Understanding how cells decide their fate is a central challenge in biology, complicated by the fact that single-cell RNA sequencing captures only static snapshots of highly complex and dynamic changes in cell state. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a computational method, called ddHodge, that can accurately reconstruct cell state dynamics, shedding light on how genes drive cell fate decisions. Their technique could be useful in developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and cancer research.

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London in London, UK have developed a technology that integrates heart-imaging data with information from biological databases to uncover new genes and drugs linked to heart disease. The tool, called CardioKG, is explored in a paper published today in Nature Cardiovascular Research and could accelerate the discovery of new drugs for treating heart conditions.

A new international study led by the Gray Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University finds: melanoma cancer cells paralyze immune cells by secreting extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are tiny, bubble-shaped containers secreted from a given cell. The research team believes that this discovery has far-reaching implications for possible treatments for the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Singapore has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, yet many individuals spend almost a decade in poor health toward the end of life. Scientists from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) are working to understand how ageing itself can be modified to prevent age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.

The therapeutic use of human calcitonin (CT) in humans is limited by rapid receptor desensitization (tachyphylaxis), which requires short-term dosing despite the need for long-term treatment. In contrast, fish CT-CT receptors (CTR) exhibit extraordinary resistance to desensitization, enabling lifelong calcium regulation in high-Ca²⁺ marine environments. Here, we analyze the evolutionary, structural, and functional distinctions between fish and human CT systems. We propose that the unique molecular structure of fish CT and CTR may provide templates for engineering durable therapeutic agents to overcome tachyphylaxis.

Study shows tooth loss, not low-protein intake, drives memory decline in aging mice, hinting that reduced chewing may influence brain health.

China has moved from patchy, post-crisis biosafety rules to a unified legal regime anchored by the 2020 Biosecurity Law, yet fragmentation, weak risk intelligence and poor inter-agency coordination still leave gaps that could be exploited by novel pathogens, synthetic biology or geopolitical tension.  Historical review shows three phases: 1949-2002 built basic disease reporting and plant-quarantine systems but relied on paper records; 2003-2019 introduced internet-based surveillance, BSL-3/4 laboratories and alignment with WHO’s International Health Regulations after the SARS shock; 2020-present elevated biosafety to national-security status, enacted the Biosecurity Law and poured funds into diagnostics, vaccines and bio-economic R&D during COVID-19.  These steps created the skeleton of a modern system, but four structural weaknesses persist: strategic plans lack operational road-maps and AI-enabled foresight; the legal framework offers no clear dispute-resolution or accountability mechanisms; organisational silos among health, agriculture, science and military agencies hamper horizontal coordination; and public awareness plus professional training remain patchy, weakening compliance culture.

China’s rapidly ageing society—487 million people ≥ 60 years by 2050—faces an escalating dementia crisis: 15 million patients already account for one-quarter of the global total, while combined dementia and mild cognitive impairment affect 54 million citizens. Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen 140% in two decades, making it a top-six cause of mortality, and annual care costs are projected to surge from US $168 billion in 2015 to US $1.9 trillion by 2050. Care-giver burden is equally stark: 84 % report sleep disturbance and 44% anxiety, while 77% of patients depend solely on unpaid family support. Current prevention and control systems, however, remain fragmented and under-resourced. Diagnosis is missed in 86% of community cases—well above the global 75%—and only 660 memory clinics operate nationwide against a need for > 3 500. Drug development lags behind the West; beyond the controversial anti-amyloid antibodies aducanumab, lecanemab and donanemab, China offers only the investigational TCM-derived GV-971. No national long-term care insurance equivalent to Japan’s or Germany’s exists, leaving families to shoulder more than half of total costs.