droplets named lipid nanoparticles, absorbed by liver cells. 

 

March and April saw follow-up doses, the therapy enabling KJ to consume food more normally. He was able to recover well from illnesses such as colds which can exacerbate symptoms of CPS1. Now 9-1/2 months old, the infant currently requires reduced medication. The hope of the researchers involved is that what they learn from treating KJ will assist in more fully understanding other rare disease patient condiions. 

 

Generally, more common disorders are targeted by expensive-to-develop gene therapies afflicting much greater numbers of people. For simple financial reasons a greater number of patients equate with greater sales, the profits of which can help with development costs and generate greater profit. Sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that affects millions of people globally saw the first CRISPR therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration.   

"Once someone comes with a breakthrough like this, it will take no time [for other teams to apply the lessons and move forward]."

"There are barriers, but I predict that they are going to be crossed in the next five to ten years."

"Then the whole field will move as a block because we're pretty much ready." 

Carlos Moraes, neurology professor, University of Miami

KJ's parents, Kyle and Nicole, and his three siblings are looking forward to welcoming him home after a first-of-its-kind personalized gene editing therapy at CHOP.  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Unhoused, Mentally Unstable, Drug-Addicted -- Don't Worry, Government is There to Help ...

A drug user slumped in a lane in Vancouver. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO/Postmedia

"[The Sandy Hill injection site's impact on the community has been] catastrophic."

"[The consequences of the social disorder and crime around the site] have surpassed what we could even imagine when [our] 2016 letter [of conditional support before the site opened] was written."

Action Sandy Hill 

 

"Anecdotally, with that centre being closed, we're hearing from the community that there has been an increased amount of issues that they're seeing."  

"They're noticing ... quite a dramatic increase in problematic behaviours [fighting, open drug use and open sex trafficking] in that area, and they're certainly asking for more of a police presence, which we are absolutely dedicated to providing."

"Those people who have normally been using that service are now using in the community. So that's often on private property, in their backyards and on porches and alleyways."

 "What I'm hearing from the community is that the problems that were already prevalent in that area in the north end of Sandy Hill have just become more and more common. More public drug use, public drug trafficking and just social disorder."

Sgt. Paul Stam, Ottawa Police Service community outreach and engagement, downtown core

Derrick St John is acting director of consumption and treatment services at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)

 

A large detailed package representing an exhaustive analysis for the study of community-located safe injection sites has recently been assembled, to aid government in decision-making over the usefulness of those sites as opposed to the community backlash their presence has engendered. In Toronto's Kensington neighbourhood a legal challenge was launched with the claim that legislation passed in Ontario prohibiting injection sites from operating within 200 metres of schools and daycare facilities violates the charter rights of drug users. 

The overarching argument in support of the safe injection sites placed within communities in central city areas is that people confident in the use of Naloxone can administer the drug when an overdose occurs. Site staff are trained, and they are often drug users themselves, knowledgeable in the use of drugs and their potential aftermath. At the sites a small percentage of drug users across the nation may inject dangerous street fentanyl leading to overdoses. That scenario changes after 'office hours' when users still overdose with no one nearby to give aid, a common enough occurrence.

 

A view of the new hoods hanging over the booths where clients prepare and use drugs under supervision at Sandy Hill Community Health Centre's OASIS program. (Nick Persaud/CBC)

The provincially appointed supervisor of Toronto's South Riverdale injection site wrote a report noting that endless waves of client (and staff) overdose deaths were such frequent occurrences that staff morale plummeted. In the charter challenge litigation, lawyers representing Ontario presented expert witnesses who established the science around injection sites is not settled. The 2022 Stanford-Lancet Commission on the North American Opioid Crisis notes "there is no evidence that accessing a site lowers an individual's risk of fatal overdose over time." 

The author of the 2012 feasibility study leading to injection sites opening in Toronto and Ottawa, Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, reported that "many" drug users disclosed in interviews they would not use an injection site if they had to walk more than a few minutes once obtaining their drugs. Logically translating to drug dealers required to be operating within a few blocks of sites for them to be effective. In other words, encouraging drug dealers to potentially sell outside a site within 150 metres of elementary schools and daycare facilities.

