This knowledge would help identify individuals who could benefit from early detection programmes, which are essential for a tumour with low survival rates because it is almost always detected late.

A previously unknown mechanism that makes it possible for aggressive so-called triple-negative breast cancer to fine-tune its production of proteins has been discovered by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden. The discovery increases our understanding of how tumours grow and adapt, and it opens up for research into new future treatments.

A team led by Prof. Richard GU Hongri, Assistant Professor in the Division of Integrative Systems and Design of the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with experts in mechanical engineering and biomedicine, has developed an automated robotic nanoprobe. This device can navigate within living cell, sense metabolic whispers in real time, and pluck an individual mitochondrion for analysis or—all without the need for fluorescent labeling. It is the world’s first cell-manipulation nanoprobe that integrates both sensors and actuators at its tip, enabling a micro-robot to autonomously navigate inside live cells. The breakthrough holds great promise for advancing future treatment strategies for chronic diseases and cancer.