Acting in the right place at the right time is the key to effective medical treatment with minimal side effects. However, this feat remains difficult to achieve. Biologists and chemists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have succeeded in developing a tool that controls the location at which a molecule is activated by a simple pulse of light lasting only a few seconds. Tested on a protein essential for cell division, this system could be applied to other molecules. The potential applications are vast, both in basic research and in improving existing medical treatments, such as those for skin cancer. These results are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Imagine a cancer treatment that precisely targets malignant cells, leaving healthy ones untouched. Consider, also, a cancer treatment that corrects abnormal protein synthesis to produce healthy proteins in patients. These are just two of the many applications of a new study by Hiroshi Abe and colleagues at Nagoya University. Their innovative approach, called the ICIT mechanism, introduces a novel way to 'switch on' protein synthesis in target cells only, creating healthy proteins to treat illnesses or toxic proteins to kill unwanted cells. Their discoveries could pave the way for personalized and precise healthcare.

The 2025 Finalists of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the United Kingdom were announced today. They include:

­­­Life Sciences Finalists

Nicholas R. Casewell, PhD - Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine – a toxinologist, uses molecular and biochemical approaches to understand variations in snake venom toxins to identify new treatment strategies for snakebite envenoming, a neglected tropical disease.

Andrew M. Saxe, PhD - University College London – a neuroscientist, has developed mathematical analyses illuminating learning mechanisms in artificial and biological systems, advancing AI understanding and insights into memory-related neurological diseases.

Christopher Stewart, PhD - Newcastle University – a microbiologist, has developed novel microbiome-based approaches to prevent necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), the leading cause of death in preterm infants around the world.

Chemical Sciences Finalists

Liam T. Ball, PhD - University of Nottingham – an organic chemist, is developing efficient methods for the safe and sustainable synthesis of molecules vital to healthcare and agriculture.

Brianna R. Heazlewood, PhD - University of Liverpool – a physical chemist, has developed instruments that characterise complex chemical reactions at extremely cold temperatures, providing new insights into the chemistry of space and other challenging environments.

Chunxiao Song, PhD - University of Oxford – a chemical biologist, is developing a state-of-the-art sequencing method to detect DNA and RNA modifications, enabling early cancer detection and leading to the founding of a $410 million biotech company.

Physical Sciences & Engineering Finalists

Benjamin J.W. Mills, PhD - University of Leeds – a biogeochemist, is developing long-timescale models of the Earth, linking geology and biology and giving insight into our planet's connected atmospheric and geologic history, co-evolution of life and the Earth, the future of our planet, and the habitability of other worlds.

Hannah Price, PhD, University of Birmingham – a theoretical physicist, has authored groundbreaking theories and innovative experimental collaborations employing synthetic analogues to simulate higher dimensions, giving insight into physics with more than three spatial dimensions, including the fourth dimension.

Filip Rindler, DPhil – The University of Warwick – a mathematician, has developed the first rigorous theory describing how crystalline materials, like metals, deform through microscopic defects called dislocations. This theory advances foundational mathematics and opens new research avenues in materials science.

Developing low side-effect pyroptosis and ferroptosis inducers for cancer therapy, especially dual function inducers, is a challenging task. Toward this goal, Li et al. design a multifunctional nanoplatform M@P which can induce pyroptosis and ferroptosis of tumor cells under light irradiation. Additionally, M@P can enhance photoimmunotherapy through the combined effect with immunoadjuvant Poly(I:C). This research would provide an impetus as well as a novel strategy for dual function inducers and combined immune activators enhanced photoimmunotherapy.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the United States. Amplified Sciences, a clinical-stage life sciences diagnostic company is developing tests for early, more accurate detection of challenging diseases like pancreatic cancer. The company has received regulatory clearance under the federal CLIA program for its first product, PanCystPro™, which helps risk stratify patients diagnosed with pancreatic cystic lesions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors in the world, and its incidence and mortality have increased year by year. HCC research has increasingly focused on understanding its pathogenesis and developing treatments.The Wnt signaling pathway, a complex and evolutionarily conserved signal transduction system, has been extensively studied in the genesis and treatment of several malignant tumors. Recent investigations suggest that the pathogenesis of HCC may be significantly influenced by dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling. This article aimed to examine the pathway that controls Wnt signaling in HCC and its mechanisms. In addition, we highlighted the role of this pathway in HCC etiology and targeted treatment.