Neurons in the gut produce a molecule that plays a pivotal role in shaping the gut’s immune response during and after inflammation, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings suggest that targeting these neurons and the molecules they produce could open the door to new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders driven by gut inflammation.

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Associate Professor Paola Laurino has been selected as one of the top 10 global awardees in the Life Sciences category of the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough, presented by Germany’s Falling Walls Foundation.  

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny particles released by cells that help control egg development. In a recent review, researchers from China explored how EVs influence oocyte health by transferring important molecules between cells. The article discusses how EV function changes under disease conditions and how this affects fertility. It also highlights the growing potential of therapeutic EVs to improve egg quality and treat ovarian disorders, offering new possibilities for advancing reproductive medicine.

A landmark mini-review from Peking Union Medical College Hospital delivers a snapshot of nine PD-1/IL-2 bi-functional drugs now in clinical trials. By silencing PD-1 and selectively fueling T cells with refined IL-2 in one molecule, these agents reinvigorate exhausted immune soldiers while sparing healthy tissue, promising safer and broader cancer cures.

How did life leap from simple microbial cells to the complex, structured cells that make up animals, plants, and fungi? A new study in The EMBO Journal by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) offers fresh insight into this deep evolutionary mystery. It sheds light on how the cytoskeleton, the cell’s internal scaffold, may have evolved from far simpler beginnings in ancient microbes.

Salk Institute researchers surveyed human embryonic kidney cells and skin biopsy-derived fibroblasts from Alzheimer’s patients to identify proteins involved in regulating mitochondrial stress—a hallmark of aging. The newly identified proteins could one day serve as biomarkers to screen for in skin biopsies, simplifying diagnosis and assessment of Alzheimer’s disease.