Led by Y. Xu and Professor Ping-Chih Ho at the University of Lausanne (Unil), the international research team identifies a previously unknown proteasome–heme signaling axis that connects mitochondrial failure to irreversible immune dysfunction.

AI researchers at Mass General Brigham have two new papers showing that the thymus, an immune system organ long assumed irrelevant after puberty, may actually be a key driver of longevity, disease risk, and response to cancer treatment. In their first study, they used AI to analyze CT scans from more than 27,000 adults, and found inviiduals with high "thymic health" scores had a ~50% lower risk of death, 63% lower cardiovascular mortality, and 36% lower lung cancer risk compared to those with low scores. In a second study of 1,200 cancer patients treated with immunotherapy, the researchers found those with stronger thymic health had a 37% lower risk of cancer progression and a 44% lower risk of death. Together, the findings point to a major role of the thymus in adult health, and its potential as a target for screening and personalized medicine.

An international research team from Bielefeld University and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) has uncovered a previously unknown regulatory mechanism in human cells. For the first time, they demonstrate how a key molecular switch regulates the cell’s “recycling centers.” The findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, provide important insights into the understanding of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.