New strategy may enable cancer monitoring from blood tests alone
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Jul-2025 10:10 ET (10-Jul-2025 14:10 GMT/UTC)
Researchers have developed a simple and cost-effective blood test capable of detecting Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms emerge, comparing the current state of diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases to the fight against cancer 50 years ago—when most cases were identified too late for effective treatment. The test quantifies specific RNA fragments in the blood, focusing on a repetitive RNA sequence that accumulates in Parkinson’s patients and a parallel decline in mitochondrial RNA, which deteriorates as the disease progresses. By measuring the ratio between these biomarkers, the test offers a highly accurate, non-invasive, rapid and affordable diagnostic tool, providing hope for early interventions and treatments that could change the course of the disease.
SINGAPORE – 10 April 2025 – The A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB), a pioneering biomedical research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), marked its 40th anniversary today with a gala dinner graced by Guest-of-Honour Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry. The celebration underscored the institute’s four decades of scientific breakthroughs and its continuing role in shaping Singapore’s biomedical innovation landscape.
Neurons migrate through complex brain tissue using distinct strategies, but how they choose remains unclear. A recent study from Japan found that neurons switch migration modes based on their environment. Researchers identified PIEZO1, a mechanosensitive protein, as crucial to this process, helping neurons adapt in confined spaces. These findings enhance our understanding of brain development and may inform therapies for brain injuries and cancer metastasis, offering new insights into neuronal movement and mechanobiology.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)-Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology will be presented to Crystal L. Mackall, MD, Fellow of the AACR Academy, during the AACR Annual Meeting 2025, to be held April 25-30 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
CSHL Associate Professor Tobias Janowitz and colleagues identified a circuit connecting the brain and immune system that may be responsible for the sense of apathy many late-stage cancer patients experience. The discovery suggests that existing antibody treatments could be repurposed to improve cancer patients’ quality of life and enable them to better tolerate common cancer therapies.
Scientists have transformed RNA, a biological molecule present in all living cells, into a biosensor that can detect tiny chemicals relevant to human health.
Research by Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists centers on RNA, a nucleic acid that plays a crucial role in most cellular processes. Their work is expected to have applications in the surveillance of environmental chemicals and, ultimately, the diagnosis of critical diseases including neurological and cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Four University of Texas at Arlington faculty members have been named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors for their outstanding achievements in innovation. The UT Arlington honorees are Colin Cameron, professor of research in chemistry and biochemistry; Rasika Dias, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Panos Shiakolas, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Baohong Yuan, distinguished professor of bioengineering.