The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can cause certain types of cancer or autoimmune diseases, but how the body controls this common viral infection is largely unknown. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have now identified genetic and non-genetic factors that help the body fight EBV. To do this, they evaluated genome sequencing data, which is actually intended for characterizing the human genome, in a new way. Using the new technique, they were able to estimate the amount of EBV in the blood and find correlations in large health data sets – for example, an increased viral load in people with HIV infections, but also in smokers. There were also indications of new genes that play key roles in EBV immunity. Their findings have now been published in the renowned journal Nature.

A PhD candidate at the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP), University of the Witwatersrand, has been awarded the 2026 South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Institutional Clinician Researcher Development Programme Scholarship to advance research into targeted nanoparticle therapies for glioblastoma — one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of brain cancer.

Michael Gomes, who is simultaneously completing medical training and a PhD, is investigating innovative nanoscale drug delivery systems designed to overcome one of the biggest challenges in brain cancer treatment: the blood–brain barrier. This protective barrier prevents many chemotherapy drugs from reaching tumours at effective concentrations, contributing to poor survival outcomes. Most glioblastoma patients survive only 12 to 18 months after diagnosis.

Gomes’s research compares three nanoparticle platforms — liposomes, polymer-based particles, and polydopamine nanoparticles — to determine which most effectively delivers chemotherapy to brain tumours while limiting systemic toxicity. His work places particular emphasis on polydopamine nanoparticles, a relatively unexplored system inspired by dopamine, a molecule naturally present in the brain.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a predominant cause of global cancer-related mortality, largely due to the high incidence of systemic metastasis driven by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Although diagnostic and therapeutic advances have reduced mortality, approximately 20%–30% of patients are still diagnosed with metastatic disease, resulting in a poor 5-year survival rate of less than 15%. Understanding the genetic alterations underlying initiation, progression, and metastasis of CRC may help in the development of targeted therapies.