Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have developed two innovative deep-learning algorithms, ClairS-TO and Clair3-RNA, that significantly advance genetic mutation detection in cancer diagnostics and RNA-based genomic studies.

Hormone receptor–positive breast cancer represents the most common molecular subtype of breast malignancy and is routinely treated with endocrine therapies targeting estrogen signaling. Although these treatments have significantly improved patient survival, the emergence of endocrine resistance remains a major obstacle, particularly in advanced and metastatic disease. Understanding the molecular pathways that bypass classical estrogen receptor inhibition is therefore critical for improving long-term therapeutic outcomes.

A research team led by Professor Xiang David Li from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with researchers from the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory and Tsinghua University, has made a breakthrough in epigenetic drug discovery. The team has successfully developed a first-in-class chemical inhibitor that precisely and selectively targets the ATAC complex, a critical cellular “switch operator” that activates tumour-promoting genes, opening a novel therapeutic avenue for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The findings were recently published in the top-tier journal Nature Chemical Biology, and multiple international patent applications have been filed.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rapidly progressing and often fatal malignancy shaped profoundly by the hypoxic microenvironment that develops as tumors expand. Hypoxia is known to trigger widespread transcriptional and metabolic changes that enhance tumor aggressiveness, yet the upstream epigenetic mechanisms coordinating these alterations remain insufficiently understood

In research that could shed light on the growth and formation of complex tissue architectures, Brown University engineers show how cells orbit and reconfigure their surroundings to venture outward from confined spheroids.

A new paper examines how close each state is to reaching the goal of cervical cancer elimination. While Massachusetts is close to elimination, the Southeast and Southwest regions have rates of cervical cancer that are double the elimination goal. 

City of Hope has opened a phase 2 clinical trial comparing three different strategies for protecting heart health in prostate cancer patients who receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a potentially lifesaving hormone therapy. Prostate cancer patients who receive ADT are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and other heart and blood vessel problems. This may be due to treatment-related metabolic changes that can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance and an increase in body fat. The trial will compare three approaches: intermittent fasting with a 16-hour fasting window, an anti-obesity medication targeting the body’s natural glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) signaling pathway and the American Heart Association’s  Life’s Essential 8 guidelines.