What’s been going on in the life sciences world this week? Check out Week in Brief for an overview of the biggest news from the last seven days.
Scientists have used a technique known as adaptive chemotherapy to treat ovarian cancer in mice. This method uses smaller doses of chemotherapy to maintain a population of treatment sensitive cells that can compete with treatment resistant cells for resources; the mice treated with this method survived longer than those receiving a standard treatment.
Researchers have discovered the mechanisms through which telomeres protect chromosomes from fusion events. Further research into this process could help in understanding how some cancers develop, and how to prevent it.
A meta-analysis has shown that administering a monoclonal antibody has been successful at preventing severe RSV infection in infants. Nirsevimab was approved for use in 2023 after successful clinical trial results, and this study shows that those results translate to real-world settings.
New research has shown that some ‘good’ gut bacteria can induce T-cell plasticity and mobility in the intestine, leading to aberrant expression of T follicular helper cells, which are linked to rheumatoid arthritis.
Placentas from males and females have different methylation and subsequent gene expression patterns, according to a new study. This work could help scientists understand sex-specific risks associated with pregnancy.
A study has shown that exposure to toxins, such as from smoking, can cause basal cells to multiply and spread through the lungs, eventually causing cancer. This finding could potentially help with early detection and prevention.
Researchers have identified that loss-of-function mutations in a protein complex involved in centromere protection can lead to cancer onset. The mutations cause instability and abnormal cell division, and could be used as a future treatment target.
A small clinical trial has shown that women suffering from fibromyalgia experienced an improvement in their symptoms after receiving a transplant of microbes from a healthy human gut. In addition, microbes from the guts of fibromyalgia patients were linked to increased pain sensitivity in mice.
Scientists have engineered extracellular vesicles with proteins from both bacteria and viruses in a bid to more effectively transport drugs to cells. This could be a step forward in the delivery of gene and protein therapies.
Using over 260,000 transcriptomes, researchers have developed a single-cell map of ‘normal’ hematopoiesis. Subsequently, over a million leukaemia cells were mapped against this reference, pinning down the changes that occur in this disease.
A gene expression map in monkeys has shown that drug effectiveness, alcohol tolerance and carbohydrate metabolism all vary across seasons. This finding could have implications for the introduction of precision therapies.
