(Press-News.org) BETHESDA, MD – Scientists have uncovered an elegant biophysical trick that tuberculosis-causing bacteria use to survive inside human cells, a discovery that could lead to new strategies for fighting one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases.
Tuberculosis kills more than a million people each year and remains a major public health crisis, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The disease is caused by mycobacteria, which have evolved sophisticated ways to hijack human immune cells and avoid being destroyed.
“Tuberculosis is rampant in India,” said Ayush Panda, formerly a graduate student in the laboratory of Mohammed Saleem at the National Institute of Science Education and Research, India. “I grew up in a state where tuberculosis outbreaks are a major problem, and I was always curious about how these diseases spread. That's what drew me to this research.”
The research, which will be presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026, and was recently posted on bioRxiv, reveals that mycobacteria release tiny packages called extracellular vesicles that fuse with the membranes of immune cells. These vesicles contain specialized lipids—fatty molecules—that make the cell membrane more rigid.
Normally, when our immune cells engulf harmful bacteria, they trap them in a compartment called a phagosome, which then fuses with another compartment called a lysosome. Lysosomes contain digestive enzymes that break down and destroy the bacteria. However, the team discovered that by stiffening the phagosome membrane, mycobacteria prevent this fusion from occurring—essentially building a protective bunker around themselves inside our own cells.
“If the membrane becomes more rigid, it becomes much harder for the phagosome to fuse with the lysosome,” Panda explained. “It's an elegant biophysical mechanism: the bacteria remodel the membrane architecture to escape the very process that would have killed them.” The researchers also found that these vesicles are not limited to infected cells. They can affect nearby immune cells, weakening them even before they come into contact with the bacteria.
What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it represents an entirely new way of understanding how mycobacteria survive. Previous research focused primarily on proteins that the bacteria disrupt. This study takes a lipid-centric approach, showing that the introduction of bacterial lipids into host cell membranes is sufficient to induce immune dysfunction.
“The most surprising finding was when we introduced mycobacterial lipids into membranes that mimic the host phagosome, we saw remarkable physical changes—the membrane properties were completely altered,” Panda said.
The researchers also observed similar extracellular vesicle-mediated membrane effects in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved strategy among pathogens. The findings open several promising avenues for developing new treatments. Researchers could potentially target the proteins involved in the production of these bacterial vesicles or find ways to counteract the membrane-stiffening effects.
“Now that we understand how the bacteria protect themselves, we can start looking for ways to stop them,” Panda said. “If we can block the bacteria from stiffening those membranes, our immune cells might be able to do their job and stop the infection.”
###
The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific society established to lead an innovative global community working at the interface of the physical and life sciences, across all levels of complexity, and to foster the dissemination of that knowledge. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its Annual Meeting, publications, and outreach activities. Its 6,500 members are located throughout the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry.
END
BETHESDA, MD – Scientists have developed a new imaging technique that uses a novel contrast mechanism in bioimaging to merge the strengths of two powerful microscopy methods, allowing researchers to see both the intricate architecture of cells and the specific locations of proteins—all in vivid color and at nanometer resolution.
The breakthrough, called multicolor electron microscopy, addresses a longstanding challenge in biological imaging: scientists have traditionally had to choose between seeing fine ...
BETHESDA, MD – The tiny fatty capsules that delivered COVID-19 mRNA vaccines into billions of arms may work better when they’re a little disorganized. That’s the surprising finding from researchers who developed a new way to examine these drug-delivery vehicles one particle at a time—revealing that cramming in more medicine doesn't always mean better results. The research will be presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026.
Lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, are microscopic bubbles of fat that can ...
BETHESDA, MD – As space agencies prepare for human missions to the Moon and Mars, scientists need to understand how the absence of gravity affects living cells. Now, a team of researchers has built a rugged, affordable microscope that can image cells in real time during the chaotic conditions of zero-gravity flight—and they’re making the design available to the broader scientific community.
The research, previously published in npj Microgravity, will be presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026.
“We know that astronauts’ cellular ...
BETHESDA, MD – Denis V. Titov, of the University of California, Berkeley, USA will be honored as the recipient of the Biophysical Journal Paper of the Year-Early Career Investigator Award at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, held February 21-25 in San Francisco, California. This award recognizes the work of outstanding early career investigators in biophysics. The winning paper is titled “Glycolysis Model Shows that Allostery Maintains High ATP and Limits Accumulation of Intermediates.” The paper was published in Volume 124, Issue 10 of Biophysical Journal.
Glycolysis ...
BETHESDA, MD – When you step outside on a winter morning or pop a mint into your mouth, a tiny molecular sensor in your body springs into action, alerting your brain to the sensation of cold. Scientists have now captured the first detailed images of this sensor at work, revealing exactly how it detects both actual cold and the perceived cool of menthol, a compound derived from mint plants. The research will be presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026.
The study focused on a protein channel called TRPM8. “Imagine TRPM8 as a microscopic thermometer inside your body,” said Hyuk-Joon Lee, ...
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a new molecule which carries DNA into biological cells, to treat or vaccinate against illnesses. Many existing options rely on molecules with a strong positive charge, which can cause harmful inflammation. The team overcame this by using a neutral molecule and a new method to bind DNA to it, making it possible to deliver DNA into cells. Successful experiments in mice promise new, more effective therapies.
Over the last few decades, scientists have developed new treatments which deliver genetic information into cells. ...
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new study revealed that certain brain regions are more active in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during cognitively demanding tasks. The findings could help inform new ways in which the condition is treated and assessed.
The study, published in Imaging Neuroscience, was conducted by researchers in the laboratory of Theresa Desrochers, an associate professor of brain science and of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University’s Carney Institute for Brain Science.
Desrochers studies abstract sequential behavior, which is behavior — such ...
Researchers at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment found that ocean saltiness can influence the strength of El Niño, a climate phenomenon that can dramatically affect global weather. The results, published in Geophysical Research Letters in January, could inform development of more precise El Niño forecasts.
El Niño occurs every two to seven years, marked by wetter conditions in some parts of the world and drier weather in others. Its formation depends on weakening ...
ARLINGTON, Va.—Today the Office of Naval Research (ONR) celebrates the 41st year of its Young Investigator Program (YIP) by honoring the Class of 2026 YIP awardees.
Approximately $17 million in funding will be shared by 23 university professors to conduct innovative scientific research addressing critical naval warfighter challenges.
“In order for ONR to enhance the capabilities of the Sailors and Marines who depend on us, we must partner with the brightest scientists and engineers conducting the most innovative scientific and technology research,” said Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley. “The Young Investigator Program is a vital component ...
Why do some people feel chills when listening to music, reading poetry, or viewing a powerful work of art, while others do not? New research by Giacomo Bignardi and his colleagues from Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (MPI) published in PLOS Genetics reveals that part of the answer lies in our genes.
Charles Darwin once described how hearing an anthem in King’s College Chapel gave him “intense pleasure so that [his] backbone would sometimes shiver.” Vladimir Nabokov (despite his notorious dislike for music) later celebrated the same sensation, calling it ‘the telltale tingle’ required to truly appreciate literary ...
