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Mesenchymal drift may explain how aging cells lose their identity

Mesenchymal drift may help explain how cells lose stable identity and acquire pro-fibrotic, inflammatory mesenchymal traits during aging. The review proposes MD as a unifying framework that links multiple hallmarks of aging and highlights partial reprogramming as a potential, but still preclinical, way to counteract this process.

1 Jun 2026

Daraxonrasib significantly extends survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer

At the ASCO annual meeting, Dana-Farber's Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, will present positive results from the RASolute 302 trial showing a substantial prolongation of survival for patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, regardless of RAS mutation status, taking daraxonrasib, an investigational oral RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor, compared with chemotherapy.

31 May 2026

Gene test helps many breast cancer patients avoid chemotherapy

Many people with breast cancer can safely avoid chemotherapy with the use of a gene test, potentially sparing them unnecessary side effects without increasing the risk of the cancer returning, a large international clinical trial led by UCL has found.

29 May 2026

Review explores complex associations between sleep apnea and lung cancer

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, which may contribute to lung cancer development and progression.

29 May 2026

Grant funds research into molecular memories behind exaggerated fear

Experiencing a traumatic event sometimes produces long-lasting biological changes that can lead to an exaggerated fear response to future stressful events, such as what occurs in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

29 May 2026

Scientists uncover shared gene signatures that reveal how mammals age

Researchers mapped more than 11,000 transcriptomes across mice, rats, macaques, and humans, revealing conserved molecular signatures of aging and mortality across tissues, species, and cell types. The study developed interpretable transcriptomic clocks that track age, mortality-related molecular change, chronic disease signals and responses to lifespan-altering interventions.

29 May 2026

Scientists identify new therapeutic target for deadly prostate cancer

Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center have identified a gene that drives the development of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), an aggressive form of the disease.

28 May 2026

Miniature lab grown circuits unlock hidden recovery paths for paralysis

Cambridge scientists have grown miniature circuits in the lab that mimic how the brain and spinal cord connect up, which underlies our movements. They used this model to show how damage to these connections previously considered 'irreversible' could, in fact, be reversible.

28 May 2026

Scientists develop safer CRISPR technique using gentler DNA nicking approach

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a safer and more precise way to study how genes function in living tissues by refining a recently developed CRISPR-based genetic technique in fruit flies, enabling researchers to better study how genes contribute to development and disease.

27 May 2026

Naturally occurring peptide can reverse drug resistance in melanoma

Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer, due in large part to its ability to rapidly develop resistance to treatment.

27 May 2026

Lung cancer cells change identity to resist medical treatments

Cancer scientists have discovered that lung cancer cells can change their identity to resist treatment.

27 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

Cells detect and silence invading transposons through abnormal RNA signals

Transposons, DNA sequences that can self-replicate and move (jump) throughout the genome, are widespread and can affect cell survival if left unchecked. Cells control these "jumping genes" by silencing them, but little was known about how cells recognize and defend themselves from invading transposons.

26 May 2026

New study tests vitamin D analog against pancreatic cancer

A small clinical trial led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers put a Salk Institute idea to the test in patients: that activating the vitamin D receptor can help reshape the protective environment surrounding pancreatic tumors in ways that could make the notoriously difficult-to-treat cancer more vulnerable to therapeutic treatments.

26 May 2026

Ohio State study unlocks the long-standing mystery of RNA interference

While scientists have known for over two decades that all cells use a strategy called RNA interference to regulate gene expression, a new study is the first to describe how a specific protein manages the step-by-step process of assembling the molecular complex that performs the regulatory job.

26 May 2026

New AI model predicts cancer treatment responses from mutations

Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can translate a tumor's complex genetic profile into predictions about how that cancer may respond to treatment.

26 May 2026

Study links ceramide levels to prostate cancer drug response differences

Ceramides-lipid molecules in cells that affect many physiological functions including cell differentiation, migration, and death-and their metabolites have been implicated in the development of cancer and other conditions.

26 May 2026

Neural progenitor timing influences formation of distinct brain layers

The outer regions of the brain, the cortex, have specific layers of different cells - neurons - that are similarly ordered among all mammals, from tiny mouse brains to huge elephant brains.

26 May 2026

Researchers identify unique genetic signature in rare oral cancer

Cancer diagnosis can be challenging, and delayed diagnosis can allow cancer to progress, complicating treatment.

26 May 2026

Novel RNA modification mechanism drives metabolic fatty liver disease progression

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent metabolic disorder with a complex pathogenesis. Although epitranscriptomic modifications such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A) have been implicated in NAFLD, the role of N1-methyladenosine (m1A) and its regulators is largely unexplored.

25 May 2026