St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital leukemia researcher Charles G. Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD, senior deputy director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Mullighan was selected to join the Royal Society for his trailblazing contributions to genomic research, which have advanced the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of acute leukemia, notably childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia ...

Efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C under the Paris Climate Agreement may not go far enough to save the world’s ice sheets, according to a new study. Research led by Durham University, UK, suggests the target should instead be closer to 1°C to avoid significant losses from the polar ice sheets and prevent a further acceleration in sea level rise. The team reviewed a wealth of evidence to examine the effect that the 1.5°C target would have on the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, which together store enough ice to raise global sea levels by almost 65 metres. The mass of ice lost from these ice ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- By combining information from many large datasets, MIT researchers have identified several new potential targets for treating or preventing Alzheimer’s disease. The study revealed genes and cellular pathways that haven’t been linked to Alzheimer’s before, including one involved in DNA repair. Identifying new drug targets is critical because many of the Alzheimer’s drugs that have been developed to this point haven’t been as successful as hoped. Working with researchers at Harvard Medical School, the team used data from humans and fruit flies to identify cellular pathways linked to neurodegeneration. ...

A combination of two drugs could improve outcomes and reduce the need for toxic chemotherapy for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL), the commonest cancer in childhood and one that can be particularly difficult to treat in older patients, according to Cambridge scientists. Although the research has so far only been conducted in cell lines and mice, the team is seeking funding to begin clinical trials in patients shortly. More than 500 people a year in the UK are diagnosed with B-ALL, many of whom are children, where it makes up 40% of all ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Measuring the density of a cell can reveal a great deal about the cell’s state. As cells proliferate, differentiate, or undergo cell death, they may gain or lose water and other molecules, which is revealed by changes in density. Tracking these tiny changes in cells’ physical state is difficult to do at a large scale, especially with single-cell resolution, but a team of MIT researchers has now found a way to measure cell density quickly and accurately — measuring up to 30,000 cells in a single hour. The researchers also showed that density ...

Tokyo, Japan—The COVID-19 pandemic increased public awareness of the importance of mask use for personal protection. However, when the mesh size of mask fabrics is small enough to capture viruses, which are usually around one hundred nanometers in size, the fabric typically also restricts air flow, resulting in user discomfort. But now, researchers from Japan have found a way to avoid this. In a study published this month in Materials Advances, researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have overcome this bottleneck and developed a filter capable of capturing nanoparticles such ...

As people age, their immune systems become less efficient, posing a challenge for cancer therapies that rely on harnessing immune cells. In a new study published in Nature Cancer, researchers from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), show that this age-related immune decline has a measurable impact on CAR-T cell therapy, one of the most advanced forms of cancer immunotherapy. CAR-T ...

Patients with rare mitochondrial diseases already face a host of serious health issues, from muscle weakness to neurological problems and heart conditions. But one of their most life-threatening challenges has remained a mystery—why are they so vulnerable to severe infections? Now, scientists at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) may have finally pinpointed why. Their new study, published in Nature Communications, shows that damaged mitochondria put the immune system in a constant state of alert, leading to dangerous overreactions when patients encounter bacteria. This excessive immune ...

SENSE, a nationwide artificial intelligence (AI) initiative to interpret cardiac imaging scans in minutes, aiding early detection and prediction of coronary artery disease. NHCS CVS.AI Research Laboratory, a new purpose-built and dedicated facility with enhanced infrastructure to advance and drive novel AI technology in cardiac imaging. Singapore, 20 May 2025 – The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) announces a major advancement in cardiac care research with the implementation of SENSE (Singapore hEart lesioN analySEr), a nationwide AI initiative that reduces the time taken to analyse cardiac scans, from hours to minutes. This breakthrough system will transform the ...

Researchers have discovered how an ion channel in the brain’s neurons has a kind of ‘molecular memory’, which contributes to the formation and preservation of lifelong memories. The researchers have identified a specific part of the ion channel at which new drugs for certain genetic diseases could be targeted. The study, led from Linköping University in Sweden, has been published in Nature Communications. One of the brain’s superpowers is its ability to learn from past experiences and form memories. These vital processes depend on the reshaping of connections between neurons in the brain. ...

As wildfires continue to ravage regions from Los Angeles to South Korea, a new study featured on the cover of the Issue 7, 2025 of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences sheds light on the large-scale climate patterns influencing these devastating global extreme events. The research, led by Professor Young-Min Yang from Jeonbuk National University, reveals how tropical climate phenomena like the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) can trigger dry, windy conditions that exacerbate wildfires in mid-latitude regions, including the western U.S. and East Asia. Wildfire prediction remains a major challenge due to rapidly changing weather conditions ...

Paris, France, 19 May 2025 - The RESIL-Card project, co-funded by the EU4Health Work Programme, has reached a significant milestone with the recent launch of the pilot testing of its resilience assessment tool in selected European countries. This phase is part of the three-year project - led by We CARE, in partnership with GISE, Amsterdam UMC, and CatSalut - which aims to improve the preparedness and continuity of cardiovascular care during crises. As the first half of the project draws to a close, the first work package (WP1), which focused on conceptualising the resilience assessment tool, ...

Leuven, 20 May 2025 - Researchers from the lab led by Prof. Joris De Wit (VIB-KU Leuven) have discovered an important clue to how connections between brain cells, known as synapses, mature. These new findings, published in Developmental Cell, demonstrated how two different proteins, GPR158 and PLCXD2, interact to form a specific component in developing synapses – the spine apparatus. Synapses – the communication points between neurons – are not only molecularly diverse but also contain specialized organelles, tiny internal cellular machines, that finetune their function. The spine apparatus is one such organelle, and it is essential for stabilizing mature ...