 

According to Dr. Jerry Ratcliffe, an expert witness in the spatial dynamics of crime for the province, injection sites cause "microlevel" concentrations of crime and disorder. A recent study of Toronto injection sites shows assaults increasing by 61 percent, robberies by 62 percent, and break-and-enters by 47 percent within 100 metres following the implementation of sites. Dr. Ratcliffe, acknowledging that the rate of crime tends to level out over five years, notes the study "does not explore the wealth of other possibilities" to explain why the initial crime spike gradually subsided; police are discouraged from having a presence around injection sites, as an example.

 

With little incentive to switch to hydromorphone, fentanyl addicts sell their safer supply at bargain prices to buy their substance of choice. Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

 

The issue is one of a number of initiatives impacting on health care for the Canadian public that filtered down from the federal government over the last ten years of Liberal rule under Justin Trudeau, who gifted Canada with: 1) legalization of Cannabis, 2) Medical Assistance in Dying (government-approved-legal-suicide), and safer drug injection sites. And not to be overlooked the distribution of opioids meant to wean users away from unsafe, often lethal street drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil. 

 

The distributed opioids make their way to the black market with users trading them for the more powerful fentanyl. The more readily-available opioids on the street, for example, has led to greater introduction and use by young people. And opening government-approved Cannabis shops for legal purchase of the drugs has not led, after all, to closing the market for illegal drugs on the black market, which continues to thrive.

 

People stand outside a Downtown East Side safe injection site in Vancouver. Photo by Nick Procaylo/Postmedia/File

 

So Easily Bought? How Dangerous and Grubby Is That?!!

"I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I could be a stupid person and say, 'no, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane'."

"If we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defence Department to use during a couple of years while they're building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture." 

"They're giving us a free jet. I could say 'No, no, no, don't give us, I want to pay you a billion or 400 million'… or I could say 'thank you very much'."

"The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!"

"Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country."

U.S. President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend a signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar, May 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

"The Middle East Forum’s (MEF) latest report, “America for Sale: Qatar’s $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions,” exposes Qatari government investments across U.S. financial sectors, from businesses and lobby firms, to think tanks, universities, and K-12 education. The New York Sun calls MEF’s study “a highly detailed look at Qatar’s enormous influence campaign, in which the tiny kingdom has deployed its enormous natural gas and oil wealth to win America’s approbation.”"

"Doha’s investments include billions in critical infrastructure, including crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, even though Qatar is America’s chief competitor in global LNG sales. As the U.S. seeks energy independence from the Middle East, American companies are outsourcing control of the U.S. power grid and green energy products to Qatar."

"Strategic moves include investments in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, which represent a threat to U.S. national security interests and Americans’ privacy data. In real estate, the Gulf emirate’s ventures include more than $6 billion in Manhattan trophy properties, even as New York legislators seek to impose foreign ownership restrictions."

The Qatari government has invested across U.S. financial sectors, from businesses and lobby firms, to think tanks, universities, and K-12 education. Shutterstock

"It is a government-to-government transaction. It has nothing to do with personal relationships -- neither on the US side, nor the Qatari side. It's between the two defence ministries." 

"Why would we buy influence in the United States? [Qatar has] always been a reliable and trusted partner. This is not a one-way relationship."

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani

The United States -- for that matter the entire Western world of democratic nations -- has been infiltrated deeply by political/religious forces that constitute a veritable invasion of foot soldiers led by the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar. The Brotherhood tends to the strictly political side, presenting itself as a rational, non-threatening, America-friendly influential well-wishing ally, courtesy of Islam, gaining the confidence of American politicians, business leaders and drowsily-woke academics. Qatar with its vast oil-derived wealth looks after the diplomatic/philanthropic side, playing nice and buying confidence.

