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Biology

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jun-2026 05:16 ET (13-Jun-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

Next generation genetics technology developed to counter the rise of antibiotic resistance

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Drug resistance has accelerated in recent years with the emergence of deadly bacteria and “superbugs.” In response to this global health crisis, UC San Diego biologists have developed a new CRISPR-based technology capable of removing antibiotic-resistant elements from populations of bacteria.

Journal: npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
Funder: Tata Institutes for Genetics and Society — UC San Diego, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Taxiing through the gut: Formic acid in the microbiome

Goethe University Frankfurt
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have discovered a surprising role for formic acid in the human gut: The small molecule acts as a kind of “taxi” for electrons – both within bacteria and, likely, also between different microorganisms. The gut bacterium Blautia luti produces formic acid as part of a metabolic trick that allows it to respond flexibly to what is available in the gut. In addition to carbohydrates, the bacterium can also metabolize toxic carbon monoxide derived from the body’s own hemoglobin degradation.

Journal: Gut Microbes

Understanding how cancer cells use water pressure to move through the body

Kyushu University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Cancer cells often invade different tissues by forming rounded protrusions called blebs. However, the exact mechanism behind this expansion remained unclear. Now, researchers at Kyushu University have discovered that cancer cells use protein clusters to create water pressure inside blebs, which pushes the cell membrane outward, enabling rapid movement. This newly identified mechanism, named “CaMKII-based osmotically-driven deformation or CODE,” reveals a unique physical process that drives the spread of cancer cells inside the body.

Journal: The EMBO Journal
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency

DeepBlastoid: A deep learning model for automated and efficient evaluation of human blastoids.

Higher Education Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed deepBlastoid, the first deep-learning platform specifically designed for the high-throughput, automated classification of human stem cell-derived embryo models (blastoids). By leveraging a ResNet-18 architecture and a novel Confidence Rate metric, the model achieves up to 97% accuracy and processes images 1,000 times faster than human experts. This tool facilitates large-scale drug screening and basic research into early human development by providing a standardized, objective evaluation framework.

Journal: Life Medicine

AI-enhanced optical coherence photoacoustic microscopy for 3D cancer model imaging

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Three-dimensional cancer organoids and spheroids are powerful models for studying tumor biology, but current imaging methods limit their full potential. In this study, researchers introduce an AI-enhanced optical coherence photoacoustic microscopy (OC-PAM) system that enables high-resolution, label-free, and longitudinal imaging of 3D cancer models. The technology promises more physiologically relevant cancer research and accelerated translation of advanced in vitro models into drug discovery and precision oncology.

Journal: Light Science & Applications
Funder: H2020-ICT-2018-20 project REAP, H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020 project SWIMMOT, H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 project SkinOptima, Joint PhD Program Medical University of Vienna/NTU “Kooperation Singapur”, Medical University of Vienna Φocus Grants

Advanced Cancer Research: defining a platform for convergent oncology

ELSP
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Cancer research is undergoing a profound transformation. Advances in molecular and cellular biology, genomics, immunology, engineering, and computational science have reshaped our understanding of cancer as a complex, multiscale disease. Yet the gap between biological discovery and durable clinical benefit remains a central challenge. Addressing this gap increasingly requires integration across disciplines, technologies, and conceptual frameworks. Advanced Cancer Research is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal publishing original cancer research spanning basic, translational, and clinical investigation. The journal prioritizes studies that provide mechanistic depth, introduce conceptual or technological innovation, or offer system-level insight into cancer biology and therapy, with particular emphasis on work that bridges disciplinary boundaries and advances translational relevance.

Journal: Advanced Cancer Research

Insilico Medicine showcases at WHX 2026: Connecting the Middle East with global partners to accelerate translational research

InSilico Medicine
Meeting Announcement

Insilico Medicine announced its participation in the World Health Expo 2026 (WHX 2026), held from February 9–12 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre，Booth S19J30 (Emirates Health) at South Hall

Power of tiny molecular 'flycatcher' surprises through disorder

Arizona State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in Nature Communications reveals that disorder—not rigid structure—can be a powerful design principle in biology. Researchers at Arizona State University show that QCR6, a tiny and highly disordered protein found in mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes, boosts cellular energy production by guiding electron carriers to where they are needed most. Long considered structurally elusive and functionally mysterious, QCR6 uses its flexible, acidic tail to act like a molecular “flycatcher,” electrostatically attracting and shepherding electron-shuttling proteins toward reaction centers. Using advanced computational modeling informed by cryo-EM data, the team demonstrates that this guided-diffusion mechanism lowers energy barriers for electron transfer and can increase ATP production—and cellular growth—by up to 30%. The findings, published in Nature Communications, challenge the assumption that biological efficiency depends on structural order and suggest that functional disorder plays a key role in energy conversion across evolution, including in human cells.

Journal: Nature Communications

A smarter way to watch biology at work

Arizona State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Arizona State University and their international colleagues have developed a device that cuts sample consumption by as much as 97% while still producing high-quality structural data. The technology could accelerate drug discovery by showing how medicines interact with their protein targets in real time and help engineers design better enzymes for industry and biotechnology. It may also enable deeper insights into disease, enable the study of rare proteins that are difficult to produce, and unlock the full potential of next-generation X-ray laser facilities without excessive sample waste.