Throughout the past decade, Northwestern University scientists have uncovered a striking principle of vaccine design: Performance depends not only on vaccine components but also on vaccine structure. After proving this concept across multiple studies, the team developed therapeutic cancer vaccines to tackle one of the most challenging targets yet — HPV-driven tumors. In a new study, the scientists discovered that systematically changing the orientation and placement of a single cancer-targeting peptide can lead to formulations that supercharge the immune system’s ability to attack tumors. The study ...

AURORA, Colo. (February 11, 2026) – Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have developed a way to predict how trauma patients will recover, days before complications come to fruition, by analyzing the molecules in their blood. In a first-of-its-kind study, published today in Science Translational Medicine, the team showed that “omics” markers, or biological signals found in blood, can reveal why patients with similar injuries often recover differently, opening the door to more precise, personalized trauma care. Researchers mapped the molecular endotypes and trajectories ...

A new paper in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press, finds that people experiencing more economic disadvantages are more likely to smoke cigarettes, have higher levels of tobacco addiction, and find it harder to quit than those who are most advantaged. This pattern was consistent across different forms and severity of disadvantage. Despite decades of work by policymakers and reductions in smoking rates, tobacco use is still a leading cause of preventable mortality worldwide. In England, official estimates suggest 11.9% ...

Embargoed until 9:45 AM PST, February 11, 2026     No Association Between mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Autism in Children, New Research Shows  Las Vegas, NV – The mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is not associated with autism or other neurodevelopmental problems in children whose mothers received the vaccine immediately before or during pregnancy, according to new research ...

In the rapidly evolving world of two-dimensional materials, a small twist can have outsized consequences. Since the discovery that rotational misalignment between atomically thin crystals can reshape their electronic behaviour, moiré engineering has become a powerful design principle for quantum matter. Writing in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers now show that magnetism, too, can defy conventional expectations: in twisted antiferromagnetic layers, spin order need not be confined to the moiré unit cell, but can expand into unexpectedly large, topological textures that span hundreds of nanometres. Most moiré phenomena inherit their defining length ...

Microbes could help oak trees cope with environmental change. Publishing February 11 in the Cell Press journal Cell Host & Microbe, a study observing oaks growing in a natural woodland found that the trees’ above- and below-ground microbiomes were resilient to drought, nutrient scarcity, and exposure to pathogenic beetles and bacteria. The trees showed subtle changes to their root-associated ...

About The Study: No difference was detected in opioid use disorder treatment engagement on day 7 between the 7-day extended-release and sublingual buprenorphine groups. Both buprenorphine formulations were well tolerated; precipitated withdrawal was rare despite a high prevalence of fentanyl. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Gail D’Onofrio, MD, email gail.dononfrio@yale.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2025.27019) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

Lung cancer patients who have never smoked make up a significant and growing share of global lung cancer cases, yet remain an understudied group, according to a new review written by UCL (University College London) researchers. In 2020, lung cancer in never-smokers (LCINS) was the fifth most common cause of cancer death worldwide (the most common cause was tobacco-related lung cancer). Published in Trends in Cancer, the review calls for increased funding for the screening and study of lung cancer in never-smokers (LCINS), which is accounting for an ever-larger proportion of cases as smoking rates decline. Evidence from studies of several thousand lung cancer patients ...

The visual system is hierarchically organised into different areas. The lower visual areas see small parts of the visual field, and they are sensitive to very simple features, such as edges and their orientation. Higher up the hierarchy, the visual areas start encoding more abstract representations of the world, expanding their visual field to respond to stimuli such as objects and faces.   At the same time, the areas that see “the big picture” send back information to the lower visual areas, called ...

Could a smart watch act as an early‑warning system for depression relapse? New research from McMaster University suggests that disruptions in a person’s sleep and daily activity routine, as detected through a simple wrist-worn device, can signal when there is increased risk of relapsing into major depression. The new research highlights a simple, yet powerful way to passively monitor relapse risk in people living with major depressive disorder (MDD), often detecting the probability of a relapse weeks or months before the episode occurs. Approximately 60 per cent of people with MDD relapse within five years, even with treatment.  “Advances ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that reducing air pollution levels may help to delay and mitigate physical disability in aging adults. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sara D. Adar, ScD, email sadar@umich.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.58699) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support. #  #  ...

About The Study: In this cohort study using a national dataset, historically Black college or university attendance was associated with better cognition compared with predominantly white institution attendance for aging Black adults, which held for those attending college before and after legal racial segregation and sanctioned racial discrimination in education. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Marilyn D. Thomas, PhD, MPH, email marilyn.thomas@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed ...

“This is a crucial advance,” explains Ramón Aguado, a CSIC researcher at the Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM) and one of the study's authors. “Our work is pioneering because we demonstrate that we can access the information stored in Majorana qubits using a new technique called quantum capacitance,” continues the scientist, who explains that this technique “acts as a global probe sensitive to the overall state of the system.” To better understand this achievement, Aguado explains that topological qubits are “like safe boxes for quantum ...

