EurekAlert! News by Subject: Biology

Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Jun-2026 11:15 ET (19-Jun-2026 15:15 GMT/UTC)

18-Mar-2026

New single‑cell technique reveals how tuberculosis‑like bacteria alter human cells

King's College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new technique has been developed to measure the content of individual human cells infected with bacteria that model tuberculosis – and it is already revealing biological changes that conventional analysis would miss.

Journal: Analytical Chemistry

17-Mar-2026

NUS Medicine researchers create AI-guided gene-editing tool for more precise and safer DNA correction

National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) have developed a revolutionary new method to improve compact gene-editing tools known as base editors, which enable smaller, more precise DNA correction tools that may be safer for future gene therapies.Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) have developed a revolutionary new method to improve compact gene-editing tools known as base editors, which enable smaller, more precise DNA correction tools that may be safer for future gene therapies.

Journal: Advanced Science

17-Mar-2026

Increased risk of premature births is linked to use of weight loss drugs during early pregnancy, but only when they are used to treat diabetes

European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Weight loss drugs have been linked to an increased risk of premature births among women who took them inadvertently just before or during early pregnancy to treat pre-existing diabetes. The authors of the study, published in Human Reproduction Open, say their findings suggest that it is diabetes rather than the drugs that may be contributing to the increased risk of preterm births.

Journal: Human Reproduction Open
Funder: Novo Nordisk Foundation, AP Moller Foundation, NordForsk, Villum Foundation, Independent Research Fund Denmark and Centre for Childhood Health

17-Mar-2026

Abalone shells could help trace seafood origins

Adelaide University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The rocks beneath our feet are leaving a hidden signature in the shells of marine snails along Australia’s ancient coastline, according to new research led by Adelaide University scientists.

Funder: Australian Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

17-Mar-2026

Engineered bacteria deliver cancer drug directly inside tumors in mice

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with cancer globally; however, current treatments are limited by disease complexity. A study published March 17^th in the open-access journal in PLOS Biology by Tianyu Jiang at Shandong University, Qingdao, China and colleagues suggests that Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) may be engineered with anticancer agents to treat cancerous tumors in mice.

Journal: PLOS Biology

17-Mar-2026

HSE biologists identify factors that accelerate breast cancer recurrence

National Research University Higher School of Economics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at HSE University have identified a molecular mechanism underlying aggressive breast cancer. They found that the signals supporting tumour growth originate not from the tumour itself but from its microenvironment. The researchers also demonstrated that reduced levels of the IGFBP6 protein in the tumour microenvironment lead to the accumulation of macrophages—immune cells associated with a higher risk of cancer recurrence. These findings already make it possible to assess patient risk more accurately and may, in the future, enable the development of drugs that target cells of the tumour microenvironment. The study has been published in Current Drug Therapy.

Journal: Current Drug Therapy

17-Mar-2026

Stanford researchers develop novel "scaffold-free" approach for treating damaged muscles

Stanford University Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A recent study, led by senior author Ngan F. Huang, PhD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery (Research) in the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, highlights a unique approach her research team has developed to address this problem and potentially treat VML.

17-Mar-2026

New computational biology tool automates and standardizes genome sequencing analysis

Sanford Burnham Prebys
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a single experiment, scientists can decipher the entire genomes of many patient samples, animal models or cultured cells. To fully realize the potential to study biology at this unprecedented scale, researchers must be equipped to analyze the titanic troves of data generated by these new methods.

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and the University of California Los Angeles published findings March 17, 2026, in Cell Reports Methods discussing building and testing a new computational tool for tackling massive and complex sequencing datasets. The new resource, named metapipeline-DNA, may also make sequencing data analysis more standardized across different research labs.

Journal: Cell Reports Methods

17-Mar-2026

Experts warn mothers and babies at growing risk without better care for type 2 diabetes

University of Leicester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from across the UK and Ireland are calling for urgent action to improve care for women with early-onset type 2 diabetes before, during and after pregnancy.

Journal: Diabetic Medicine