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Researchers develop nasal antiviral platform using AI technology to block flu and COVID-19

Respiratory viruses that have diverse strains and mutate rapidly, such as influenza and COVID-19, are difficult to block perfectly with vaccines alone.

15 Dec 2025

Scientists uncover why SETX-deficient cancer cells rely on error-prone DNA repair

The DNA inside our cells is constantly being damaged, and one of the worst kinds of damage is a double-strand break-when both sides of the DNA helix are cut at once.

4 Dec 2025

AI model ranks genetic variants from severe to mild disease mutations

popEVE combines evolutionary insights with human population data to identify damaging genetic mutations, improving variant scoring for rare diseases.

3 Dec 2025

Scientists map kinesin-2 tail structure to understand cargo binding

For decades, scientists have known that motor proteins like kinesin-2 ferry vital cargo along microtubule "highways" inside cells. But how these molecular vehicles identify and bind to the right cargo remained a mystery. The new study provides a key piece of this puzzle by revealing the atomic-level structure of the kinesin-2 tail and its interaction with cargo and adaptor proteins.

6 Nov 2025

Epigenetic editing enables safer and more effective T cell therapies

Arc Institute, Gladstone Institutes, and University of California, San Francisco, 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.

21 Oct 2025

Targeting aggressive childhood leukemia with nanobody PROTACs

Scientists at the University of Duisburg-Essen are researching new therapies for aggressive forms of childhood leukemia.

13 Oct 2025

New computer-driven method helps understand how membrane proteins work at the atomic level

Cellular membrane proteins play many important roles throughout the body, including transporting substances in and out of the cell, transmitting signals, speeding up reactions and helping neighboring cells stick together.

7 Oct 2025

Scientists map step-by-step activation of brain receptors

When it comes to brain proteins, small changes can make a dramatic difference. Researchers studying NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, which are essential for learning, memory and moment-by-moment consciousness, know that even slight changes in their activity level can mean the difference between normal function and serious neurological disorders.

24 Sep 2025

Researchers uncover a previously unknown mechanism behind chromosome end protection

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that safeguards the chromosome ends from being mistakenly repaired by the cell.

9 Sep 2025

Breakthrough reveals how viruses efficiently pack genetic material

Researchers at San Diego State University and Michigan State University are shedding new light on how viruses meticulously pack their genetic material - a breakthrough that could help researchers engineer antivirals and gene therapies.

2 Sep 2025

AI and advanced microscopy reveal tangled DNA structures with nanometer precision

At school, it's often presented as a tidy double helix but scientists are revealing the varied and intricate shapes of DNA molecules.

22 Aug 2025

Could chlorophyll become the next antidiabetic therapy?

Research highlights chlorophyll's role in blood sugar regulation and insulin mimicry, though safety risks and lack of human trials warrant caution.

20 Aug 2025

Innovative nanopore system enables controlled DNA unzipping

DNA holds the instructions that make us who we are. If we want to read those instructions, say to understand our predisposition to genetic disorders, we need to carefully 'unzip' DNA's iconic double-helix structure.

30 Jul 2025

Novel tool offers a glimpse into the black box of ALT in aggressive cancers

Each time a cell divides, a small section of each chromosome's protective cap - the telomere - is worn away. Most cells use an enzyme called telomerase to help mitigate this loss, but 10% to 15% of cancers have another mechanism called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway.

4 Jul 2025

RNA steps up to protect the genome from DNA knots

Not all DNA looks like the familiar twisted ladder. Sometimes, parts of our genetic code fold into unusual shapes. One such structure, the G-quadruplex (G4), looks like a knot.

13 Jun 2025

Tufts researchers design new generation of weight loss medications

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are used by over 15 million adults in the U.S., or 4.5% of the population. Despite their effectiveness, they have drawbacks.

11 Jun 2025

Understanding how base editing tools work at the molecular level

You may have seen it in the news recently: a baby in Pennsylvania with a rare genetic disorder was healed with a personalized treatment that repaired his specific genetic mutation.

4 Jun 2025

Salk researchers create detailed genetic atlas of cannabis to date

Cannabis has been a globally important crop for millennia. While best known today as marijuana for its psychoactive cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), historically, cannabis has been a cornerstone of human civilization, providing seed oil, textiles, and food for more than 10,000 years.

29 May 2025

Scientists reveal how RNA could have replicated on early earth

Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth – a key process in the origin of life.

28 May 2025

DNA strand separation requires more force in crowded cellular environments

By creating a more true-to-life representation of DNA's environment, researchers at Northwestern University have discovered that strand separation - the essential process a "resting" double helix undergoes before it can initiate replication or make repairs - may take more mechanical force than the field previously believed.

11 May 2025