Professor Dongsheng Liu of Tsinghua University, Professor Ziyang Hao of Capital Medical University, and Researcher Yuanchen Dong of the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have collaborated to develop a circular single-stranded DNA molecule capable of simultaneously silencing multiple miRNAs. This molecule can be used for multi-gene synergistic tumor therapy. Based on the KIMU principle, the circular single-stranded DNA molecule, an anti- miRNA oligonucleotide (circAMO), can be synthesized with high selectivity and high yield by adjusting the length of the DNA clamp. The unique covalently closed circular structure endows circAMO with high biostability, allowing long-term intracellular gene regulation without any chemical modifications. By designing multiple miRNA binding sites in circAM, one circAMO can simultaneously inhibit multiple oncogenic miRNAs and upregulate the levels of downstream mRNAs, ultimately inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as increasing apoptosis. This strategy provides a new research tool and platform for multi-target gene therapy. The article was published as an open access research article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

A new study published in New Contaminants reveals that black carbon formed during wheat straw burning can significantly reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil and soybean crops, offering a promising strategy for safer and more sustainable farming in regions burdened by plastic mulch debris.

A team of scientists in Chile and Spain has developed an innovative electrocatalyst made from hazelnut shell biochar that could lower the cost and environmental footprint of green hydrogen production. The study, published in Biochar, shows that a new molybdenum cobalt catalyst supported on nitrogen doped biochar can drive both the hydrogen evolution reaction and the oxygen evolution reaction with low overpotentials and strong long term stability in alkaline conditions.

In a remarkable stride towards environmental sustainability, researchers at the Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India, have developed a novel approach to predict the adsorption capacity of biochar using machine learning. This breakthrough, detailed in their latest study titled "Machine Learning-Driven Prediction of Biochar Adsorption Capacity for Effective Removal of Congo Red Dye," offers a powerful solution to combat dye pollution.

Centella asiatica, also known as gotu kola, is widely valued for its triterpenoid saponins, especially asiaticoside and madecassoside, which are used in pharmaceuticals, skincare, and neurological health supplements. 

Ethylene is known to influence fruit physiology, but its specific role in regulating phenolic metabolism in grape seeds has remained unclear. 

Researchers have assembled the first telomere-to-telomere (T2T) gap-free genome of Platycodon grandiflorus, a traditional medicinal herb valued for its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties.