Mitochondrial dysfunction is seen in many cardiac disorders. Understanding mitochondrial quality control (MQC) can help reduce dysfunction and improve outcomes for patients. Researchers have examined key regulatory proteins involved in MQC and how their functions are altered by the cellular microenvironment of the heart muscle. They also describe some promising new therapies that target the molecular components of MQC and restore proper mitochondrial function to damaged heart tissue.

Vaccines rely on adjuvants to enhance immune protection, but these often cause reactogenicity, such as swelling or fever. Challenging the long-held assumption that these effects are inseparable, researchers from Japan have shown that vaccine efficacy and reactogenicity are driven by distinct immune pathways. Their findings reveal specific roles for IL-1α and IL-1β in controlling these responses, opening new possibilities for designing vaccines that maintain strong immunity while minimizing adverse effects.

Recently, a significant study conducted collaboratively by multiple hospitals in Shanghai was published in the prestigious journal SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences. This work uncovers for the first time that ovarian cancer drives tumor growth and metastasis by secreting IL-1β-enriched extracellular vesicles (EVs), which activate the NF-κB signaling pathway in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), thereby inducing adipose tissue senescence and associated metabolic disorders. The team has identified two targeted intervention strategies: the senolytic combination of dasatinib and quercetin, or the natural NF-κB inhibitor resveratrol. Both approaches markedly eliminate senescent ADSCs, ameliorate metabolic abnormalities, and suppress ovarian cancer progression. This study provides novel insights into treating ovarian cancer by modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and targeting senescent cells, and underscores the translational potential of natural compounds including quercetin and resveratrol in clinical applications.

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) is working with China’s Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and Swedish biotechnology company Lipigon Pharmaceuticals AB to develop a new inhaled treatment aimed at helping patients recover faster from severe lung infections. The treatment is designed to reduce excessive inflammation in the lungs, which can continue even after viruses or bacteria have been cleared from the body. To tackle this, the new therapy targets a protein called Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), which increases during inflammatory stress in the lungs. High levels of ANGPTL4 are associated with increased vascular permeability and fibrosis in injured lung tissue. Instead of being taken as a pill or injection, the treatment is delivered directly into the lungs by inhalation, similar to how asthma medications are administered. This allows it to act where it is needed most while limiting effects on the rest of the body.