A team from Sun Yat-sen University Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital has identified a novel mechanism underlying platinum resistance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): the circular RNA circSCAP encodes a 129-amino-acid protein (SCAP-129aa) that activates the PI3K/AKT pathway by stabilizing PIK3R2. Silencing circSCAP or combining platinum therapy with the PIK3R2 inhibitor  significantly improved treatment efficacy in preclinical models, highlighting circSCAP and SCAP-129aa as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

The study, published in PLoS Computational Biology, shows that the balance between two types of inhibition regulates how brain rhythms communicate, enabling flexible and efficient information routing. The research was carried out by the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC UIB-CSIC), the Institute for Neurosciences (IN CSIC-UMH), and Aix-Marseille University (France).

A new Genomic Press Interview highlights Dr. Alex Tsompanidis’ academic journey and his research exploring the links between placental function, human brain evolution and autism. The Cambridge scientist, recognized among the world's top 40 under 40 autism researchers, discusses his international research collaborations, their multi-million-pound Simons Foundation research program and the new hypothesis on the role of the placenta. His work bridges genetics, clinical neuroscience and evolutionary anthropology, offering potential for early autism screening through placental biomarkers that could transform global healthcare approaches.

In August 2017, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) launched the Major Research Plan “Dynamic Modifications and Chemical Interventions of Biomacromolecules” (implementation period 2017–2025). Through interdisciplinary research that integrates chemistry, life sciences, medicine, mathematics, materials science, and information science, its aim is to develop specific labeling methods and detection techniques for dynamic chemical modifications of biomacromolecules, elucidate the recognition mechanisms and biological functions of dynamic modifications in the regulation of cellular traits, and discover potential drug targets and corresponding lead compounds related to dynamic biomacromolecular modifications. Since its establishment, this Major Research Plan has achieved significant progress and original results in many aspects such as the dynamic properties of biomacromolecular chemical modifications, regulatory mechanisms, and chemical interventions. Recently, members of the expert group, management group, and secretariat of the program collaborated to systematically review representative research achievements obtained since the program’s implementation, and jointly published a review article in CCS Chemistry. This review provides important references for promoting development in related frontier fields, as well as for the future trend of integration between chemistry, life sciences, and medicine.