Researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, and Michigan State University, USA, have discovered a type of molecule that can kill chlamydia bacteria but spare bacteria that are important for health. The discovery opens the door for further research towards developing new antibiotics against chlamydia, the world’s most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease with 130 million cases a year. “No one should have to live with chlamydia. But the problem is that the treatments we have today do not distinguish between dangerous…

A landmark study exploring Canadians’ consumption of chips, frozen pizzas, breakfast cereals and other ultra-processed foods typically loaded with fat, sugar and additives has confirmed these foods are directly and significantly linked to poor health outcomes. Researchers at McMaster University investigated the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol levels (LDL and HDL), waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). Their study is the first in Canada to leverage population-based and robust biomarker data…

Surgical face masks help prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and therefore were ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a modified mask could also protect a wearer by detecting health conditions, including chronic kidney disease. Researchers reporting in ACS Sensors incorporated a specialized breath sensor within the fabric of a face mask to detect metabolites associated with the disease. In initial tests, the sensor correctly identified people with the condition most of the time. Kidneys remove waste products made by…

First-of-its-kind research links a specific food in maternal diet to lower odds of food allergies in child’s first year of life MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (May 7, 2025)  — An observational study among 2,272 mother-child pairs in Finland found that infants had 44% lower odds of developing food allergies at 12 months if their mother consumed fresh avocado during pregnancy, after adjusting for other lifestyle, delivery, and maternal health factors. Decades of research have explored the relationship between maternal diet and…

MIT chemists found a way to identify a complex sugar molecule in the cell walls of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest pathogen. CAMBRIDGE, MA — Tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest infectious disease, is estimated to infect around 10 million people each year, and kills more than 1 million annually. Once established in the lungs, the bacteria’s thick cell wall helps it to fight off the host immune system. Much of that cell wall is made from complex sugar molecules known as glycans,…

Harvard’s Dr. Michael Wheeler illuminates how psychedelic compounds interact with brain-immune pathways to potentially treat both psychiatric and inflammatory disorders BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA, 6 May 2025 — In a compelling Genomic Press interview published today, rising scientific star Dr. Michael Wheeler unveils revolutionary findings about how psychedelics reshape communication between the brain and immune system, potentially transforming treatments for psychiatric disorders and inflammatory diseases alike. Bridging the Mind-Body Divide As an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and investigator at…

Scripps Research scientists used computer modeling to illustrate how antibodies use fatty molecules known as lipids to recognize the HIV virus. Lipids are the fatty molecules that make up cellular membranes, creating a protective barrier that regulates what enters and exits the cell. Until recently, scientists believed antibodies couldn’t safely target lipids without risking harm to healthy tissues, since the same lipids that appear in viruses are widely distributed throughout the body. Now, scientists at Scripps Research have used computer…

MRI technology reveals unhealthy lifestyles add decades Is your heart aging too fast? MRI technology reveals unhealthy lifestyles add decades Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have developed a revolutionary new way of uncovering the ‘true age’ of your heart using MRI. Research published today shows how an MRI scan can reveal your heart’s functional age – and how unhealthy lifestyles can dramatically accelerate this figure. It is hoped that the findings could transform how heart disease is diagnosed…

A more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to extracting rare earth elements that power everything from electric vehicle batteries to smartphones could increase domestic supply and decrease reliance on costly imports. This new method, developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, allows for separating and extracting these in-demand elements where it’s not possible today, opening up new avenues for gathering rare earth elements amid global trade tensions. “Rare earth elements are the backbone of advanced technologies, but their…

New research shows that a single mutation in the DNA sequence for a methylation enzyme causes a cascade of faulty gene expression, offering new avenues for blood cancer treatment Australian researchers have discovered that a single mutation in the DNA sequence for a methylation enzyme dysregulates key tumour-suppressing pathways, opening up new avenues for blood cancer treatment. The findings of this research confirm mutant DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) as a potential target for effective blood cancer treatment. One of the…

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue. According to the WHO, 5 million people die every year worldwide as a result of antibiotic resistance[1]. This could become the leading cause of death by 2050. Although antibiotics have considerably reduced the mortality associated with infectious diseases, their sometimes excessive and abusive use has led to the development of bacterial resistance. Furthermore, as antibiotics generally target pathways essential for bacterial survival, they have a broad spectrum of action but lack specificity,…

Persistently high blood sugar and insulin resistance significantly increased the risk of worsening functional and structural heart damage during growth from adolescence to young adulthood, a new study shows. The study was conducted in collaboration between the Baylor College of Medicine in the US, the University of Bern in Switzerland, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia, the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland. The results were published in the highly esteemed Diabetes…

Criegee intermediates (CIs)—highly reactive species formed when ozone reacts with alkenes in the atmosphere—play a crucial role in generating hydroxyl radicals (the atmosphere’s “cleansing agents”) and aerosols that impact climate and air quality. The syn-CH3CHOO is particularly important among these intermediates, accounting for 25-79% of all CIs depending on the season. Until now, scientists have believed that syn-CH3CHOO primarily disappeared through self-decomposition. However, in a published in Nature Chemistry, a team led by Profs. YANG Xueming, ZHANG Donghui, DONG Wenrui and FU Bina from the Dalian Institute…

It is now possible to obtain three-dimensional, high-resolution images of enzyme activity in tissue samples or whole organs—thanks to probe molecules that anchor fluorescent dyes within tissue as they are activated by enzymes. The organ being mapped is made transparent by a clearing process. As a Japanese team reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this allowed for visualization of differences in aminopeptidase N activity and the effects of inhibitors in mouse kidneys. Enzymes play a crucial role in regulating physiological…

Survival benefit prevails in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk subgroups Differentiated thyroid cancer patients who receive radioiodine (RAI) treatment after surgery have increased relative survival rates compared to those who do not receive the treatment. According to new research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the clear trend for a higher long-term survival rate is observed in subgroups of patients with low- and intermediate-risk disease, while there is special benefit in high-risk disease. These findings confirm the benefit…

A novel combination of hydroxyl-enriched fullerenol and mTOR inhibitors reveals regulatory mechanisms of organelle communication networks in preclinical models, establishing a synergistic “nanomaterial + metabolic modulation” anticancer strategy. Breakthrough Cancer Strategy Hijacks Tumor Cells’ Survival Network Researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based therapy that disrupts cancer cells’ organelle communication system – the hidden network allowing tumors to resist conventional treatments. By combining multi-hydroxyl fullerene (MF) nanoparticles with mTOR inhibitors, this approach triggers the domino-like collapse of lysosomes (“cellular recycling centers”), mitochondria…