Rice bioengineer Antonios Mikos is part of a team of researchers led by the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded up to $24.8 million over five years to help address the nation’s growing organ donor shortage by bioprinting on-demand kidney tissues.

Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have discovered a surprising role for formic acid in the human gut: The small molecule acts as a kind of “taxi” for electrons – both within bacteria and, likely, also between different microorganisms. The gut bacterium Blautia luti produces formic acid as part of a metabolic trick that allows it to respond flexibly to what is available in the gut. In addition to carbohydrates, the bacterium can also metabolize toxic carbon monoxide derived from the body’s own hemoglobin degradation.

Cancer cells often invade different tissues by forming rounded protrusions called blebs. However, the exact mechanism behind this expansion remained unclear. Now, researchers at Kyushu University have discovered that cancer cells use protein clusters to create water pressure inside blebs, which pushes the cell membrane outward, enabling rapid movement. This newly identified mechanism, named “CaMKII-based osmotically-driven deformation or CODE,” reveals a unique physical process that drives the spread of cancer cells inside the body.

Insilico Medicine announces the appointment of Dr. Halle Zhang, PhD (Med), as Vice President of Clinical Development – Oncology at Insilico Medicine. Dr. Zhang will report to Feng Ren, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, and will be based in our Cambridge, Massachusetts office. With over 20 years of strategic leadership and extensive experience in clinical development across various oncology indications and modalities, she will spearhead our global clinical development strategy and execution for the oncology portfolio. Her role will involve close collaboration across functions to expedite the translation of AI-discovered therapies into significant clinical outcomes. Dr. Zhang's expertise in managing global programs from early-stage development through to registrational trials will be crucial as we advance our pipeline and broaden our collaborations globally.