Boosting the cell’s own cleanup
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jan-2026 19:11 ET (10-Jan-2026 00:11 GMT/UTC)
Cells have a remarkable housekeeping system: proteins that are no longer needed, defective, or potentially harmful are labeled with a molecular “tag” and dismantled in the cellular recycling machinery. This process, known as the ubiquitin-proteasome system, is crucial for health and survival. Now, an international team of scientists led by CeMM, AITHYRA and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund has identified a new class of small molecules that harness this natural system to accelerate the removal of an immune-modulating enzyme called IDO1. The findings, published in Nature Chemistry (DOI: 10.1038/s41557-025-02021-5), introduce a new concept in drug discovery that could transform how we target difficult proteins in cancer and beyond.
Women continue to experience a significant health gap, typically influenced by access to treatment, effectiveness of treatment and available resources dedicated to understanding health conditions, with wide-ranging human and economic implications. To contribute in narrowing the women’s health gap, the Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health (GloW), under the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) will take over the hosting and enhancement of the Women’s Health Impact Tracking (WHIT) platform, a first‑of‑its‑kind, publicly accessible tool which measures progress on closing the women’s health gap across a set of conditions and countries.
Researchers at Duke University combined Dynamic Optical Contrast Imaging (DOCI) with AI to improve thyroid cancer detection and surgical planning. DOCI captures the natural autofluorescence of tissue without dyes, and machine-learning models use this data to classify cancer subtypes and generate precise tumor maps. This approach shows promise for providing real-time, label-free guidance during surgery, potentially reducing unnecessary procedures and improving patient outcomes.
A new AI model designs peptides (short proteins) that are targeted by enzymes called proteases, which are overactive in cancer cells. Nanoparticles coated with these peptides can act as sensors that signal if cancer-linked proteases are present in the body.
A recent study published in the medical journal Gut has revealed a novel cancer-promoting mechanism of Streptococcus anginosus (Sa). The research shows that methionine metabolites produced by this bacterium can significantly contribute to the development of gastric cancer.
This finding deepens the understanding of the gut microbiome’s role in cancer and opens new paths for microbiota-targeted prevention strategies.
In this system, Fc could convert overexpressed H2O2 to produce ·OH. Importantly, Cur could form dynamic boronate ester bonds with BA, and be encapsulated in SPSAs-1 through responsive chemical bond to form SPSAs-2. The acidic microenvironment and excessive H2O2 within tumor cells cause the dissociation of boronate ester bonds and β-CD/Fc complexes, releasing Cur. As a result, the GSH level could be reduced through the combination of the BA-induced GSH consumption and Cur-induced inhibition of TrxR activation, further enhancing CDT efficacy.