An international research team from Bielefeld University and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) has uncovered a previously unknown regulatory mechanism in human cells. For the first time, they demonstrate how a key molecular switch regulates the cell’s “recycling centers.” The findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, provide important insights into the understanding of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers from City University of Hong Kong, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an artificial intelligence-driven workflow called AAPSI (AI-Accelerated PhotoSensitizer Innovation) that integrates expert knowledge, scaffold-based molecule generation, and Bayesian optimization to accelerate the discovery of novel photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Through this workflow, the team generated 6,148 candidate molecules and experimentally validated a hypocrellin-based compound, HB4Ph, which achieves a singlet oxygen quantum yield (ϕ_Δ) of 0.85 and absorption maxima (λ_max) of 645 nm — outperforming all clinical and trial-stage photosensitizers. The work is published in AI for Science .

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that specialized immune cells within the glioblastoma tumor metabolize fructose to suppress immune responses and promote tumor growth, reports a study published on March 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study, the first to identify this sugar pathway as a driver of immune suppression in brain tumors, suggests that blocking fructose metabolism in the specialized cells may improve immunotherapy response and patient outcomes.

Chimeric antigen receptor-invariant natural killer T cells, or CAR-iNKT cells, have shown promise in early studies, particularly against solid tumors that traditional CAR-T therapy struggles to treat. However, these cells often lose potency after delivery to a patient’s body. The UCLA team developed a system that functions like a charging station for these immune cells. Once implanted near a tumor, it attracts CAR-iNKT cells that have been engineered to recognize cancer. In the preclinical study, the platform demonstrated promising biocompatibility. The team is continuing to refine the system and explore how it could support additional cancer immunotherapies.