Chestnut Hill, Mass. (2/11/2026) – Human activity has lessened the resilience of modern coral reefs by restricting the food-fueled energy flow that moves through the food chains of these critical ecosystems, an international team of researchers report in the journal Nature. Examining otoliths – fish ear stones that are preserved in marine sediments across millennia – the team developed and applied a nitrogen isotope method to 7,000-year-old fossils in order to reconstruct ancient reef food webs directly for the first time, according to Boston College Senior Research Associate Jessica Lueders-Dumont, a lead researcher on the project. The new analysis highlights underappreciated ...

A team led by investigators at Mass General Brigham and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has shown that a single injection of an oncolytic virus—a genetically modified virus that selectively infects and destroys cancer cells—can recruit immune cells to penetrate and persist deep within brain tumors. The research, which is published in Cell, provides details on how this therapy prolonged survival in patients with glioblastoma, the most common and malignant primary brain tumor, in a recent clinical trial. “Patients with glioblastoma have not benefited from immunotherapies that have transformed patient care in other cancer ...

Coral reefs are undoubtedly in crisis. Scientists have documented concerning coral bleaching events, dramatic declines in coral cover, fish and shark populations across the Caribbean over recent decades. But a critical question has remained unanswered: has the way energy flows through reef ecosystems also changed? A new study led by scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and published in Nature reveals that it has, profoundly. Food chains on modern Caribbean reefs are 60-70% shorter than they were 7,000 years ago, and individual fish have lost the dietary specialisation that ...

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has announced the availability of its updated dietary position statement meant to guide clinicians in the treatment, reversal and prevention of chronic disease. The statement is the result of a year of work by a multi-member expert task force led by Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Melissa Bernstein, PhD, RDN, LD, FAND, DipACLM, FACLM, and ACLM Senior Director of Research Micaela Karlsen, PhD, MSPH. This update coincides with a key time of increased national attention on nutrition. As the Institute for Health Metrics ...

CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2026 – As Americans focus on heart health during American Heart Month, a newly published scientific review highlights pecans – America’s native nut – and their role in heart-healthy diets.  Published in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, the comprehensive analysis synthesizes more than 20 years of research on pecans and reinforces positive evidence related to cardiovascular health and overall diet quality, while also identifying promising areas for future research. Conducted by researchers at the Illinois Institute ...

“In this article, we assess the risk of developing haematopoietic cancers post-modRNA vaccination based on current scientific literature and explore the reported potential genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in disease pathogenesis.” BUFFALO, NY – February 11, 2026 – A new case report was published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on February 6, 2026, titled “Exploring the potential link between mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations and cancer: A case report with a review of haematopoietic malignancies with insights into pathogenic mechanisms.” In this report, led by first author Patrizia Gentilini along with corresponding ...

WASHINGTON (Feb. 11, 2026) — The quality of a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet may matter more than the amount of carbohydrates or fat consumed when it comes to reducing heart disease risk, according to a new study published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers found that versions of both diet patterns emphasizing macronutrients from healthy foods were associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), while versions high in refined carbohydrates and animal products were linked to higher risk and adverse ...

Key points: Low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets rich in high-quality, plant-based foods and low in animal products and refined carbohydrates were linked with lower risk of heart disease, while the same diets that were rich in refined carbohydrates and high in animal products and other low-quality foods were associated with a higher risk of heart disease. The study suggests that it’s the quality of the macronutrients composing these diets that make a difference for heart health, rather than the quantity. According to the researchers, the findings help debunk the myth that simply modulating carbohydrate or fat intake is inherently beneficial.  Boston, ...

(WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2026) — The American Society of Hematology (ASH) released guidelines on frontline management of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs), as well as the management of relapsed or refractory disease in this population. Both guidelines, grounded in evidence-based practice, were developed by pediatric and adult experts in collaboration with patient representatives to improve outcomes for this vulnerable patient population. They were published in the Society’s peer-reviewed journal Blood Advances.   “Caring for these individuals is complex ...

LOS ANGELES — City of Hope® Research Spotlight offers a glimpse into groundbreaking scientific and clinical discoveries advancing lifesaving cures for patients with cancer, diabetes and other chronic, life-threatening diseases. Each spotlight features research-related news, such as recognitions, collaborations and the latest research defining the future of medical treatment.  To learn more about research at City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations ...

As Norway and other nations begin to scale up the storage of CO2 in undersea geologic reservoirs, research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is helping answer two important questions about this storage. “Where has my CO2 gone? Is it leaking or not?” says Martin Landrø, an NTNU geophysicist and director of the university’s Centre for Geophysical Forecasting (CGF). “Those are the basic questions actually.” This is like a revolution in visualization and understanding of what's happening. Norway ...

Chemotherapy remains one of the most powerful tools in the fight against cancer, yet it often comes with significant long-term side effects that can dramatically affect patients’ quality of life. Among the most debilitating is Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, which impacts both the central and peripheral nervous systems and affects up to 85% of cancer patients and survivors. Docetaxel is a chemotherapy drug that kills cancer cells by disrupting microtubules, structures essential for cell division. However, microtubules are also critical for nerve function, so docetaxel can damage nerve endings, axons and mitochondria, causing neuropathic symptoms such as ...