Researchers at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at Heidelberg University Hospital have decoded a previously unknown mechanism by which HIV-1 selects its integration targets in the human genome. A research team led by DZIF scientist Dr. Marina Lusic identified RNA:DNA hybrids (R-loops) as molecular signposts for the virus. These findings reveal a key vulnerability in the life cycle of HIV-1. The results, published in the renowned journal Nature Microbiology, provide new therapeutic approaches for specifically controlling HIV reservoirs in the body. This has been one of the biggest obstacles to long-term or curative HIV therapies.

A new study led by investigators at Mass General Brigham finds that adding novel weight loss GLP-1 drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide to usual care represents a cost-effective treatment strategy for people with knee osteoarthritis and obesity, with tirzepatide providing greater health benefits at lower cost compared to semaglutide. The research comes as patients and providers seek to balance the benefits of weight loss and pain relief against the expense of these novel agents.  Results are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. 

Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, Neurologist-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Neurology at Boston Children's Hospital, and his collaborators have been awarded an NIH grant of over $8.6 million for the third five-year cycle of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) project, “Developmental Synaptopathies Associated with TSC, PTEN, SHANK3, and SynGAP1 Pathogenic Variants”. This initiative represents a significant step forward in both rare disease research and patient advocacy.