Molecular scissors caught in action: A structural blueprint for RNA therapeutics
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 19:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 23:16 GMT/UTC)
RNA interference is a natural mechanism for living cells to control whether specific genes are being used or not. Crowned with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, the discovery of RNA interference has since been harnessed by scientists to create a powerful and growing class of drugs capable of suppressing disease-related genes. Seven such drugs have already received FDA approval, including inclisiran, which can replace daily cholesterol-lowering pills with biannual injections. Despite these clinical successes, the molecular details of how the system executes its cuts remained poorly understood. Now, Scripps Research scientists have captured the first high-resolution structural images of the human RNA interference molecular machinery in its slicing-ready state.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are using eye-tracking technology to help understand how nurses interact with intravenous smart pumps, providing a new way to identify design flaws in systems associated with more medication errors than any other route of administration. The approach, detailed in a study published in the June 2026 issue of Advancing Medical-Surgical Nursing, marks the first known use of eye-tracking technology to evaluate IV smart pumps. By recording exactly where users look while programming the infusion devices, researchers can analyze moments of confusion, hesitation and error that traditional usability studies are not able to capture.
A nanosensor measured nitric oxide from patient-derived stem cells. Autism patients produced ~6nM, intellectual disability patients ~11nM, and healthy individuals ~65nM, despite sharing the same genetic mutation. This differential production suggests nitric oxide levels can distinguish autism from other neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping causes, offering a potential biomarker for more precise diagnosis.
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has secured £4.8 million from NHS England to continue delivering the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP), which helps National Health Service staff develop innovations alongside their day jobs.
Since launching with ARU in 2016, CEP has supported the creation of 691 businesses that address real-world healthcare challenges and helped raise more than £1.27 billion of investment.