 

Universities in the United States are always well-endowed by former graduates, alumni who have attended Ivy League schools of higher learning to become corporate leaders, scientists, leading-edge technicians, politicians of note, and others. Among the 'others', the generosity of Qatar stands out for the sheer size of its investments, endowing these institutions with grants and study chairs, and earning their trust and appreciation in the process. If an Islamic nation could be so genuinely supportive of the West, how can it be conceivable that the influx of foreign students bringing with them religious, cultural antipathies toward Israel (and the West) can be maliciously suspicious?

 

And how could it be conceived of that a president of the United States -- arguably the most powerful man in the world, the leader of the nation most influential in world affairs -- could be bought? Which is to say, his trust and influence and goodwill in exchange for sumptuous gifts? Like a luxury Boeing aircraft. To be refurbished as the president's coach-in-four flightcraft. Could such a gift be construed as a personal emolument, forbidden under presidential rules through constitutional safeguards against cupidity and profit for a high office holder?

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., for a campaign event in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

The U.S. Constitution is fairly clear on emoluments permissible through the office of the president of the United States in the interests of preserving presidential independence from outside influence. This is a president, of course, accustomed to flouting rules of any kind, in his presumed entitlement to act always as he sees fit. Anyone holding public office is barred by Article 1, from accepting any gift emolument, office or title from any "King, Prince, or foreign State", absent Congressional consent.

 

President Trump's hunger for acknowledgement in his peerless position, his vanity and sense of accomplished entitlement responds to gestures of any kind of those who stand in awe of the position he holds. But above all, those who behave as though they regard him as hugely intelligent, masterfully competent in any field of endeavour, but above all, anxious to please the man's outsize ego to pave their way into his inner circle of confidants at home and abroad.

 

Gifts denoting allegiance to an overlord were common enough in the Medieval era, their continuation to the present sounds an alarm of intended influence where none should be expected. And while Mr. Trump in an effort to assure his critics, states that the plane, to be used as an Air Force 1 presidential aircraft during his tenure, would revert to a decommissioned display piece for a future presidential library. Of course, Mr. Trump and his family business enterprise are known to have profited from his position.

 

A Saudi Arabian company will be engaged to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar. The Trump Organization family business has been forging full steam ahead in foreign deal-making during the Trump administration. His business group is no stranger to lawsuits launched against it accusing the president of illegally profiting off the presidency in his real estate enterprises. In his first term in office, lawsuits alleging his violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause in accepting payments from foreign and domestic officials staying at the Trump International Hotel, patronizing his businesses, failed to staunch his enterprise second time around.

 

Trump World Tower, New York    Trump Organization

 

 

Canada -- Awash in Islamists

"Toronto has the highest per capita hate incidents against Jews in the Western world, based on statistics from B’nai Brith Canada and the Toronto Metro Police statistics. Montreal is vying for second place."

"Antisemitism in Canada, however, predates the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In the 1880s, Jews immigrated to Canada escaping pogroms raging across Europe. Canada’s first prime minister, John MacDonald, welcomed Jews, and the first Jewish rural settlement was New Jerusalem in 1884. Sir Wilfred Laurier, who followed MacDonald as prime minister, was a staunch defender of Jews and continued to welcome them to the country."

"At the same time, the modern Zionism movement was picking up steam in Europe. Recognition for a Jewish state spread throughout the Jewish Diaspora like wildfire, and in the 1890s, there were more than 250 Zionist clubs across Canada."

"MacKenzie King was elected prime minister in the 1930s and used his pulpit to praise Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. He refused to allow the passengers of the doomed SS St. Louis to land in Canada. He also recognized the antisemitic Vichy government in France. From the 1930s to 1945, only 4,000 Jews were allowed into Canada."

"The hatred of Jews at universities is rampant today. Islamist extremists, a sliver of Islam, populate our universities, despite theologian Cardinal John Newman’s “idea of a university” as a place of tolerant exchanges. Victoria University, for instance, invited an imam who advocates the eradication of Jews to speak and Ottawa University hired an Islamist convicted in France for bombing a synagogue."

"Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and her cohorts in City Hall have not done nearly enough to combat antisemitism and hate across the city. During her administration, a rampage of pro-Palestinian protestors blocked the entrance at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Jewish schools and synagogues have come under gunfire."

