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Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 21:17 ET (26-Oct-2026 01:17 GMT/UTC)

Thymus-derived hormone may help suppress age-related inflammation

Keck School of Medicine of USC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a thymus‑derived hormone, thymulin, as a key regulator of “inflammaging,” the chronic, low‑grade inflammation that increases with age and fuels cancer and other diseases. In animal models and human blood samples, the team showed that thymulin helps keep inflammatory cytokines in check; as thymulin levels decline with age, cytokines rise, promoting tumor growth and weakening cancer immunity. Restoring thymulin in older mice reduced age‑related inflammation, improved survival, and enhanced response to anti‑PD‑1/PD‑L1 immunotherapy, pointing to a potential new strategy to boost cancer treatment in older patients. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that targeting the thymus and thymulin could open new avenues for treating cancer and other age‑related diseases and underscore the importance of studying older animals to better understand diseases of aging.

University of Minnesota researchers find new strategy to help immune system fight pancreatic cancer

University of Minnesota Medical School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (07/20/2026) — Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School have identified why pancreatic cancer is difficult for the immune system to recognize and attack, paving the way for a new approach to improve immunotherapy. The findings were published in Science ImmunologyExternal link that opens in the same window.

Journal: Science Immunology
Funder: American Cancer Society, U.S. Department of Defense, AACR-Pancreatic Action Network

Children and monkeys share a common understanding of geometry

Carnegie Mellon University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

With their ability to use tools, remember faces and even learn how to communicate with humans through sign language, non-human primates are considered to be among the smartest creatures on earth. However, some concepts — geometry, for instance — have traditionally been thought of as beyond the abilities of humanity’s closest cousins. But a new study to be published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences calls that prevailing notion into question.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Unveiling treatment targets for slow breathing from fentanyl use

Society for Neuroscience
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers used mice to identify a mechanism that may be targeted to reverse slow breathing from fentanyl, a harmful symptom that can lead to overdose and death in fentanyl users.

Journal: JNeurosci

Pennington Biomedical earns fifth NIH renewal for nationally recognized Nutrition Obesity Research Center, one of only 11 in the nation

Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Grant and Award Announcement

LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center has received a five-year, $5.66 million renewal of its Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award, totaling $5,659,389, extends support for the Pennington-Louisiana Nutrition Obesity Research Center through 2031 and reaffirms Pennington Biomedical's position as a national leader in nutrition, obesity and metabolic health research.