Over the past decade, organoid research has boomed and revolutionized biomedicine, with wide industrial applications and regulatory recognition. However, comprehensive reviews on organoid-related regulations and IND-approved drugs remain insufficient. This article reviews relevant advances in regulations and IND applications, and discusses the prospects and limitations of organoid models.

How can transplant recipients achieve donor-specific immune tolerance without lifelong reliance on broad-spectrum immunosuppression? A new comprehensive review led by Professor Xiao-kang Li at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Japan systematically synthesizes breakthroughs in Treg-based therapies for organ transplantation, delineates the core mechanisms by which Tregs mediate immune tolerance, compares immunological differences across liver, kidney, and heart transplantation, and charts the future direction of next-generation precision cell therapies.

A recent review published in Science Bulletin outlines the evolving landscape of metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), emphasizing a suite of non-invasive genetic, metabolic and microbial markers that improve disease detection and prognosis, and summarising the clinical significance of the recent FDA‑approved drugs, resmetirom and semaglutide, along with a robust pipeline of late‑stage therapeutics. Crucially, the review addresses the substantial hurdles to clinical translation in newly developed biomarkers, including validation, standardization, and cost, and proposes a roadmap for translating these scientific advances into effective, personalized patient care.

For decades, physicians and scientists thought metformin, the leading Type 2 diabetes medication taken by millions worldwide, mainly targets the liver to suppress glucose production. But a new Northwestern University study in mice has found this “wonder drug” instead focuses primarily on the gut, acting to prevent glucose levels rising in the blood by driving glucose utilization inside cells lining the intestine. 

The study found metformin slows mitochondrial energy production in gut cells, forcing the intestine to metabolize extra sugar. 

The findings also reveal unexpected parallels with berberine, a popular plant-derived, over-the-counter supplement often used to control blood sugar. Berberine has recently gained attention on social media as “nature’s Ozempic,” though experts caution that evidence is still limited, and it should not be used as a substitute for approved medications. The study found berberine appears to engage the same pathway as metformin in the intestine. 

“Metformin has decades of clinical evidence behind it, whereas supplements like berberine are far less rigorously tested,” Chandel said. “If you're going to use berberine, you may as well use the real deal.”