"What caused this antisemitic surge? Islamists and far-left radicals. The Muslim Brotherhood is alive in Canada with its aim to eradicate Jews and Christians."

Jerry Grafstein, former Liberal senator in the Canadian parliament

Screenshot of Discord channel ADMISSION-MED-QC-2024, revived after the racist Med serveur channel was taken down  Montreal Gazette

"I was shocked by the individuals, the 20 to 30 people who were posting this antisemitic stuff. They were so blatant about it."

"What they were talking about had nothing to do with medicine, except where they were saying that Jews are controlling the applications process at McGill and you get bonus points if you're Black or Indigenous or you should dress up like a Jew for the interview."

McGill University medical student, anonymous for fear of backlash 

"If these accounts are really from future physicians, we need an immediate investigation to identify those responsible and ensure they are not admitted to our medical schools or allowed to practice medicine."

"It is essential that the institutions involved act swiftly, transparently and decisively to restore public trust. Hate has no place in medicine. These reported comments are not only unacceptable -- they are dangerous."

"Admitting individuals who hold such views into the medical profession poses a real risk to Quebec patients, especially those from vulnerable communities. Medicine must be grounded in ethics, respect and inclusion."

"Those who do not  uphold these values should not be entrusted with the care of our population."

Dr. Lior Bibas, president, Association de medecins Juifs du Quebec

Screen capture of antisemitic content posted to a Canadian medical student social media server Comment reads 'If you mute me karma will make you choke during the MEM [medical interviews]'. (Doctors Against Racism and Antisemitism)

The popular social media platform Discord hosts a group chat on its channel for medical school applicants in Quebec, called Med serveur. There are over 1,400 members signed on to the Med serveur site. It has recently been identified as a misogynistic, racist, homophobic and antisemitic site that has gathered slurs that would be denounced anywhere, on any public-facing platform. The purpose of the platform was meant to give a voice to students grappling with frustration in their studies, finding a sympathetic audience of others in a like situation.

 

Some among the group's members have been posting anonymous epithets targeting vulnerable groups. Many of the posts amount to expressions of hate, and degenerate into threats posited against identifiable groups in society. Knowledge of the situation has led to widespread condemnation by Jewish doctors' groups countrywide. Jewish Clinicians Against Antisemitism for one, has filed a criminal complaint with Montreal police against an identified Discord user, a student at Dawson College.

"The McGill faculty of medicine and health sciences does not tolerate hate speech."

"Our university has equity, diversity and inclusion policies that state that hateful and divisive language will not be tolerated in our community under any circumstances."

"As for the unacceptable comments made on the platform referenced, to our knowledge no students admitted to our faculty were among the authors. Our policies and regulations allow us to act accordingly if this was to be the case."

McGill University

The presence of the anonymous slanders and slights date back to February with threats against Jews and the LGBTQ2S+ community. B'nai Brith Canada, the Jewish advocacy group, posted a few of the slurs and images, following which most have been removed from the Discord channel. A Discord spokesperson stated that the app, based in San Francisco plans to take action against the offending posters. "Discord has a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech which does not have a place on our platform or anywhere in society", its spokesperson Jillian Susi said. 

Some of he antisemitic and misogynistic posts on the channel used by students in discussion of applications process in the province's four medical schools were of particular note, including: "Imagine a woman under antidepressant[s] and f---ing Ritalin who [performs] surgery on you. She'll vomit mid-surgery because it's too stressful and she needs a mental health break".

 

The anonymous student expressed personal dismay that no individual in the group chat had denounced any of the offensive posts; all the more puzzling since that could have been done without revealing the identity of the dissenter, posting anonymously. The same student expressed his dismay and an intention to complain to Montreal police. Noting that some three-quarters of the offensive posts targeted Jews, Black people and women in equal proportions, with the others targeted against Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ groups.

 

Amidst the heightened security and anxiety percolating within the Jewish community in Montreal, since October 7, 2023 where synagogue entrances were firebombed, and shots fired at Jewish parochial schools marking an acceleration of the threats against Canadian Jews. 

