A small-molecule compound named TAC has been identified that reawakens the catalytic subunit of telomerase (TERT) in somatic cells and, in doing so, stalls multiple hallmarks of natural aging without provoking cancer. Administered intraperitoneally to middle-aged mice, the 400 Da lipophilic agent crosses the blood–brain barrier, elevates TERT transcription within brain, heart and skeletal muscle, and lengthens telomeres while suppressing DNA damage foci. Over a six-month regimen it improved hippocampal neurogenesis, reversed neuromuscular decline and enhanced cognition; mechanistically, these gains trace to a MEK/ERK/FOS/AP-1 signalling cascade that drives TERT expression and, in turn, epigenetically silences p16^INK4a^ via DNMT3b-mediated promoter hypermethylation. Concomitantly, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (IL-1β, IL-6, MMP-3, VEGF) is down-regulated, systemic low-grade inflammation subsides and no neoplastic lesions appear.

Rheumatoid arthritis has traditionally been framed as a self-contained autoimmune disease confined to joints, yet mounting clinical and molecular evidence now argues that it functions as a hub within an expansive web of interacting disorders. Drawing on 392 423 Finnish residents—12 555 of whom carry an RA diagnosis—disease-wide association scanning traces 1 289 distinct medical events before and after the first rheumatology clinic visit. By coupling survival modelling to systematic nosology, clusters of pre-RA liabilities and post-RA sequelae emerge that dissolve the boundary between “the index disease” and apparently unrelated organ pathology.

An era is opening where it's possible to precisely assess the body’s health status using only sweat instead of blood tests. A KAIST research team has developed a smart patch that can precisely observe internal changes through sweat when simply attached to the body. This is expected to greatly contribute to the advancement of chronic disease management and personalized healthcare technologies.

KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on September 7th that a research team led by Professor Ki-Hun Jeong of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has developed a wearable sensor that can simultaneously and in real-time analyze multiple metabolites in sweat.

Recently, research on wearable sensors that analyze metabolites in sweat to monitor the human body’s precise physiological state has been actively pursued. However, conventional “label-based” sensors, which require fluorescent tags or staining, and “label-free” methods have faced difficulties in effectively collecting and controlling sweat. Because of this, there have been limitations in precisely observing metabolite changes over time in actual human subjects.