We’re all familiar with the outward signs of aging, such as sagging skin or thinning hair. But many age-related changes start within our cells, even our DNA, which can wear and tear over time. One creature has a way to reverse this process, at least temporarily. A hamster-sized primate from Madagascar, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur can turn back the aging clock during its annual hibernation season, according to markers of cellular aging called telomeres.

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have identified genetic changes in blood stem cells from frequent blood donors that support the production of new, non-cancerous cells.

Understanding the differences in the mutations that accumulate in our blood stem cells as we age is important to understand how and why blood cancers develop and hopefully how to intervene before the onset of clinical symptoms.

Neuroblastoma (NB), the most prevalent extracranial solid tumor among children, is characterized by a high rate of metastasis. The pathogenesis of NB with bone or bone marrow metastasis (NB-BBM) and its complex immune microenvironment remain poorly understood, posing challenges for effective risk prediction for BBM and limiting therapeutic strategies.