Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have characterized cancer cell-specific features in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues, identifying specific macrophage subtypes associated with chemotherapy response.

A team of Rice University bioengineers has developed a new way to create highly realistic “mock” patient samples that could help accelerate the development of faster, more accessible cervical cancer screening tests for low-resource settings. The study, led by researchers in Rice’s Department of Bioengineering in collaboration with Emory University and clinicians at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, addresses a critical bottleneck in global health: the lack of reliable, real-world samples needed to design and validate next-generation point-of-care screening tools for high-risk human papillomavirus, the virus responsible for nearly all cervical cancers. The research was recently published in the Journal of Medical Virology.

A Chinese Medical Journal study reveals Rhein, a rhubarb-derived compound, protects against severe acute pancreatitis-associated intestinal injury by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) to suppress NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and reprogram macrophage polarization from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Rhein restored intestinal barrier integrity and reduced endotoxemia—effects abolished by PPARγ inhibition. This identifies the PPARγ/NLRP3/macrophage axis as a promising therapeutic target for SAP complications.