A new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai overturns a longstanding assumption about how mRNA vaccines generate immunity, revealing that certain non-immune cells help determine vaccine effectiveness. The study, published in the April 29, 2026 online issue of Nature Biotechnology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03099-z], also introduces a powerful and versatile technology to control the expression of mRNA drugs, which the researchers demonstrate can enhance the effectiveness of mRNA cancer vaccines in preclinical studies of lymphoma. The findings provide a new framework for designing mRNA vaccines and mRNA therapeutics, with immediate implications for cancer immunotherapy, infectious disease vaccines, and gene-editing treatments.

A new national survey commissioned by the OSUCCC – James finds many women still misunderstand breast cancer screening guidelines—often believing mammograms should start at 50—while experts urge most average-risk women to begin annual mammograms at age 40.

Cases of several cancers are rising in England among both younger and older adults, but rates of bowel and ovarian cancer are rising only among younger adults (under 50s), finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Oncology.  Some other types of cancer are also rising faster in younger adults than they are in older adults, the findings indicate.  While excess weight is a key contributor, it’s unlikely to fully explain these patterns, say the researchers.

An AI model (REDMOD) can pick up the very early subtle tissue changes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer, which conventional imaging and the human eye find difficult to detect, finds research published online in the journal Gut.  As such, it offers the potential to shift an all too common late stage, terminal disease diagnosis to one that is at an early stage (stage 0) and treatable, say the researchers.  While REDMOD was more accurate than experienced radiologists, it requires testing in high risk patients, defined as those with unexpected weight loss and newly diagnosed diabetes, before it can be widely used in clinical practice, they add.