"There are hundreds of these posts, and we couldn't find a single objection by anybody in the group chat]."

"I thought I'd seen everything. I've seen many vile posts all over the place since October 7 [the massacre of Jews in Israel by Hamas in 2023], but this is beyond my imagination."

"I mean, slurs against people who are Black or Indigenous, transgender, women, Jews."

"I despise platitudes, but this one  rings true: It starts with the Jews but it doesn't end with the Jews, and this is evidence of that."

Dr. Philip Berger, Doctors Against Racism and Anti-semitism (DARA)

These aren’t anonymous trolls. They are future doctors. And this kind of hate doesn’t stay online. It follows them into classrooms, clinics, and operating rooms.   B'nai Brith

 

 

Pope Francis's Humble Church Legacy Lives On

"He's right out of Francis's playbook."

"He ticks off all the boxes of a future pope: a pastoral heart, managerial experience and vision."

"Given what we know about the pervasiveness of clerical sexual abuse, it is certainly plausible that abuse occurred on his watch; he was superior general of a congregation of priests that ministers in 50 countries across the globe."

"It's also entirely conceivable that he failed to act decisively in punishing perpetrators and and supporting victims but, sadly, that's true of almost all the men who occupied positions of high leadership in the Catholic Church in the second  half of the 20th century."

"The cardinal electors would be hard-pressed to find a man among their number whose record on this issue is spotless."

Kathleen Sprows Cummings, professor of history, University of Notre Dame

 

"We must seek together how to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive like this square with open arms."

"Everyone -- everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue, and love."

"[I hope peace] may enter your hearts, reach your families, all people, wherever they may be, all peoples, the whole earth."

Pope Leo XIV

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, center, leaves after concelebrating Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

Long before Pope Francis died, he was busy discreetly and yet not so subtly taking steps to bring the cardinal who most impressed him -- Cardinal Robert Prevost -- as a successor, opportunities to be exposed to his own deliberate and and purposeful steps in carefully moving the Catholic Church slightly off base with its traditional conservatism, to open it up so it could absorb and represent the interests of a wider segment of society, including women devotionals, and a comforting place for LGBTQ+ groups -- both welcomed in ways not previously known for inclusivity. 

Pope Francis must have observed Robert Francis Prevost's embrace of Latin culture and his embrace of a mild type of liberation theology, not entirely unlike his own. The late Pope Francis appointed a larger number of cardinals than has been the tradition in the church. And of the 133 cardinals who wasted little time in selecting Cardinal Prevost to succeed Francis, 108 of their number had been appointed by Pope Francis himself. 

Two years ago, Prevost was appointed by Pope Francis as head of the Dicastery of Bishops in Rome, a position of power that enabled him to become familiar with, and to, many of the existing cardinals from around the world. All of which enhanced his reputation. In 2022, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Prevost to preside over one of his surprise reforms: the addition of three women to the bloc whose votes decides which bishop nominations are presented to the pope.

 

Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French, the now-69-year-old Prevost was elected twice to the Order of St. Augustine, an international order described as "living together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God". Pope Francis had sent Prevost to Peru where he had previously spent years of his career in the church ministering to Peruvian Catholics, and found being there to his heart's liking. He was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in northwest Peru, and a year later named its bishop. 

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV concelebrates Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

 

Pope Leo's father, of French and Italian ancestry, was an educator who served as a catechist in the church; his mother of Spanish ancestry, was a librarian. Clergy were drawn to his family home for community, a community that became the future pope's familiar and comforting communion. His entire education and his life's choices revolved around the church from his youth as an altar boy, parish school and a seminary high school and Catholic university.

 

Pope Leo has committed to a continuation of his predecessor's legacy, a commitment that is a natural outcome of his own inclinations welded to Pope Francis's. In his 'synodal church', lay people will again play their part. The conservative element within the church, hoping for a return to more familiar Catholic precepts and rituals will not be pleased. Pope Leo was an outlier as an American cardinal; where he eschews tradition, most American churchmen are conservative who will not support his initiatives. 

