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Could scorpion venom inspire new treatments for liver disease?

Scorpion venom peptides show promising anti-inflammatory, antiviral, analgesic, and immunomodulatory effects, with experimental evidence suggesting that some candidates could target pathways involved in chronic liver disease and viral hepatitis. The review highlights Kv1.3-blocking peptides and antiviral compounds as potential therapeutic leads, while emphasizing that limited hepatic efficacy data, poor pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and manufacturing challenges must be overcome before clinical translation.

8 Sep 2026

Tumor environments sculpt diverse natural killer cells for cancer therapies

For decades, natural killer (NK) cells have been classified into two main groups based on surface markers: one specialized for cytokine production and the other for direct killing.

4 Sep 2026

Insilico Medicine releases frontier AI models for drug discovery

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, today announced the release of a series of frontier specialist models for chemistry and biology, trained through its MMAI Gym for Science framework.

2 Sep 2026

New injectable microgel system delivers precise radiation to keloids

Researchers in Korea are developing a new approach to localized brachytherapy that could improve the treatment of keloid scars.

27 Aug 2026

Glioma microenvironment emerges as key target for future therapies

The prognosis for glioma patients remains extremely poor despite aggressive multimodal standard therapy: maximal safe resection, radiotherapy, and temozolomide chemotherapy, with median survival rarely exceeding 15 to 18 months.

20 Aug 2026

Computational pipeline uncovers subtype specific targets for cervical cancer

A new study presents a multi-layered strategy for identifying cell-surface targets that could help guide more precise antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development for cervical cancer, with different targets showing distinct potential across tumor subtypes.

17 Aug 2026

Cigarette smoke extract primes airway cells for greater nanoplastic damage

Researchers found that cigarette smoke extract weakened epithelial barriers and increased the proportion of human airway cells that were polystyrene nanoparticle-positive. Sequential treatment caused greater metabolic disruption and increased mucus-producing cells, suggesting heightened epithelial vulnerability, although the findings are limited to in vitro models.

30 Jul 2026

Prototype smart ring tracks multiple sweat biomarkers

The CHARM smart ring enables continuous monitoring of biochemical markers in sweat, paving the way for advanced metabolic health tracking and diabetes support.

27 Jul 2026

Computational framework identifies synergistic compound pairs in herbal medicines

Herbal medicines have long been used in disease treatment, often through formulas that combine multiple herbs to enhance therapeutic effects and reduce side effects.

16 Jul 2026

Genome-mining tool reveals new antibiotic hidden in a silent gene cluster

Researchers developed DiscERN, a genome-mining platform that combines four complementary algorithms to identify evolutionarily related biosynthetic gene clusters and prioritize candidates for experimental study. The approach revealed discomycin A, a previously unknown calcium-dependent lipopeptide antibiotic with potent activity against several Gram-positive bacteria.

15 Jul 2026

Targeted nanoparticles destroy tumor cells by triggering cuproptosis

A promising cancer treatment strategy called cuproptosis, which uses copper-dependent cell death to eliminate tumor cells, faces a major challenge: many approaches require adding external copper, potentially increasing toxicity beyond the tumor.

15 Jul 2026

Botanical prebiotics may steer skin microbes toward healthier balance

Researchers tested plant-derived prebiotic candidates against selected skin-associated bacteria and found that garlic, flaxseed, and mango ginger extracts inhibited S. aureus or acne-associated C. acnes in vitro. Onion and guduchi extracts modestly promoted S. epidermidis, suggesting a microbiome-targeted skincare route that now needs validation in skin models and human studies.

30 Jun 2026