Delivering therapies to the brain remains a major challenge due to the limited permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In a recent study published in Cell, researchers proposed a strategy to hijack skull-derived immune cells using drug-loaded nanoparticles, leveraging their unique migration mechanism through skull-meninges microchannels to bypass the blood-brain barrier. The team demonstrated efficient in situ construction of nanoparticle-loaded immune cells and their rapid migration to the disease site in response to CNS perturbations, enabling targeted delivery to brain lesions. In preclinical stroke models, this strategy achieved promising therapeutic efficacy in improving both short- and long-term outcomes. A prospective clinical trial further supports the translational feasibility of the calvarial immune access in treating malignant stroke. These findings establish a potentially clinically translatable platform for brain drug delivery.

A new University at Buffalo study examines what happens to discarded cigarette butts when released into the environment. Findings showing that one cigarette filter can release up to two dozen microfibers almost immediately upon contacting water. More than 100 additional microfibers may break free of the filter within 10 days depending on how the water is moving.

This quick release of cellulose acetate fibers – what most cigarette filters are made of – had not been precisely measured before. This builds upon the evidence that cigarette butts –the most littered item worldwide – are a direct and underestimated source of microplastic pollution.

Negative memory bias, the tendency to remember negative experiences more easily than positive ones, can fuel cycles of anxiety and depression. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Toyama identified Cognitive bias modification for memory bias (CBM-M) as a potential, accessible intervention for people at risk. Using a randomized controlled trial and brain imaging techniques, the study shows that CBM-M can reduce psychological and biological stress and alter brain circuits linked to emotional memory.