Salk scientists discover the immune system handles infection differently in young and aged mice with sepsis, with the same immune responses that are advantageous in youth being disadvantageous in older age. The findings suggest therapies should be tailored to age-specific responses, with young and old patients receiving different optimized treatment plans, and also may help inform alternative treatment strategies as we enter a post-antibiotic era.

A novel liquid biopsy technology is set to advance cancer diagnostics and monitoring by overcoming the long-standing challenge of simultaneously achieving high sensitivity, broad coverage, and simple workflow. A team of researchers from Genomill Health Inc., the University of Turku, and the TYKS Turku University Hospital, Finland, benchmarked this new method, Bridge Capture, against two market-leading tools Their analysis, appearing in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, highlights the method’s simplicity, cost-efficiency, reproducibility, and scalability, making it well suited for routine clinical testing, disease monitoring, and treatment selection.

Researchers have identified three previously unknown lipid molecules in rice bran, one of which strengthens the skin's barrier and reduces water loss. Named oryzaceramides A–C, these acylated glucosylceramides were isolated for the first time from plant sources and structurally characterized in detail. Oryzaceramide A significantly improved skin hydration in laboratory models. The discovery opens new possibilities for cosmetics, functional foods, and future research into lipid metabolism and skin health.