Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment, but not all patients respond equally. Now, researchers from Japan have explored why two anti-PD-L1 antibodies, which target the same immune pathway, produce vastly different therapeutic outcomes in a mouse cancer model. They found that an immune mechanism known as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity can inadvertently destroy antitumor immune cells. These findings underscore the importance of selecting antibody drugs that minimize off-target effects to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting can severely impact patients’ quality of life and treatment adherence. In a major clinical trial, researchers from Japan tested whether a low, 5 mg dose of olanzapine taken at home after chemotherapy could reduce these side effects without causing heavy sedation. The study found that this approach significantly improved outcomes compared to placebo, offering a safer, more affordable strategy that could reshape supportive cancer care, especially in outpatient and resource-limited settings.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that causes hallucinations, delusions, and social and cognitive impairment. Animal models are valuable for understanding the mechanisms underlying schizophrenia. However, conventional behavioral assessments are limited by the need for human intervention and external stimuli. Researchers from Fujita Health University, Japan, have established a semi-naturalistic platform using the automated ‘IntelliCage’ system for the comprehensive assessment of schizophrenia-like behaviors. The model can enhance translational research in psychiatric disorders and improve therapeutic development.

A research team at Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) has demonstrated that electron beam (EB) irradiation can decompose polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) — a highly durable plastic known as Teflon — into gaseous components. This method drastically improves the energy efficiency compared to conventional recycling processes, offering a promising path toward reducing the environmental impact from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Oxidative stress is considered to contribute to the development of cancer. However, a recent study in Japan showed that oxidative stress may suppress rather than cause cancer development in individuals with variants of the BRCA2 gene.

Addressing the global plastic waste crisis, particularly hard-to-recycle blended PET fibers, demands environmentally friendlier recycling methods. Researchers engineered a novel PET hydrolase PET2-21M and established large-scale production in yeast. This enzyme dramatically boosted PET bottle-grade PET breakdown. In parallel, its direct precursor PET2-14M-6Hot successfully degraded challenging blended fibers (PET/cotton, PET/PU) at moderate temperatures. This breakthrough offers a promising, energy-efficient path for a circular plastics economy, accelerating industrial-scale recycling of diverse polymer wastes.

Researchers at The University of Osaka developed a deep learning model for rapid building damage assessment after floods using satellite imagery. This research establishes the first systematic benchmark for this task and introduces a novel semi-supervised learning method achieving 74% of fully supervised performance with just 10% of the labeled data. A new, lightweight deep learning model named Simple Prior Attention Disaster Assessment Net or SPADANet significantly reduces missed damaged buildings, improving recall by over 9% compared to existing models. This work provides crucial design principles for future AI disaster response, enabling faster and more efficient life-saving operations.

Researchers at Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have taken a great stride in supporting earthquake prevention research by developing a system for seafloor position measurements with centimeter-level precision. Combining the Global Navigation Satellite System–Acoustic and an unmanned aerial vehicle, the proposed system eliminates the need for manned surface vessels.

The Helfrich theory of membrane bending, supported by molecular dynamics simulations, is a promising approach for evaluating mechanical properties of graphene nanosheets, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. This hybrid approach allows direct evaluation of bending rigidities of graphene nanosheets, even with lattice defects, without requiring experimental tests, offering valuable insights for designing novel two-dimensional materials with tailored mechanical properties.

In a step toward smarter materials, researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo collaborated with researchers from Switzerland to develop a smart hinge-like molecule that can indicate mechanical stress in polymeric materials through fluorescence. Using a framework of [2.2]paracyclophane and two pyrene-based luminophores (light-emitting compounds), the developed molecule exhibits excellent stress-sensing with high durability—offering a powerful tool for real-time monitoring of mechanical damage.