The liberal initiatives brought into play by Pope Francis will continue under his successor; such as divorced and remarried Catholics allowed to receive Holy Communion and same sex blessings, now to remain. The church conservatives must  wonder what new and diverse initiatives in reforming the church will eventually surface, with a pope who has many years before him as their shepherd.

 

A shepherd who will follow in the footsteps of the one before him, who lived simply, choosing not to adopt the more regal rituals of the church during his reign, opting for his own brand of Augustinian simplicity. Under this pope too, the marginalized and the poor will be emphasized. Pope Francis's trajectory of reshaping the venerable culture of the Catholic church will continue. And with that continuation there will be decisions made that will be replete with shock.

 

Pope Francis prays before the 'Nativity of Bethlehem 2024,' upon its inauguration in the Paul VI Hall, during the private audience with donors of the nativity scene and the lighting of the Christmas tree ceremony at St Peter's Square, in the Paul-VI hall at the Vatican on December 7, 2024. (Andreas Solaro/ AFP)

 

"Pope Francis has spoken of four types of closeness: closeness to God, to brother bishops, to priests and to all God's people. One must not give in to the temptation to live isolated, separated in a palace, satisfied with a certain social level of a certain level within the church."

"And we must not hide behind an idea of authority that no longer makes sense today. The authority we have is to serve, to accompany priests,to be pastors and teachers."

Pope Leo XIV

"Leaving Wokeness and Weakness Behind"

"In accordance with policy now reinstated, service members who have a current diagnosis or history of or exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria may elect to separate voluntarily. [If they chose not to do so by the deadline, they would be removed] involuntarily, if necessary."

"This is the president's agenda. This is what the American people voted for."

"TRANS is out at the DOD."

"No more pronouns, no more climate-change obsessions, no more emergency vaccine mandates, no more dudes in dresses." 

"We are leaving WOKENESS AND WEAKNESS behind. No more pronouns. We are done with that sh*t."

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

 

"There’s no guarantee to access to your pension or severance or an honorable discharge, [for trans service members who do not take the current buyout offer and could lose out on benefits that took years of service to build]."

"This is not voluntary. This is a decision that folks are coming to under duress."

"These are 1,000 transgender troops that would be serving if the conditions were not created to force them into making a decision for their own well-being, or the well-being of their family long-term."

Rae Timberlake, spokesperson for Sparta Pride

Transgender troops have between 30 and 60 days to self-separate from the military after a court order allowed the ban on their service to move forward, according to a Thursday memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The Defence Secretary's directive is expected to bring the careers of thousands of American military service members to an abrupt conclusion. Some 1,000 troops have self-identified as having been given a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, according to the Pentagon, in response to Hegseth's memo directed to senior military leaders. The number is debatable, considered to be quite a bit higher by advocates for transgender service members.

 

From the guidelines issued on Thursday it was not immediately evident how the Pentagon will proceed in an effort to remove any transgender troops who have failed to disclose such a personal diagnosis. A month has been given to transgender personnel serving on active duty to voluntarily leave the service. Reservists have been given 60 days for their voluntary withdrawal. All of them may be eligible for separation pay, but once the deadlines pass the Pentagon will transition to involuntarily separate those who remain.

 

The announcement came two days following a divided ruling in Shilling v. Trump by the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing President Donald Trump to move on with an executive order to bar transgender men and women from the military while a lower court entertains litigation over the underlying policy. In hearings for a separate legal challenge, the Justice Department argued that the policy was not discriminatory since it did not apply to all transgender service members, but those only who suffer or have suffered from gender dysphoria.

 

"The haste with which the military is moving reflects a callous disregard for the brave troops who have put their lives on the line for this country. It is a disgrace", stated Jennifer Levi, the lead attorney in Talbott v. Trump with its 32 trans plaintiffs. Over 4,000 transgender men and women diagnosed with gender dysphoria were first permitted to serve openly beginning in 2016. The Trump executive order grants exceptions for those service members directly supporting "warfighting capabilities".

