Researchers at Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute have discovered that low-intensity electrical pulses, through a technique called sub-ablative H-FIRE, don’t destroy tumors outright but instead remodel their environment. In mouse models of breast cancer, the treatment increased blood and lymphatic vessel growth, potentially guiding immune cells toward the tumor. This approach could enhance the body’s natural defenses and improve the effectiveness of other therapies.

A longstanding mystery in Parkinson’s disease research has been why some individuals carrying pathogenic variants that increase their risk of PD go on to develop the disease, while others who also carry such variants do not. The prevailing theory has suggested additional genetic factors may play a role.

To address this question, a new study from Northwestern Medicine used modern technology, called CRISPR interference, to systematically examine every gene in the human genome. The scientists identified a new set of genes that contribute to the risk of Parkinson’s disease, which opens the door to previously untapped drug targets for treating PD.

Researchers at WashU Medicine identified a direct connection between cancer-related inflammation and the loss of motivation characteristic of advanced cancer. In a mouse study, they describe a brain pathway that starts with neurons (labeled in green, above) that sense inflammation signals, and the researchers were able to treat the loss of motivation by blocking this pathway.