In a new study published in the journal Cell, a team from Gladstone Institutes has unearthed new findings about what happens during the minutes and hours after a cell divides, expanding our understanding of human biology—and potentially leading to better medicines.

Non-persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are characterized by a sharp increase in viral load followed by a long plateau, according to a study published January 21^st in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Samuel Alizon of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France, and colleagues.

A recent study from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India has revealed new details about how our cells clean up and recycle waste. This process, known as autophagy, is like a self-cleaning mechanism for cells, helping the cells stay healthy by getting rid of damaged parts and recycling useful components. The process involves formation of a vesicle called autophagosome, which encapsulates the cellular waste. The autophagosome then fuses with another type of vesicle called lysosome. The fused stage is called autolysosome. The autolysosome ultimately matures into lysosome, where the waste is degraded by different enzymes and important starting materials are released back into the cytoplasm. The autophagosomes, autolysosomes and lysosomes can be considered as different stages of the cellular recycling process. Therefore, when cells notice they have too much "junk" inside, autophagy kicks into action. It is like a little clean-up crew inside the cell that sorts out the waste, recycles useful parts, and disposes off the rest. However, autophagy is not just about tidying up. The process is also extremely crucial for survival. When cells face tough times, like deprivation of nutrients or oxygen, autophagy can break down older, less useful components to provide essential material and aid in survival. Hence, this is one of the most important processes in our body. Impaired autophagy is linked to cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, metabolic disorders like diabetes and cancer. Various proteins and small molecules work in tandem to regulate this vital process. Dysregulation of any of the regulators can lead to disruption in autophagy. Hence, for better understanding of how autophagy works, we need to know what’s happening inside the autophagic vesicles at every stage of the process. This is where this recent finding made an exciting leap forward.

The school will bring together international specialists from research centers and healthtechs to discuss precision health’s state-of-the-art as accomplished through translational/comparative approaches and One Health vision.

Unpacking “finger-like” protein bundles that protrude from cells may lead to novel treatments for metastasis. 

BUFFALO, NY- January 21, 2025 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) on December 5, 2024, Volume 16, Issue 22, titled “DNA-methylation age and accelerated epigenetic aging in blood as a tumor marker for predicting breast cancer susceptibility.”

University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) Executive Director, Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, and University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Department of Surgery Chair, Christine Lau, MD, MBA, have announced that Jeremy L. Davis, MD, has been appointed the new Surgical Oncology Lead for UMGCCC and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery at UMSOM. Dr. Davis is a nationally recognized surgical oncologist and leader in gastric cancer research. He started in his new roles at the end of last month.