Toxins News and Research

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Researchers eliminate embryonic senescent cells, triggering severe neurovascular flaws

Among the body's most crucial protective features are the brain barrier systems, including the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barriers. These barriers are made of highly specialized cells that allow essential nutrients to enter, yet repel dangerous toxins and pathogens that may be circulating in the bloodstream. Scientists have long known what these barriers do, but less about how they are built during development.

17 Jun 2026

Cellular process discovery may lead to new cancer treatments

A molecular geneticist at Montana State University has discovered a cellular process once believed impossible by scientists – the creation of the amino acid cysteine within a living cell when the cell's primary systems to do so fail. The discovery may one day lead to new cancer treatments.

12 Jun 2026

Researchers discover 45 new toxins produced by Salmonella bacteria

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have discovered 45 new toxins produced by Salmonella bacteria, some of which are associated with foodborne infections.

11 Jun 2026

WHO's new estimates of foodborne diseases may improve global prevention

Researchers from DTU have contributed to the international scientific work behind the WHO's new estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases, providing countries with a stronger evidence base for preventing illness and prioritising action.

8 Jun 2026

EU-funded project launches digital campaign to explain climate-driven food safety threats

To mark World Food Safety Day on 7 June, the EU-funded HOLiFOOD project is launching a digital campaign with six European influencers to help consumers better understand how climate change may affect food safety, and how science can support earlier detection and prevention of emerging risks.

4 Jun 2026

Genetically-modified hookworms successfully deliver medicine to animal hosts

Hookworms, intestinal parasites that infect hundreds of millions of people in under-resourced tropical regions around the globe, have evolved to survive inside the human gut for years, secreting molecules that enable co-existence with their hosts.

3 Jun 2026

Drug-filled nanofibers offer potential breakthrough treatment for brain cancer

Researchers with the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins Medicine developed a potential treatment for brain cancer that uses nanofibers embedded with a combination of drugs that work in concert to target tumors.

28 May 2026

Why blood pressure rises faster in women after midlife

This review examines how sex-specific blood pressure trajectories are shaped by genetics, hormones, metabolic risk factors, lifestyle exposures, environmental stressors, and medical treatments. It highlights that women generally have lower blood pressure earlier in life but may experience steeper increases with aging, especially around and after menopause, with exogenous stressors appearing to have a greater impact in women than in men.

27 May 2026

Advanced 3D heart models could transform cardiovascular drug discovery

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading global health burden, yet many preclinical systems still struggle to predict how candidate drugs will perform in the human heart.

10 May 2026

Researchers uncover how bacterial toxin damages colon lining cells to trigger cancer

Since a landmark 2009 study, researchers have known that a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon.

8 May 2026

Researchers call for deeper studies on wildfire smoke health risks

As wildfires increase in frequency and intensity across regions like the western United States, smoke exposure is becoming more widespread and prolonged.

7 May 2026

USF researchers develop AI framework to predict immune system responses

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to help scientists accelerate drug discovery and search for new treatments.

6 May 2026

A more accurate tool for assessing Arsenic toxicity

Public health experts estimate that more than 200 million people worldwide are exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water. Scientists know long-term exposure to arsenic is associated with increased risk of chronic illnesses like cancer and cardiovascular disease, but there hasn't been a reliable way to track these exposures and fully understand their effects on the body and the mechanisms behind them.

4 May 2026

Baby teeth show when metal exposure may affect brain development

The study identifies critical windows of metal exposure via baby teeth, revealing impacts on brain development and behavior in children and adolescents.

30 Apr 2026

Engineered gut bacteria successfully treat metabolic drivers of liver disease

When the liver fails, toxins - such as ammonia - that should be filtered from the blood build up and reach the brain.

28 Apr 2026

MIT’s optical paradox redefines high-resolution imaging

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers discovered a paradoxical phenomenon in optical physics that could enable a new bioimaging method that's faster and higher-resolution than existing technology.

28 Apr 2026

Repurposed cancer drugs offer potential breakthrough for Crohn’s disease treatment

University of Houston biologists have contributed to a potential breakthrough in treating Crohn's disease by shifting the clinical focus from symptom management to addressing a primary underlying cause of the condition.

27 Apr 2026

Scientists identify STING switch driving inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

The brain has its own immune system, which detects threats and mounts a defense. A growing body of evidence has shown that in Alzheimer's disease, those immune cells are chronically overactivated, causing inflammation that damages the connections between brain cells.

24 Apr 2026

High levels of gut bacterial toxin linked to increased lupus nephritis risk

The body's immune reaction to increased levels of a toxic molecule, part of a bacterial species in the human gut, may reveal who is most at risk of developing lupus nephritis, according to a new study led by NYU Langone Health.

23 Apr 2026

Chronic wildfire smoke exposure may raise long-term cancer risks

Exposure to wildfire smoke was associated with a significantly increased risk of lung, colorectal, breast, bladder, and blood cancer, according to results from a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

21 Apr 2026