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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

New molecule weakens glioblastoma and enhances immune response

A team of researchers from Brown University Health and Brown University has uncovered an important clue in the fight against glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer in adults.

21 Apr 2026

Cancer-linked mutations in the brain cells may drive Alzheimer’s disease

As the body ages, cells naturally accumulate dozens of genetic mutations each year. New research from Boston Children's Hospital, published in Cell, finds that the brain's resident immune cells, microglia, amass mutations in specific cancer-driving genes yet they don't manifest as cancer.

21 Apr 2026

Epigenome proteins shape dynamic gene expression beyond simple on-off

A new study finds the proteins responsible for controlling which genes are expressed in a genome do more than simply turn a gene on or off.

21 Apr 2026

Early immune responses linked to broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV

Some people living with HIV develop antibodies capable of neutralizing many different strains of the virus. New research links this to immune responses that occur early in infection.

21 Apr 2026

DNA methylation "fingerprints" identify primary sites in metastatic cancers

A machine learning model analyzing CpG-based DNA methylation accurately predicted the origin of many different cancer types in patients with cancers of unknown primary (CUP), according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

21 Apr 2026

Trial shows durable response with preoperative immunotherapy in bowel cancer

Patients with a specific type of bowel cancer who were treated with a short course of immunotherapy before surgery instead of post-op chemotherapy have remained cancer-free after almost three years of follow-up, according to new results from the NEOPRISM-CRC clinical trial led by a team from UCL and UCLH.

20 Apr 2026

Newborns carry antibiotic resistance genes within first hours of life

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) – segments of DNA that help bacteria survive the effects of antibiotics – can be present in newborns within the first hours of life, according to research presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

20 Apr 2026

UPV researchers develop rapid sensor for detecting active tuberculosis

A research team at UPV is leading the development of a sensor that paves the way for the rapid, selective and cost-effective detection of active tuberculosis.

20 Apr 2026

Microbes in the digestive tract help tailor treatment for melanoma patients

The specific mix of bacteria living in a person's gut can predict the chances that melanoma will recur after surgery and immunotherapy, which helps immune cells target cancer cells. This is according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center.

20 Apr 2026

New study reveals CRISPR enzyme that responds to human DNA methylation

Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit this distinction. Using a variant of CRISPR, a modern tool for editing DNA, they distinguished tumor DNA from healthy DNA and selectively cut only the former. The study, published today in Nature, is an early but promising step toward a cancer therapy that targets and destroys tumor cells with high precision.

20 Apr 2026

Why clinical proteomics faces a mass spectrometry vs. high-throughput profiling dilemma

This Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine review examines a central challenge in precision medicine: whether medical laboratories should prioritize metrologically sound, proteoform-resolving protein quantification by mass spectrometry or adopt scalable, affinity-based proteome profiling platforms built for high-throughput discovery and machine learning. It concludes that while emerging proteomics technologies expand diagnostic possibilities, careful validation, standardization, and quality assurance will be essential, with a hybrid path likely offering the most practical way forward.

19 Apr 2026

AGA update calls for better surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma

A new update from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) urges stronger prevention efforts and better early-detection tools for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the leading cause of cancer-related death in patients with cirrhosis, and the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide.

17 Apr 2026

Nature-inspired vesicles offer new path for precision medicine therapies

A quiet revolution is underway in modern medicine: Drug development is aiming to move from managing disease to correcting it through RNA and gene-editing therapies.

17 Apr 2026

Gut bacteria predict melanoma recurrence risk after treatment

The specific mix of bacteria living in a person's gut can predict the chances that melanoma will recur after surgery and immunotherapy, a treatment that helps immune cells target cancer cells. This is according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center.

17 Apr 2026

Key gene variants tied to developmental dysplasia of the hip and osteoarthritis

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a polygenetic disorder that increases the risk of hip osteoarthritis.

17 Apr 2026

Scientists discover BRCA links to head and neck cancer risks

An international group led by researchers from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered associations between pathogenic variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes and four types of cancer. Published in ESMO Open, the findings expand the potential for personalized medicine to several cancer types that currently have limited treatment options and poor prognoses.

17 Apr 2026

Researchers use tiny glass capillaries to sample living cancer cell parts

A new analytical method could improve how cancer treatments are designed - by allowing scientists to track, for the first time, exactly where inside a living cell a drug accumulates. Researchers from the University of Surrey and King's College London developed the method, which detects trace amounts of metal inside individual living cells and their internal compartments without the need to kill the cells first

17 Apr 2026

Study explains the link between NDMA-contaminated water and childhood cancer

A new study from MIT suggests that a carcinogen that has been found in medications and in drinking water contaminated by chemical plants may have a much more severe impact on children than adults.

17 Apr 2026

Why AI is becoming a powerful tool in cancer drug discovery

This Perspective reviews how AI is moving drug discovery from long, costly experimental pipelines toward earlier clinical translation, with an AI-designed TNIK inhibitor trial serving as an important proof-of-feasibility reference point. It argues that precision oncology could benefit from AI-driven integration of multi-omics, federated learning, and adaptive trial design, but only if validation, fairness, interpretability, and regulatory alignment improve.

16 Apr 2026

How the immune system may influence Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and related diseases

This review argues that neurodegeneration is shaped not only by toxic protein buildup but also by immune signaling, with microglia and T cells able to either protect the brain or worsen damage depending on context. It also highlights aging, head injury, and viral infection as major forces that reshape CNS immunity and may influence disease progression and future treatment strategies.

16 Apr 2026