A novel approach developed by scientists, including Rice University chemist James Tour, could transform treatment for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers with limited therapeutic options. Researchers have introduced a targeted nasal delivery method that repurposes WR-2721, generically known as amifostine — a radioprotective prodrug historically administered intravenously. This advancement, now progressing to phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, aims to protect healthy tissue from radiation damage while improving outcomes for patients battling the disease.

A new study from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) shows that certain gut bacteria found in one-month-old infants are associated with future development of food sensitivities and the development of food allergies, particularly to eggs, while other types of bacteria are not. The study also found factors that predicted which type of bacteria would be present in the guts of newly born babies. Together, the findings suggest that certain probiotic supplements might be a good early defense for preventing food allergies, especially for at-risk infants. The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

A team of investigators from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Google, and Columbia University have created an artificial intelligence model that can predict which genes are expressed in any type of human cell.