Mice turning tiny steering wheels to move shapes on a screen have helped scientists produce the first brain-wide map of decision-making at single-cell resolution in a mammal. In two Nature papers published Sept. 3, an international team of 22 groups, co-led by three Princeton University neuroscience labs, charted the activity of more than 600,000 neurons as mice performed a decision-making task. The resulting dataset offers an unprecedented view of how distributed neural networks work together across the brain to guide behavior.

It’s a common “medical” complaint: You switch to a new doctor and find that electronic health records from your old clinic or from urgent care or specialist visits have not moved with you – leading to a déjà vu of filling out the same forms you’ve filled out a hundred times before. But beyond the form frustration, what does it mean for your health when your providers aren’t seeing your complete medical history? Now, thanks to a $1.4 million NIH grant, co-led by the University of Maryland School of Public Health (SPH), researchers are working to answer that question.

Los Angeles, CA – September 3, 2025 - Dr. Vadim Jucaud's lab at the Terasaki Institute has developed a human vascularized liver cancer-on-a-chip model to evaluate vessel remodeling and cell death in response to embolic agents. This novel platform reflects the microenvironment of liver tumors, particularly a functional and perfusable microvasculature that can be embolized. This powerful in vitro tool aligns with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) efforts to reduce animal testing and promote alternative methods, including microfluidic devices that mimic human organs.

Engineers at Duke University have developed a wireless patch that can non-invasively measure skin and tissue stiffness at depths of up to a couple of inches. Already smaller than a smartwatch, the device could be a gateway into a wide array of medical applications such as the monitoring of wound healing, chronic conditions like skin cancer, fluid management during resuscitation efforts and muscle rehabilitation.