Living near Coldwater Creek—a Missouri River tributary north of St. Louis that was polluted by nuclear waste from the development of the first atomic bomb—in childhood in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s was associated with an elevated risk of cancer, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers say the findings corroborate health concerns long held by community members.

A new experimental design framework could enable scientists to efficiently estimate how combinations of interventions will affect a group of cells, reducing the cost of experiments and providing less biased data that could be used to understand disease mechanisms or develop new treatments.

The Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute and its partner City of Hope, one of the country’s largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations, today announced the six inaugural recipients of the prestigious Stephenson Scholar Grants, awarding $5.25 million to support high-impact research aimed at transforming the understanding, early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, the tool, dubbed OmicsTweezer, uses advanced machine learning techniques to analyze biological data at a scale large enough to estimate the composition of cell types in a sample of tissue that may be taken from a biopsy. This process allows scientists to map the cellular makeup of tumors and surrounding tissues — an area known as the tumor microenvironment.

Prof. LIANG Xingjie's team from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, along with Prof. GONG Ningqiang from the University of Science and Technology of China, has developed a biomimetic physical barrier (BPB) that temporarily blocks T cell–tumor cell interactions, thereby delaying T cell exhaustion and enabling a stronger, more sustained immune response.

Optimal heart health from birth through adolescence, as measured by a combination of metrics, leads to long-lasting cardiovascular and overall physical, cognitive and mental health, according to the systematic review published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Benefits include lower risks of cancer, dementia, lung disease, liver disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression and hearing loss, as well as better cognitive, dental and eye health.