Scientists from the National University of Singapore have successfully engineered a naturally occurring beneficial gut bacterium into a programmable “living medicine” to treat hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a severe brain dysfunction linked to liver failure. The therapy combines two engineered gut-bacteria strains: one absorbs excess gut ammonia and converts it into nutrients lacking in HE patients, while the other reduces ammonia production. Compared with a standard HE antibiotic, the cocktail achieved stronger improvements in anxiety and short-term memory, while also reduced inflammation in the brain.

Mothers provide a hidden immune legacy that protects their children's teeth long after weaning is over. A new study reveals how maternal antibodies act as early life architects, programming the mouth to resist aggressive bacteria and prevent the bone loss associated with adult gum disease. By setting a healthy immune tone before birth, these maternal defenses ensure that the foundation for a lifetime of oral health is laid from the very beginning.

The finding explains how the absence of a key protein in the structure of bile ducts promotes the onset of fibrosis. 

If bile ducts let bile acids leak through, these will cause damage that liver tissue repairs by producing scars. The accumulation of these scars leads to fibrosis.

For the study’s authors, "this finding allows research to be steered towards safer therapies targeting liver fibrosis."

The paper is published in Nature Metabolism.

A study published in Science Bulletin identifies tRF-Glu-TTC-013, a tRNA-derived fragment, as a key driver of colorectal cancer liver metastasis. The researchers found that the molecule promotes tumour progression by enhancing glutamate metabolic reprogramming through a newly defined CREB3L1–AMDHD1 pathway.