In the midwestern summer, humans and plants have to breathe through the heat and humidity. Researchers hope that a retooled crop plant—one with an improved ventilation system within its leaves—could thrive while avoiding drought stress by reducing “crop sweat”. Thanks to a next generation imaging technology powered by Argonne National Laboratory’s particle collider beamline, a team of scientists now has precise schematics of the leaf’s interior and can refine approaches to breeding hardier crop plants.

The research, published in Plant Physiology, was led by postdoctoral researcher James Fischer in the laboratory of Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences Andrew Leakey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Their work represents the first detailed look at how the pores on the leaf surfaces of sorghum, a highly productive and resilient grass crop, connect to the air pathways, photosynthetic centers, and veins beneath.

Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, used a machine-learning approach to study not just which genes a bacterium has, but also where those genes sit next to each other. That “genetic neighborhood” helped researchers distinguish disease-causing strains of Enterococcus cecorum, a poultry pathogen, from nonpathogenic strains. The same approach could eventually be applied to bacteria affecting humans, livestock, wildlife and plants, provided enough genomic data are available.

In a landmark moment for both the treatment of heart disease and philanthropic support, The Marcus Foundation has awarded the head of USC Stem Cell Center, Chuck Murry, MD, PhD, $28.7 million to advance a clinical trial testing a stem cell-based therapy designed to regenerate damaged tissue after a heart attack. The award will also support a parallel track of discovery research on the immune response to cell transplantation. Researchers will investigate how immune cells respond to transplanted cells with the goal of developing approaches that could reduce or eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs in patients receiving regenerative cardiac therapies.  The pioneering trial will begin at Keck Hospital in 2027 in partnership with the USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute, with a second site at the University of Washington, where some of this technology originated. The 2027 trial will include a small cohort of about 18 patients who have experienced a severe heart attack, resulting in significant damage to the heart muscle. Designed primarily to assess safety and feasibility, the study will evaluate delivery of stem-cell-derived heart muscle cells into damaged regions of the heart. Researchers will also explore early signs of biological activity and potential improvements in cardiac function, while closely monitoring participants throughout their recovery and follow up care.