News
Designing better RNA delivery polymers with computational tools
A research team led by professor Olivia Merkel, Chair of Drug Delivery at LMU and co-spokesperson of the Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM) has developed the first integrated platform that combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and machine learning (ML) to identify new polymeric materials for therapeutic RNA delivery.
Researcher Who Solved a 50-Year Mystery Wins Science & SciLifeLab Prize
Understanding how BMP is made, which scientists couldn't determine for decades, could help then increase its levels to treat multiple diseases.t could potentially be useful in treating ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, for example.
NIH-led study reveals role of mobile DNA elements in lung cancer progression
Using lung cancer biospecimens from the Sherlock-Lung study, an international team led by National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers, identified key factors that drive tumor evolution and influence outcomes. Overall, the findings, published Dec. 10, 2025, in Nature, describe a previously unknown origin of some aggressive lung cancers.
Fasting boosts breast cancer therapy efficacy via glucocorticoid activation
The majority of breast cancers are driven by oestrogen receptor-α (ERα) activation, and endocrine therapy represents the mainstay treatment for these patients. However, resistance is common and tumours often progress after years of endocrine suppression. Periodic fasting enhances the efficacy of standard endocrine therapy and delays acquired drug resistance, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
New Open-Source Tool Aims to Make Sepsis Prediction Models More Transparent for Clinicians
Laboratory leaders watching the evolution of clinical AI tools now have a new development to track: a fully open-source web application designed to make machine-learning–based sepsis prediction more interpretable and accessible.
Researchers find genetic basis for important risk factor in blinding eye disease
A study has revealed important insights into the genetics of deposits in the eye, known as reticular pseudodrusen (RPD), that are linked to greater risk of vision loss among people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study underscores that AMD is not one disease and highlights the need for novel treatment approaches.
Repurposing old molecules to combat treatment-resistant SARS-CoV-2
UC San Diego researchers are exploring old compounds to find effective treatments against SARS-CoV-2, focusing on molecules that inhibit the virus's key enzymes with minimal side effects.
For their study, the scientists reviewed 141 “previously synthesized compounds” that had been developed over 15 years (1997-2012). The compounds all inhibited cruzain, an enzyme similar to the one SARS-CoV-2 depends on.
New Findings on Laboratory Warning Sign Design May Affect Lab Safety and Compliance
Research identifies design principles that significantly improve attention, hazard recognition, and compliance in laboratory environments
Seeing Is Believing: Visual Models Help Scientists Combat mRNA Vaccine Myths
Correcting misinformation after it has gone viral is a common way of informing the public that what they’ve encountered may be inaccurate, lack context, be unproven, or be demonstrably false. But repeating a misconception when refuting it carries the risk of spreading it to a larger audience, especially because the people who read a fact-checking report may not be the same ones who were originally exposed to the worrisome information.
To overcome these challenges, researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania tested the effectiveness of a “mental model” approach to presenting scientific information. Such an approach entails exposing people to visual, verbal, or animated models to teach them scientific or medical concepts so that they either have the tools in place to identify misconceptions before encountering them or can use the model, once they learn it, to override existing misconceptions.
Psoriasis caused by changes in the fat metabolism of skin cells
A research team led by Erwin F. Wagner from the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism that contributes to the development of psoriasis - and at the same time represents a potential biomarker for a new treatment concept.
Thank you!
We need your help to grow this newsletter! Please pass along the subscription link: http://labbuzz.csmls.org/ to any colleague you think would benefit from hearing about medical lab news.