University of Utah engineering researchers demonstrate structural and mechanical properties in the mycelium of a common soil mold that show promise in biomedical applications.

The researchers discovered that inflammatory immune cells, called CD4+ T cells, mistakenly target certain proteins that are part of the nervous system in people with ALS. This kind of "self-attack" is the defining feature of autoimmune disease.

New research has uncovered a species of hook-toothed lizard that lived about 167 million years ago and has a confusing set of features seen in snakes and geckos—two very distant relatives. 

The bacterial membrane enzyme styrene oxide isomerase can convert toxic compounds into valuable materials. Selvapravin Kumaran, a doctoral student in Professor Dirk Tischler's Microbial Biotechnology working group at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has discovered exactly how it does this. These findings could help in the future to use the multifunctional enzyme in other reactions involving the production of industrially attractive compounds from inexpensive precursors. “Enzymes are a powerful tool that can make our lives more environmentally friendly,” says Dirk Tischler. The researchers report their findings in the journal ACS Catalysis on September 29, 2025.

Aging brain shows deterioration of blood-brain barrier (BBB), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Guo et al, from Massachusetts General Hospital, reported that the effects of astrocytes on endothelial cell permeability depend on the “age” of astrocytes, and increased angiotensinogen expression in senescent astrocytes may be one of the mediators. These data suggest the importance of cell-cell interaction in neurovascular unit, and point towards a potential therapeutic approach to rescue BBB in aging brain.