Cytotoxicity News and Research

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AI helps researchers find antimicrobial peptides in Earth’s harshest habitats

Researchers built the Extreme Environment Microbiome Catalog from 78,213 genomes across global extreme habitats, revealing major taxonomic and biosynthetic novelty, including 32,715 representative species, nearly 4 billion non-redundant genes, and 163,693 biosynthetic gene clusters. They then used protein language models to identify 3,032 candidate non-toxic antimicrobial peptides, with 84 of 100 synthesized peptides showing antibacterial activity and low cytotoxicity in the 50 tested in mammalian cells.

6 Apr 2026

Why vaginal microbiota transplants aren’t working yet

Vaginal microbiota transplantation without antibiotics fails to restore microbiome balance, yet engraftment suggests avenues for enhancing treatment efficacy.

31 Mar 2026

Machine learning speeds up AMP discovery for treating ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurrent intestinal inflammation, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

23 Mar 2026

New nanomaterial enhances bioimaging and targeted cancer drug delivery

The Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group (GNano) at the University of São Paulo's São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) in Brazil has discovered a way to transform hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic material, into a nanoparticle with enhanced intrinsic luminescence.

18 Mar 2026

New insights highlight multifaceted roles of CD4+ T cells in tumor immunity

For decades, cancer immunotherapy has focused primarily on CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes as the main executors of tumor cell killing.

13 Mar 2026

Using engineered bacteria to breach tumor defenses

Baylor University researchers have published a novel approach to fight colorectal cancer, using modified bacteria as a courier to deliver potent cancer-killing proteins into tumor cells. Michael S. VanNieuwenhze, Ph.D., FRSC, University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Biology, along with Baylor doctoral students and a colleague at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, published their promising research in Cell Chemical Biology.

10 Mar 2026

3D-printed scaffolds use shape memory to heal infected bone defects

Infected bone defects arise in conditions such as osteomyelitis and post-traumatic bone infections, where microbial persistence and immune imbalance prevent effective healing.

4 Mar 2026

Gut microbiota-derived metabolite directly shapes immune responses in bacterial pneumonia

Sepsis and severe pneumonia are frequently accompanied by disruption of the gut microbiota, leading to immune dysfunction and increased susceptibility to secondary infections.

4 Mar 2026

Study reveals hydration energetics as key to nanoparticle performance in medicine

Researchers at Arizona State University have uncovered a key scientific principle that governs how what's coated on the surfaces of engineered nanoparticles may ultimately control how they work in our bodies.

2 Mar 2026

Fe₃O₄@mPEG-Ag nanoparticles offer non-antibiotic strategy to combat drug-resistant bacteria

A collaborative study by Guangzhou Medical University and South China University of Technology, published in BME Frontiers, introduces Fe₃O₄@mPEG-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as a groundbreaking non-antibiotic strategy to combat drug-resistant bacteria.

27 Feb 2026

Dual cure medical adhesive features high Tg and autoclave resistance

UV26DCMed is a one-component adhesive system designed for medical device assembly, offering dual curing and compatibility with various sterilization methods.

From Master Bond Inc. 24 Feb 2026

Optimized costimulatory domains boost tumor killing in CAR NK cells

Researchers at the Ribeirão Preto Blood Center and the Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) conducted a study using the NK-92 cell line to test new models of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with specific costimulatory domains, such as 2B4 and DAP12.

20 Feb 2026

New workflow boosts nuclear delivery for safer gene therapy

Gene therapy holds the promise of preventing and curing disease by manipulating gene expression within a patient's cells. However, to be effective, the new gene must make it into a cell's nucleus.

5 Feb 2026

Study provides a new paradigm for managing transplant‑related immune complications

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is one of the most serious complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‑HSCT).

16 Jan 2026

Recent advances in CAR-NK cell therapy could revolutionze cancer treatment

Cell-based immunotherapies have transformed cancer treatment, yet their widespread use remains constrained by safety risks, manufacturing complexity, and limited effectiveness against solid tumors.

8 Jan 2026

Repurposed drug combination shows strong promise against liver fibrosis

The study shows that this drug pair works far better together than either agent alone, offering a realistic and potentially fast path toward a new antifibrotic therapy.

6 Jan 2026

Researchers decipher anti-MOG antibody construction, paving way for therapies

MOG Antibody-associated Disease (MOGAD) is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The blood of patients contains antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), a protein in the myelin layer that surrounds the neurons in the brain. It is believed that these antibodies contribute to the destruction of this protective layer in the brain.

18 Dec 2025

Anxiety and insomnia linked to reduced natural killer cell levels in young women

Natural killer (NK) cells are the bodyguards of our immune system. As a first line of defense, they destroy invading pathogens, foreign bodies, and infected cells in early stages, thereby preventing them from spreading.

10 Dec 2025

Everyday PFAS exposure alters placental function in early pregnancy

This study measured real-life PFAS concentrations in first-trimester human placentas and used these data to create a pregnancy-relevant PFAS mixture. In 3D trophoblast spheroid models, the mixture altered invasion, hormone secretion, and gene expression without broadly reducing viability at environmentally relevant doses.

8 Dec 2025

Understanding the health hazards of ultrafine particles emitted by small electric home appliances

Small home appliances equipped with electric heating coils and brushed DC motors, like hair dryers, air fryers and toasters—can emit harmful tiny ultrafine particles that deteriorate indoor air quality.

8 Dec 2025