 

Those who succeed in obtaining a waiver must prove they never attempted to physically transition from one gender to the other. Certain restrictions prohibiting them from changing rooms, bathrooms and showers designated for people of the opposite sex will apply to them. They will also be required to meet fitness standards associated with their sex at birth. 

 

Pentagon officials defended the ban, stating: "The medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service." Psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members totalled $52 million between 2015 and 2024, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity. 

"Additionally, the Military Departments will immediately begin processing for separation Service members who previously self-identified for voluntary separation prior to March 26, 2025."

"Service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security."

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

A transgender woman speaks as military veterans and their supporters protested against President Donald Trump's policies in March. (Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

ALS Clinic Breakthrough, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

A focused ultrasound helmet is attached to an MRI scanner as part of an early-stage clinical trial exploring the delivery of immunoglobulin to the brain of a patient with ALS at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

"This is a major milestone. Now that we have the capability of opening up the blood-brain barrier to exactly target where ALS starts, I'm really excited about the future."

"ALS is a horrible, terminal, incurable neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive decline of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord."

"Sadly, we have about three or four deaths a week in our clinic alone, and it's awful. Literally, thousands of patients have died on my watch. And I think about that every day and how we haven't yet had major interventions to change that."

"We know that the immune system is not normal in ALS. We know that it shifts to sort of a pro-inflammatory state where the immune system is assisting in the destruction of these motor neurons."

Dr. Lorne Zinman, neurologist, director, ALS clinic, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

The research team comprised of neurosurgeons, physicists from the focused ultrasound lab, ALS clinician-researchers, imaging research technicians, and anesthesiologist. Sunnybrook Research Institute

In a research trial with a 70-year-old patient who was intravenously given immunoglobulin to cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the precise area targeted by researchers there is hope that this new therapy may alleviate and outmatch the ALS process leading to premature death. Dr. Zinman is excited about the significance of the result with this experiment, searching for a therapeutic treatment for the devastating neurological disorder.

 

The 70-year-old is the first to undergo a Phase1 clinical trial to determine safety in administering drugs through non-invasive ultrasound waves to ALS patients. Five others are lined up behind this first trial, to undergo a similar trial, expanding the program. This first trial is the world's first with an ALS patient receiving a drug in this manner. The experimental procedure called focused ultrasound for patients with Alzheimer's disease and those with essential tremor, a neurological disorder causing uncontrollable shaking, was previously studied by Sunnybrook researchers.

 

"The blood-brain barrier is there to protect us, so it keeps viruses, bacteria [and] toxins outside the brain", explained neurologist and co-lead investigator of the clinical trial, Dr. Alessandro Abrahao of the Sunnybrook ALS clinic. The barrier is problematic in that it blocks access to the brain for drugs potentially treatable for ALS. The solution appears by temporarily opening the barrier to allow drugs entrance, and then closing the barrier again once the therapy has been delivered. 

 

Dallan McMahon (Research Associate) and Ryan Jones (Senior Research Engineer-Physicist) support the neurosurgeon (Dr. Nir Lipsman) in preparing for the non-invasive procedure to deliver focused ultrasound. Sunnybrook Research Institute

 

An intravenous infusion of immunoglobulin, an anti-body therapy, begins the process. Following which a helmet is placed on the patient's head, designed with 4,000 transducers to deliver focused ultrasound waves causing the microbubbles previously injected, to expand and contract in the targeted area blood vessels. The blood-brain barrier is opened by the expansions and contractions where the immunoglobulin needs to get through.

 

With helmet in place, the patient is placed within an MRI machine to enable the research team to view the focused ultrasound targeting the correct part of the brain, in real time. This, the researchers stress, is a very early-stage trial. Later stage trials with a greater number of participants will be required before a potential treatment for ALS develops. Patients diagnosed with ALS are typically given a three- to five-year survival rate. 

 

The immediate follow-up is to determine whether the immunoglobulin has had an effect, when the researchers search for biomarkers of inflammation in the patient's blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

 

Canadian researchers have launched a world-first study to fight ALS. (Sunnybrook)