Philadelphia, May 20, 2025 – New research shows that in patients with psoriasis, even though their skin responds well to treatment with biologics, inflammation can linger, leading to broader health implications such as obesity and cardiovascular and fatty liver disease. The findings of the study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID), published by Elsevier, could lead to more targeted and effective treatments that address the systemic aspects of psoriasis, beyond just the skin. Systemic chronic inflammation has been implicated in several diseases that collectively represent the leading causes of ...

A new paper in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press, finds that today’s pod-style electronic cigarette devices are more addictive than nicotine gum, indicating that such devices have a very high potential for abuse. Since entering the market in 2003, electronic cigarettes have become very popular in the United States, particularly among youth and young adults. A significant proportion of people who use electronic cigarettes devices never used other tobacco products regularly. Over 30% of adult users of vaping devices report no history of regular cigarette smoking, a rate ...

NEW YORK, New York, USA, 20 May 2025 – A groundbreaking collection of four papers published in the May issue of Brain Medicine synthesizes mounting evidence that microplastics from ultra-processed foods may be accumulating in human brains and potentially contributing to the rising global rates of depression, dementia, and other mental health disorders. The papers provide the most comprehensive analysis to date of how these tiny plastic particles might be affecting brain health through multiple interconnected ...

JERUSALEM, Israel, 20 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press research article published today, scientists have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism explaining how neurons survive botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) exposure, despite the toxin's powerful ability to block neurotransmission. The research, led by Dr. Hermona Soreq at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, could have far-reaching implications for both medical treatments and cosmetic applications of this potent bacterial toxin. Understanding Botulinum's Dual Nature Botulinum neurotoxins are the most potent biological toxins known, with an estimated lethal dose of approximately 1 ng/kg. ...

HAIFA, Israel, 20 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press Invited Expert Review, researchers from the University of Haifa have synthesized cutting-edge findings on Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), revealing how this complex neurodevelopmental disorder serves as a critical model for understanding the interplay between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychotic spectrum disorders (PSD). A Window into Neuropsychiatric Conditions PWS occurs equally in males and females across all ethnic groups, with prevalence estimates ranging from 1 in 16,062 to 1 in 76,574 births. What makes this condition particularly valuable to researchers is how its genetic subtypes ...

JINAN, Shandong, China, 20 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press thought leaders invited review published today, researchers have mapped out the dynamic cellular mechanisms that allow the brain to form, consolidate, generalize, and update memories. This scientific synthesis offers valuable insights into how memories are encoded in the brain and how they can change over time, with substantial implications for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Hunt for Memory Traces One ...

BEIJING, China, 20 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press review article published today, neuroscientists have unveiled the complex neural mechanisms that enable cognitive generalization—the crucial ability to adapt learning from previous experiences to new scenarios—across different species. The research maps these neural pathways from hippocampus to cortex, providing insights that could potentially transform our understanding of conditions like Alzheimer's disease and autism ...

To better understand the circadian clock in modern-day cyanobacteria, a Japanese research team has studied ancient timekeeping systems. They examined the oscillation of the clock proteins KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC (Kai-proteins) in modern cyanobacteria, comparing it to the function of ancestral Kai proteins. Their research is published in the Nature Communications on May 15th, 2025. “Extant cyanobacteria utilize a circadian clock to predict the light-dark environmental cycle by Earth’s rotation in order to achieve efficient photosynthetic reactions. We wanted to know the evolutionary history of when ancient bacteria acquired the circadian clock ...

(New York, NY) Fatal drug overdoses among youth aged 15 to 24 in the United States involving synthetic opioids alone—not mixed with other substances—soared by 168 percent over the five-year time period of 2018 to 2022, a new study shows. Published online May 20 in the journal Pediatrics, the work also found that youth overdose rates and drug combinations varied significantly across age, sex and race/ethnicity. Led by NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new study is the first, say investigators, to identify which specific combinations of drugs drove synthetic opioid-involved ...

How can we reduce wait times for much needed hip and knee replacement surgery in Canada? Coordinated referral and team-based care models show promise, according to research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241755. In Canada, there are long wait times for scheduled surgeries, such as hip and knee joint replacements, which can lead to worsening pain and mobility problems and affect overall health. Canada falls well behind in international comparisons of health systems based on wait times. To address this issue, some Canadian provinces have been experimenting with private for-profit delivery of some surgeries, ...

Clinical entrepreneurs — physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals — who understand Canada’s health care challenges first-hand could help improve the health system and grow the economy, argue 2 physicians in a commentary published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250235. “Successful Canadian-controlled private corporations developed by these entrepreneurs could fuel economic growth and help protect the sovereignty of our health care system,” ...

A recent study identifies Neural EGFL-like 2 (NELL2), a secreted protein, as a key regulator of bone homeostasis, offering potential therapeutic applications for osteoporosis. NELL2 promotes osteoblast differentiation and inhibits adipocyte formation in bone marrow stromal cells, addressing the bone remodeling imbalance in osteoporosis. The study further uncovers the molecular mechanism of NELL2’s action, revealing its activation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/AKT signaling pathway through interactions with Fibronectin 1 and integrins. NELL2's administration via adeno-associated virus (AAV) significantly improved bone density in osteoporotic ...