Issue 257  October 31st 2025

Fingerprint breakthrough in breast cancer detection

A team of scientists from Sheffield Hallam University has successfully developed a pioneering non-invasive method for detecting breast cancer from fingerprints, with 98% accuracy.

For the original research paper: Click Here

Epigenetic Reprogramming Safely Modifies Multiple Genes in T Cells Simultaneously for CAR-T Therapies

Scientists have developed an epigenetic editing platform that enables safe modification of multiple genes in primary human T cells, addressing a key manufacturing and scalability challenge in next-generation cell therapies. The research demonstrates how CRISPRoff and CRISPRon can reprogram a patient’s own T cells for therapeutic purposes without the cell toxicity and DNA damage associated with traditional gene editing approaches.

New Antibody Restricts the Growth of Aggressive and Treatment-Resistant Breast Cancers

This is especially crucial for patients with treatment-resistant cancers and those with triple-negative breast cancer

Study Shows Hospitals Can Safely Cut Unnecessary Pre-Surgery Tests

The study tracked outcomes at three Michigan hospitals, two community hospitals and one academically affiliated facility, participating in statewide collaborative quality initiatives. Before, 68% of healthy patients having gallbladder removals, hernia repairs, or breast lumpectomies received at least one unnecessary pre-op test. Six months later, that number had dropped to about 40%, with one hospital achieving a near-zero rate of wasteful testing.

Click Here for the orginal study and more informaiton on the uncessary tests that were eliminated.

Leadership Burnout in Laboratories: A Growing Risk to Research Stability

For laboratory directors, principal investigators, and department heads, these pressures translate into operational strain, inconsistent oversight, and difficulty maintaining morale in fast-paced environments. Time scarcity, limited resources, and rising expectations contribute to a perfect storm that threatens both well-being and scientific continuity.

Pig kidney fails just shy of setting record

The xenotransplant, from a gene-edited pig, had survived for nearly 9 months inside a man

NIH Launches First National Organoid Modeling Center to Standardize Human-Based Research

Organoids—three-dimensional tissue cultures grown from stem cells—replicate key structures and functions of human organs such as the liver, lung, heart, and intestine. Despite their promise, organoid protocols often vary between research groups, limiting reproducibility and slowing adoption. The SOM Center aims to address these barriers by integrating automation, AI-driven data analysis, and diverse human cell sources to create reference standards for the broader research community.

“By creating standardized, reproducible, and accessible organoid models, we will accelerate drug discovery and translational science, offering more precise tools for disease modeling, public health protection, and reducing reliance on animal models,” said NIH director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD.

Giving lab workers a reason to stay

This article discusses how labs can foster a motivated, skilled, and engaged workforce.

Precursor of dopamine increases willingness to wait for larger delayed rewards

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in several functions, including motivation and reward. Researchers found that L-DOPA, a precursor of dopamine that increases dopamine levels in the brain, slightly increased the study participants' willingness to wait for larger delayed rewards, decreasing impulsivity by about a 20 percent compared to placebo. This modest effect challenges some earlier influential findings from much smaller studies, which had found that L-DOPA increased impulsive choices

Environmental treaties are paralysed — here’s how we can do better

The collapse of talks about a UN plastics treaty is the wake-up call we didn’t need. It’s time to study what is going wrong and why.