TITANIUM PROFESSIONALS

Tumours have developed many strategies and tricks to gain advantages in the body. Led by cell biology professor Sabine Werner, researchers at ETH Zurich have now discovered another surprising trick that certain tumours resort to in ensuring their survival and growth.

In a new study published in the journal Nature Cancer, the biologists show that skin cancer cells are able to transfer their mitochondria to healthy connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) in their immediate vicinity.

Novartis announced positive results from V-DIFFERENCE, a Phase IV study evaluating Leqvio® (inclisiran) compared to placebo, both administered on top of individually optimized lipid-lowering therapy (LLT), in patients with high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) who have not achieved guideline-recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals.

Young children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder often receive medication just after being diagnosed, which contravenes treatment guidelines endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a Stanford Medicine-led study has found.

The finding, which will be published in JAMA Network Open, highlights a gap in medical care for 4- and 5-year-olds with ADHD.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue worldwide. Many patients end up requiring regular dialysis to avoid kidney failure and stay alive. Despite the severity of the condition, there are currently no drugs available that improve kidney function. A research group led by Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine’s Professor Takaaki Abe has found a remarkable solution to treat patients with CKD by co-opting a drug typically used for constipation.

Like bees breathing life into gardens, providing pollen and making flowers blossom, little cellular machines called mitochondria breathe life into our bodies, buzzing with energy as they produce the fuel that powers each of our cells. Maintaining mitochondrial metabolism requires input from many molecules and proteins - some of which have yet to be discovered.

A study conducted by researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC, United States), Proteimax Biotechnology (Israel), and the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB-USP, Brazil) showed that ingesting Pep19 helps reduce visceral fat and improve sleep in obese adults. The molecule is a synthetic version of a peptide (a very small piece of protein) naturally found in human cells.

Researchers at the Nanoscience Initiative at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have made a breakthrough in the fight against viral diseases. Their study, published in the journal Science Advances, offers a promising path toward the development of the world’s first broad-spectrum antiviral (BSA), which could be deployed against a wide range of deadly viruses, including future pandemic threats.

The trouble with many drugs is that they go where they shouldn’t, producing unwanted side effects. Psychiatric drugs might cause dissociation, painkillers can induce nausea and chemotherapy often damages healthy cells. Now a team of Stanford Medicine researchers are closing in on a novel solution: a non-invasive system that can deliver drugs anywhere in the body with precision down to a few millimeters.

Engaging with nature could be an effective measure for those with low wellbeing to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

A new pilot study from the University of Exeter, published in Behavioral Sciences, found that a self-guided, four-week nature-based programme called Roots and Shoots could help adults boost their mood, enhance mindfulness, and reconnect with the natural environment.

Vaccines trigger a notably rapid response in the stromal cells of draining lymph nodes within the first hours after administration. Researchers at the University of Turku and the InFLAMES Flagship in Finland also discovered that the stromal alterations prime the lymph node landscape for the subsequent steps of vaccine-induced immune responses.

Lymph nodes are a key part of the human immune system, whose primary function is to combat infections.

A new study from Moffitt Cancer Center may offer a breakthrough for patients with advanced melanoma who don’t respond to current immunotherapy treatments. The research, published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, found that adding a third immune-targeting drug to existing therapies helped shrink tumors in lab models of treatment-resistant melanoma.

Immunotherapy works by activating the body’s own immune system to attack cancer.

The mitochondria may be the powerhouse of the cell, but mounting evidence suggests this organelle is also a driving force behind cancer. Now, new evidence points to the mitochondrial metabolite glutathione, highlighting its central role in helping breast cancer cells break away from the primary tumor, travel through the body, and take root in other tissues.

The findings are among the first to link a specific mitochondrial metabolite to metastasis, with strong implications for the study of cancer at the cellular level.

Patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial conducted by UMass Chan Medical School of a dual vector gene therapy for GM2 gangliosidosis, which includes Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, exhibited a biochemical correction of the disease with minimal adverse reactions.

"Biochemically it worked," said study investigator Heather Gray-Edwards, DVM, PhD, assistant professor of genetic & cellular medicine at UMass Chan.

New research from the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney has uncovered a new biological pathway that may help explain why people with type 2 diabetes are more prone to developing dangerous blood clots, potentially paving the way for future treatments that reduce their cardiovascular risk.

The study, led by Associate Professor Freda Passam from the Central Clinical School and Associate Professor Mark Larance from the School of Medical Sciences, was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

ADAMTS2, a member of the ADAMTS zinc metalloproteinase family, is widely recognized for its pivotal role as a procollagen I N-proteinase. This enzyme plays a crucial part in the maturation of fibrillar collagens, which are essential for maintaining the structural integrity of connective tissues. Beyond its traditional role, recent discoveries have revealed that ADAMTS2 is involved in a diverse range of biological processes that extend well beyond collagen maturation.

The pharmaceutical industry stands at a transformative crossroads as artificial intelligence reshapes the landscape of drug development. In a Correspondence published in the KeAi journal Current Molecular Pharmacology, a group of researchers from China illuminate how large language models (LLMs) - the sophisticated AI systems powering advanced chatbots - are delivering unprecedented breakthroughs across the entire drug discovery pipeline.

Over the past 20 years, a class of cancer drugs called CD40 agonist antibodies have shown great promise - and induced great disappointment. While effective at activating the immune system to kill cancer cells in animal models, the drugs had limited impact on patients in clinical trials and caused dangerously systemic inflammatory responses, low platelet counts, and liver toxicity, among other adverse reactions - even at a low dose.

Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company founded by pioneers of the KRAS pathway, have entered into an exclusive global license and collaboration to develop and commercialize Kumquat's KRAS G12D inhibitor. Under the agreement, Kumquat is responsible for the initiation and completion of the Phase Ia study, while Bayer will complete development and commercial activities.

Following a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is interrupted and the resulting lack of oxygen can cause heart damage. The heart wall can rupture in severe cases, requiring immediate surgical intervention. Today, bovine pericardial patches are used to repair such heart defects owing to their stability, permeability, and ease of implantation.

Do you have a meditation app on your smartphone, computer or wearable device? Well, you're not alone.

There are now thousands of meditation apps available worldwide, the top 10 of which have been collectively downloaded more than 300 million times. What’s more, early work on these digital meditation platforms shows that even relatively brief usage can lead to benefits, from reduced depression, anxiety, and stress to improved insomnia symptoms.