In complex diseases, many different genetic changes can push cells into the same harmful state, as is the case with melanoma drug resistance. A new platform, PerturbFate, reveals how diverse genetic perturbations funnel into shared disease states, unlocking targets for new therapies. Next, the team plans to move this approach from cultured cells into living models to study aging and Alzheimer’s.

The largest published prospective evaluation of off-label targeted cancer therapies has shown that more patients could benefit from existing drugs. After including over 1600 patients in the Dutch multicenter DRUP trial, the team publishes the results in Nature  today. “Our findings underscore the fact that effective off-label use is possible, but should only be done within clinical trial settings.”

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit this distinction. Using a variant of CRISPR, a modern tool for editing DNA, they distinguished tumor DNA from healthy DNA and selectively cut only the former. The study, published today in Nature, is an early but promising step toward a cancer therapy that targets and destroys tumor cells with high precision.

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London have identified an overworked cog in the cellular machinery of tumour cells that could be targeted by new treatment options for an aggressive class of cancers. The team found that blocking this system with known drugs selectively killed these cancers – those linked to mutations in a set of genes known as RAS – and caused mouse tumours to shrink, suggesting a new strategy for tackling cancers that often resist treatment.

Duracyte is a biotechnology company developing implantable “living pharmacy” devices designed to continuously produce therapeutic proteins inside the body. The company plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial this year evaluating patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Duracyte is the third company launched by RBL LLC, following Sentinel BioTherapeutics and SteerBio, reinforcing Houston’s growing role as a biotechnology innovation hub.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing 8A (LRRC8A) is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane protein that functions as the essential component of volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs). These channels are integral to maintaining osmotic balance, metabolite transport, and intercellular communication, thereby ensuring ion homeostasis and facilitating cellular responses to hypotonic stress, oxidative damage, and mechanical cues.