A new study from researchers at the University of Chicago provides important insight into how the pancreas protects itself during inflammation, pointing to promising new directions for treating pancreatitis.

23 May 2026

Specialized Intative Cells Release Peptide Hormones to Rapidly Signal an Amino Acid Deficiency

Eating is not only about getting enough calories. Animals also need to choose the right nutrients. When the body lacks protein, it must seek essential amino acids - the protein building blocks that cannot be made internally and must come from food.

23 May 2026

Synthetic Biology and Artificial Intelligence Transform the Discovery of Mysterious Orphan Receptors

A new review highlights how synthetic biology, AI, and spatial omics could transform ligand-receptor discovery from one-by-one searches into network-level mapping

23 May 2026

Researchers Use Yeast Sugar Molecules to Extend COVID Vaccine Immunity in Mice

In a new study published in Nature Immunology, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital demonstrated that pairing the original COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with an immune system enhancer, known as an adjuvant, extended the duration of the vaccine's protection in mice from a few months up to two years. The combo also showed a more pronounced response against omicron viral components than the vaccine alone.

23 May 2026

Essential Keratin Guides Embryonic Cell Movement in Developing Zebrafish

Hair, nails, and horns, all made up of keratin, are some of the hardest and most resilient structures in animals. Inside zebrafish cells, keratin plays a distinct role, giving them the strength they need to move together as a coherent tissue while modulating the driving forces behind their movement during early development. But what happens when keratin is missing?

22 May 2026

Ancient Eukaryotes Evolved on Oxygenated Seafloor Environments

From the highest mountains to the deepest ocean, the driest desert to the lushest jungle, Earth displays a dazzling array of lifeforms.

22 May 2026

High Protein Levels Bypass Functional BRCA Defenses to Generate Toxic Double-Strand Genomic Breaks

When it comes to cancer, tumor suppressor genes are usually thought of as the "good guys." These genes make proteins that protect and repair DNA in cells.

22 May 2026

Scientists Find Key Genetic Boundary That Dictates Immune System Failure

Not all broken genes fail in the same way: some simply stop working, while others interfere with what still works.

22 May 2026

Researchers Discover That Lesion Cells Fail to Recruit Surrounding Tissue Into Tumor Growth Helpers

In an unexpected finding, a new study flips on its head researchers' understanding of how precancerous pancreas lesions evolve into pancreatic cancer. The paradigm-changing discovery has tremendous implications for identifying people at higher risk of cancer or even, potentially stopping malignant transformation.

21 May 2026

New Epigenetic Study Discovers Inheritance Patterns That Defy Mendel's Laws

Scientists have long known that the DNA code in genes is not the only way to pass genetic traits from parents to offspring.

21 May 2026

How Minimal Medical Care Shifts Amazonian Villagers' Unique Gut Bacteria

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

21 May 2026

Smart Gray Mold Pathogen Tastes Fruit and Vegetable Chemical Defenses to Counter Them

Even if you haven't heard of Botrytis cinerea, you've likely seen it - slowly growing in your store-bought blueberries, tomatoes or even on your beautiful orchids. Commonly known as gray mold, the fungus attacks hundreds of plants.

21 May 2026

Disrupted Honeycomb Cellular Patterns in the Early Brain May Drive Cancer and Birth Defects

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have revealed how mistakes in the final step of cell division can have dire consequences for developing brain cells. The findings offer important new insights into cancer and developmental disorders, helping explain how the body tries to protect itself and what happens when it can't.

21 May 2026

Genetic Engineering Creates an Immune System Cloak to Extend Bacterial Drug Circulation

While previous research from Johns Hopkins University is successfully completing clinical trials, University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Kaitlin Dailey is expanding on that work to more specifically target tumors that are difficult or impossible to access, especially those associated with pancreatic cancer-one of the deadliest types.

21 May 2026

Open-Chip Design Separates Fluid Resistance From Wall Confinement to Trace Cell Behavior

Most cancer studies focus on chemical signals or stiff tumor surroundings, but the stickiness of the fluid itself has received little attention. For glioblastoma, the invasion front is about eight times more viscous than the necrotic core, creating a rising resistance that migrating cells must overcome.

21 May 2026

Protein Plays Dual Role by Silencing Thousands of Genes While Keeping Vital Ones Active

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn't even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father's DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child.

21 May 2026

Engineers Develop New mRNA Adjuvant That Dramatically Amplifies Cancer-Fighting T Cells

Engineers from the University of Houston, MIT and Harvard have developed a new mRNA-based strategy that dramatically amplifies the T-cell response to vaccines - an advance that could lead to far more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

20 May 2026

Sensory Nerve Signals Block the Immune System's Response to Lung Cancer

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have revealed that sensory nerve signals interfere with the immune system's response to lung cancer. This previously unrecognized neuroimmune connection could be targeted to improve responses to immunotherapy.

20 May 2026

Stimulating Early Brain Circuits Partially Restores Vocal Defects Caused by Genetic Mutations

Communication begins long before children learn to speak. Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan have now uncovered how early brain activity helps build developing communication circuits via regulating FOXP2/Foxp2, a gene linked to human speech and communication disorders.

20 May 2026

Researchers Compare Embryonic and Adult Mouse Brain Targets to Map Memory Networks

A peer-reviewed invited review published today in Genomic Psychiatry argues that the adult brain, when it learns and remembers and rewires, is not inventing something new.

20 May 2026