An mRNA vaccine developed by researchers from Japan suppressed abnormal blood vessel growth or neovascularization in the retina of mouse models. Neovascularization is a condition that is caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss for elderly people. The vaccine can be delivered intramuscularly and is as effective as current therapies that require frequent eye injections, offering a more comfortable and easier-to-administer alternative for treating AMD and other neovascular eye diseases.

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed SORA-DET, a lightweight and high-performance deep learning model for UAV-based remote sensing. By introducing innovative feature extraction and fusion techniques, SORA-DET achieves state-of-the-art detection accuracy while being up to 88% smaller and faster than conventional models. Its compact design enables real-time deployment directly on UAVs, making it highly effective for applications such as disaster response, search-and-rescue, and environmental monitoring.

Producing ammonia – a valuable chemical compound used in many fields – takes enormous amounts of energy. Researchers at Tohoku University have found a more efficient option that converts harmful pollutants in water to ammonia.

Researchers engineered mice with a mutation (E3896A) in the RyR1 calcium-binding site, eliminating calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) without affecting depolarization-induced calcium release. The mutation preserved normal skeletal muscle performance but protected against malignant hyperthermia and heat stroke in disease models. These findings demonstrate that CICR has little role in healthy excitation–contraction coupling but may contribute to pathology when hyperactivated.

Researchers from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), one of the centers under the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan, report an inexpensive iron hydroxide catalyst that could support the use of sodium borohydride as a hydrogen storage material.

Researchers from The University of Osaka, AIST, Okayama University, and the University of Tokyo applied an innovative computational-analysis technique to clarify the atomic structure of soft, easily deformable regions in amorphous silicon. They discovered that these regions combine medium-range order with local disorder, a finding that will guide the design of more durable amorphous materials.

World's first successful development of innovative nanocomposites comprising lactic acid bacteria components and liquid metal

Selective tumor accumulation via EPR effect with demonstrated visualization and therapeutic efficacy in mouse-transplanted cancers

Complete cancer elimination through synergistic immune activation and photothermal conversion effects under near-infrared light irradiation

Confirmed excellent biocompatibility, promising new cancer diagnostic and therapeutic technologies

East Asia experienced a record-breaking heatwave in the summer of 2023. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba numerically simulated this event using an atmospheric model, revealing for the first time that this record-breaking heatwave was considerably amplified by an unprecedented marine heatwave in the surrounding seas.