Understanding how cells decide their fate is a central challenge in biology, complicated by the fact that single-cell RNA sequencing captures only static snapshots of highly complex and dynamic changes in cell state. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a computational method, called ddHodge, that can accurately reconstruct cell state dynamics, shedding light on how genes drive cell fate decisions. Their technique could be useful in developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and cancer research.

Intestinal Stem Cells (ISCs) derived from a patient's own cells have garnered significant attention as a new alternative for treating intractable intestinal diseases due to their low risk of rejection. However, clinical application has been limited by safety and regulatory issues arising from conventional culture methods that rely on animal-derived components (xenogeneic components). A KAIST research team has developed an advanced culture technology that stably grows ISCs without animal components while simultaneously enhancing their migration to damaged tissues and regenerative capabilities.

China has moved from patchy, post-crisis biosafety rules to a unified legal regime anchored by the 2020 Biosecurity Law, yet fragmentation, weak risk intelligence and poor inter-agency coordination still leave gaps that could be exploited by novel pathogens, synthetic biology or geopolitical tension.  Historical review shows three phases: 1949-2002 built basic disease reporting and plant-quarantine systems but relied on paper records; 2003-2019 introduced internet-based surveillance, BSL-3/4 laboratories and alignment with WHO’s International Health Regulations after the SARS shock; 2020-present elevated biosafety to national-security status, enacted the Biosecurity Law and poured funds into diagnostics, vaccines and bio-economic R&D during COVID-19.  These steps created the skeleton of a modern system, but four structural weaknesses persist: strategic plans lack operational road-maps and AI-enabled foresight; the legal framework offers no clear dispute-resolution or accountability mechanisms; organisational silos among health, agriculture, science and military agencies hamper horizontal coordination; and public awareness plus professional training remain patchy, weakening compliance culture.

The integration of PD-1 inhibitors into standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimens has revolutionized nasopharyngeal carcinoma treatment, yet only a minority of patients achieve durable responses, creating an urgent need for reliable biomarkers that can predict immunotherapy benefit. Recent investigations have identified multiple candidate predictors spanning both the tumor microenvironment and macroenvironment, ranging from tumor-intrinsic factors like PD-L1 expression and Epstein-Barr virus DNA levels to systemic indicators including peripheral blood cell counts and circulating cytokines. These biomarkers reflect the complex interplay between tumor biology, host immunity, and environmental factors that ultimately determine treatment outcomes.

Glycine, a non-essential amino acid derived from serine, plays an increasingly recognized role in metabolic regulation. Epidemiological studies consistently show that reduced circulating glycine levels are associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and obesity across diverse populations. However, the molecular mechanism linking glycine to insulin production has remained incompletely understood, limiting therapeutic applications.

Kyoto, Japan --  The species Orcinus orca, generally known as orcas or killer whales, is made up of many genetically distinct populations called ecotypes. Each ecotype indicates an ecological specialization with its own ecological and phylogenetic characteristics. The North Pacific is home to three known ecotypes of killer whales, called the transient, resident, and offshore ecotypes. While transient ecotype killer whales are mammal-eating, the resident and offshore orcas are fish-eating.

Though killer whale populations in the eastern North Pacific near Vancouver Island and Alaska have been studied extensively, populations in the western North Pacific have been less studied, especially around Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island. One of these sea areas, Shiretoko, is the best in Japan to spot killer whales and is even home to a UNESCO natural World Heritage site, yet information on its killer whale population has remained limited. Researchers from Kyoto University and collaborating institutions worked together with a shared determination to change that.

"Clarifying the ecological characteristics of killer whales is crucial for achieving coexistence with them, as they are deeply entwined with human activities such as tourism and fisheries in Hokkaido," says first and corresponding author Momoka Suzuki.

A research team led by Tohoku University revealed the details of a calcium-driven mechanism that could provide insight into how to prevent Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Kyoto, Japan -- Aged and frail people often suffer a decline in tissue reserve capacity during aging. This reserve, called resilience, helps the body maintain homeostasis through various defense, compensation, modulation, and repair responses. When resilience is impaired, elderly people tend to experience a gradual waning of their daily activity and an increase in multimorbidity, or dealing with multiple chronic illnesses.

One major cause of resilience decline is an increase in senescent cells that have stopped dividing. The human body has a natural mechanism for eliminating these cells called senolysis, but as we age this 'clearing' mechanism becomes less efficient.

Senescent cells exert harmful effects through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP: the release of pro-inflammatory molecules that can adversely affect surrounding cells. This leads to chronic inflammation and age-related diseases, partly explaining why elderly people suffer impaired resilience. Yet how metabolic resilience is involved in survival capacity and SASP has remained unclear.