Children with the most common form of childhood cancer could benefit from more personalised treatment thanks to new research that is changing how doctors assess the risk of the disease returning.

Insilico Medicine will present first-in-human Phase 1 data on ISM6331, an investigational oral pan-TEAD inhibitor designed using its generative AI platform, Chemistry42, at the ESMO Congress 2026 in Madrid. The ongoing multicenter study evaluates safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary antitumor activity in patients with mesothelioma or other advanced solid tumors. Melina E. Marmarelis, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, will present updated findings on October 25.

Heather Flanagan-Steet, PhD, Associate Director of Research at the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC), has received a $1.4 million, five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) R35 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The award will support her research into understanding how metabolism and glycosylation — a process by which cells add sugar chains to proteins and lipids — work together during normal development and disease onset.

A European study involving GCAT-IGTP has identified an association between greater exposure to air pollution, particularly PM10 particles, greater temperature variability and higher blood glucose levels in people without diabetes. The findings highlight the importance of studying environmental factors together and improving air quality in the context of climate change.

Hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy faces a major clinical challenge: why do some patients develop rapid resistance? A new comprehensive review argues that the gut microbiome and its metabolites, acting through the gut–liver axis, critically shape the hepatic immune microenvironment and influence checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. The authors also discuss fecal microbiota transplantation, probiotics, engineered bacteria, and metabolite interventions as emerging strategies to reverse resistance and improve outcomes for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

A Japanese study found that higher postpartum depression scores were associated with greater mother–infant bonding difficulties. Repeated assessments identified varied symptom patterns, including mothers whose bonding difficulties increased during the first three months. The findings suggest that pediatric teams may benefit from monitoring maternal depressive symptoms and bonding repeatedly, rather than relying on a single early assessment, to recognize mothers who may need closer support, consultation, or referral to mental health services.