2026 (Nature Neuroscience)
• AstroREG, a resource of enhancer–gene interactions in human primary astrocytes, generated by combining CRISPR inhibition (CRISPRi), single-cell RNA-seq and machine learning.
This study reveals how distal DNA ‘switches’ control gene activity in human astrocytes. Using CRISPRi screens and single-cell RNA-seq, we map enhancer–gene links, highlight Alzheimer’s disease-related targets and introduce a model that predicts additional regulatory interactions.
Goodrich admits that when his group first proposed the strategy, “everyone said we were crazy.” Researchers have been trying to develop vaccines that contain whole cancer cells for more than 50 years, and although some formulations made it to clinical trials, they produced a poor immune response. None of the vaccines has been approved for humans, although one is available for pets.
The harsh methods previously used to stop cancer cells from reproducing, such as radiation, also caused them to shed their neoantigens, Goodrich says. He argues that the UV-based approach should work better because it preserves these potential immune stimulants.
The new clinical trial, launching this month at City of Hope in California and sponsored by PhotonPharma, aims to recruit eight patients with relapsed ovarian cancer. They will first undergo surgery to remove their tumors. Researchers will then expose the tumor cells to riboflavin and UV light and combine them with an immune-boosting additive known as an adjuvant to produce a custom vaccine. Participants will receive three doses of the vaccine, and researchers will check for side effects and measure immune responses.
Past research has found that exposure to bright lights and high levels of noise can alter both physiological processes and human behavior. For instance, an elevated or limited exposure to bright lights and noise has been found to influence people’s sleeping patterns, circadian rhythm, mood, metabolism, stress levels and mental performance.
Researchers at Jinan University and other institutes in China recently carried out a new study involving mice, exploring the possibility that the exposure to bright lights also influences eating behavior and body weight. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that bright light exposure suppresses food consumption in mice and can lead to weight loss, while also identifying neural processes that could support these light-induced changes in feeding behavior.
“Environmental light regulates nonimage-forming functions like feeding, and bright light therapy shows anti-obesity potential, yet its neural basis remains unclear,” wrote Wen Li, Xiaodan Huang and their colleagues in their paper. “We show that bright light treatment effectively reduces food intake and mitigates weight gain in mice through a visual circuit involving the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA).”
For more than a century, scientists have wondered why physical structures like blood vessels, neurons, tree branches, and other biological networks look the way they do. The prevailing theory held that nature simply builds these systems as efficiently as possible, minimizing the amount of material needed. But in the past, when researchers tested these networks against traditional mathematical optimization theories, the predictions consistently fell short.
The problem, it turns out, was that scientists were thinking in one dimension when they should have been thinking in three. “We were treating these structures like wire diagrams,” Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) physicist Xiangyi Meng, Ph.D., explains. “But they’re not thin wires, they’re three-dimensional physical objects with surfaces that must connect smoothly.”
This month, Meng and colleagues published a paper in the journal Nature showing that physical networks in living systems follow rules borrowed from an unlikely source: string theory, the exotic branch of physics that attempts to explain the fundamental structure of the universe.
The fungal compound verticillin A, discovered more than 50 years ago, has long been regarded for its potential cancer-fighting capabilities. S cientists have now managed to artificially synthesize the compound for the first time, meaning they can study it in more detail and potentially develop new cancer treatments.
Being able to produce verticillin A on demand in the lab is a major step forward. In nature, it’s found only in small amounts in a microscopic fungus and is very difficult to extract.
Before now, the complex chemical structure and inherent instability of verticillin A made it tricky to synthesize, but researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School have overcome both problems.
Detecting cancer in the earliest stages could dramatically reduce cancer deaths because cancers are usually easier to treat when caught early. To help achieve that goal, MIT and Microsoft researchers are using artificial intelligence to design molecular sensors for early detection.
The researchers developed an AI model to design peptides (short proteins) that are targeted by enzymes called proteases, which are overactive in cancer cells. Nanoparticles coated with these peptides can act as sensors that give off a signal if cancer-linked proteases are present anywhere in the body.
Depending on which proteases are detected, doctors would be able to diagnose the particular type of cancer that is present. These signals could be detected using a simple urine test that could even be done at home.
In a new study from Ian M. Mbano, Nuo Liu, Paul T. Elkington, Alex K. Shalek, Alasdair Leslie (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and colleagues, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics of human TB lung tissues from individuals in South Africa revealed that MMP1⁺CXCL5⁺ fibroblasts & SPP1⁺ macrophages are linked to TB disease & TB lung granuloma.
Ian M. Mbano, Nuo Liu, Marc H. Wadsworth, Mark J. Chambers, Thabo Mpotje, Osaretin E. Asowata, Sarah K. Nyquist, Kievershen Nargan, Duran Ramsuran, Farina Karim, Travis K. Hughes, Joshua D. Bromley, Robert Krause, Threnesan Naidoo, Liku B. Tezera, Michaela T. Reichmann, Sharie Keanne Ganchua, Henrik N. Kløverpris, Kaylesh J. Dullabh, Rajhmun Madansein, Sergio Triana, Adrie J.C. Steyn, Bonnie Berger, Mohlopheni J. Marakalala, Sarah M. Fortune, JoAnne L. Flynn, Paul T. Elkington, Alex K. Shalek, Alasdair Leslie; Single-cell and spatial profiling highlights TB-induced myofibroblasts as drivers of lung pathology. J Exp Med 2 March 2026; 223 : e20251067. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20251067
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The study compared whole blood samples from 61 people meeting clinical diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) with samples from healthy age-and sex-matched volunteers.
White blood cells from ME/CFS patients showed evidence of ‘energy stress’ in the form of higher levels of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP), indicating reduced generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the key energy source within cells.
Profiling of immune cell populations revealed a trend toward less mature subsets of T-lymphocyte subsets, dendritic cells and natural killer cells in people with ME/CSF.
Comprehensive analysis of plasma proteins highlighted disruptions of vascular and immune homeostasis in patients with ME/CFS. Levels of proteins associated with activation of the endothelium – the innermost lining of blood vessels – and remodelling of vessel walls were higher, while levels of circulating immunoglobulin-related proteins were lower.
Although cellular energy dysfunction and altered immune profiles have been noted before in patients with ME/CFS, previous studies have often focused on a single analytical platform without looking at concurrence and interactions.
“ME/CFS is a complex disorder with undefined mechanisms, limited diagnostic tools and treatments,” said the senior author of the study. “Our findings provide further insights into the clinical and biological complexity of ME/CFS.”
Wearable technologies have the potential to transform gastrointestinal care by enabling continuous monitoring of activity in patients with cirrhosis and aiding in the early detection of hepatic encephalopathy. While these innovations provide valuable clinical insights, further efforts are needed to address challenges related to implementation and data management.
Current research into wearable technology in liver disease supports these possibilities. Studies of wrist-worn activity monitors have shown that reduced activity is associated with increased waitlist mortality among liver transplant candidates, as well as increased hospital admissions and mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Other investigations with wearables have linked sleep disturbances to poorer post-liver transplant outcomes and explored skin patches and transdermal sensors for detecting blood alcohol levels and inflammatory markers predictive of outcomes in cirrhosis, Buckholz said.
A major barrier to widespread implementation in clinical practices is the so-called “wearable paradox,” whereby early adopters of wearable technology tend to be relatively healthy, whereas those at highest risk are less likely to already use such devices, Buckholz noted. Increasing access, understanding, and uptake in vulnerable populations will therefore be critical.
Additional challenges include determining how to distill massive volumes of wearable data into concise formats that can be incorporated into electronic medical records (EMRs) and easily communicated to patients.