Identifying novel therapeutic strategies and making fundamental discoveries related to small cell lung cancer. Creating environmental and sustainable solutions for lithium-ion battery technology. Improving the safety and efficacy of gene editing and understanding the mechanisms of DNA repair to potentially cure diseases. Discovering the most distant and massive galaxies that have reshaped our understanding of early Universe star formation and supermassive black holes. Pioneering geochemical fingerprinting technology to optimize energy production processes. These are the breakthroughs by Texas’ rising stars in research being honored with the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards by TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology).

A novel study from Korea uncovers the process of synthesis and pivotal role of the transfer RNA-derived fragment, 5′-tRH-Gly^GCC in cancer progression. By interacting with splicing factors, it regulates gene expression, alternative splicing, and messenger RNA processing. This research highlights its role as a cancer biomarker and explores its potential as a therapeutic target. With promising results from antisense oligonucleotide therapies, this    discovery could pave the way for groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment.

A team led by researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has, for the first time, grown tumor organoids – three-dimensional miniature tumors in the laboratory – that mimic the different structures and characteristics of pancreatic cancer. The scientists investigated how the various tumor organoids react to established and novel treatments. This opens the door to the development of effective new therapies.

A new review published in Blood Cancer Discovery outlines a major multiple myeloma research project that supported a key regulatory decision by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration committee. The decision greenlights a new biomarker endpoint, minimal residual disease, for accelerated drug approval in multiple myeloma, and researchers say it could cut a decade off the drug development process.