Enhancing wheat plants’ sugar signalling ability could deliver increased yields of up to 12%, according to researchers from Rothamsted, Oxford University and the Rosalind Franklin Institute in a study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology. That is an order of magnitude greater than annual yield increases currently being achieved through breeding.  

A pioneering study uncovers crucial immune dynamics in hepatitis B, offering new insights into how immune responses evolve throughout the different clinical phases of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Researchers analyzed liver and blood samples from patients in various clinical phases—acute hepatitis B (AHB), immune tolerant (IT), immune active (IA), and inactive chronic infection (ICI)—using single-cell RNA and TCR/BCR sequencing. The findings highlight critical immune cell subsets and potential molecular mechanisms that drive disease progression, providing valuable targets for the development of future immunomodulatory therapies.

New research from UTHealth Houston reveals that substance use disorders accelerate biological aging in the brain through substance-specific molecular mechanisms. The study, published in Genomic Psychiatry, identified distinct genetic and biological pathways that contribute to premature aging in individuals with alcohol, opioid, and stimulant use disorders, offering potential targets for future therapeutic interventions.