Nanjing University researchers report a breakthrough siRNA delivery strategy that transforms the liver into a "biopharmaceutical factory" for targeted cancer therapy. The team developed an In Vivo Self-Assembled (IVSA) system that uses intravenously injected plasmid DNA to program hepatocytes to produce and package EGFR-targeting siRNA into GE11-tagged small extracellular vesicles. These "biomissiles" selectively deliver therapeutic siRNA to EGFR-positive tumors, overcoming the long-standing siRNA delivery challenge without complex in vitro encapsulation. The system demonstrated potent efficacy across EGFR-mutant lung cancer, gastric cancer, and breast cancer models, outperforming traditional targeted drugs while showing minimal off-target toxicity. This plug-and-play platform represents a paradigm shift from conventional drug manufacturing to in vivo biopharmaceutical production, offering a modular, cost-effective approach for personalized cancer gene therapy.

A rapid, precise, on-site, portable, and naked-eye visualization method for genotyping the FecBB mutation in sheep has been established. A genotyping strategy for important SNP site in livestock breeding programmes is provided, theoretically applicable to any SNP site.

The way that Earth’s first animals reproduced held back life’s diversity for millions of years, until stress and competition led to the development of sexual reproduction, which in turn accelerated the pace of evolution.

Lesser black-backed gulls from the colony at the Dutch island Neeltje Jans appear to avoid the wind farm off the Zeeland coast, with the exception of some males. NIOZ ecologist Rosemarie Kentie and her colleagues suspected the gulls were attracted by fishing boats outside the windfarm, and their bycatch thrown overboard. This turned out not to be the case: even during weekends, when there is little fishing, the birds rarely visit the wind farm. They published their findings in the Journal of Animal Ecology. “Why the gulls still avoid the wind farm fascinates me immensely.”

A groundbreaking genomic study in Molecular Biology and Evolution has reshaped our understanding of the evolutionary history of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Led by researchers at the University of Sydney and Texas A&M University, the comprehensive analysis reveals that the iconic Australian marsupial experienced severe population declines long before the arrival of human populations on the continent.

In a new study, Northwestern University scientists developed a 90s-style video game to help chronic stroke survivors regain lost arm function. While wearing a small device on their impaired arm and using a laptop computer, players use their arm muscles to complete tasks such as flying a helicopter around the screen to hit a moving target. The muscle retraining helps separate the brain’s uncoordinated movement signals, enabling muscles to work independently again.