How Cigarette Smoke Amplifies Nanoplastic Damage in Airway Cells

According to a laboratory study published in Scientific Reports by researchers including D. Mirra and colleagues, cigarette smoke extract (CSE) compromises human airway epithelial barriers and increases cellular vulnerability to polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs). The research team investigated how sequential exposure to these environmental stressors reduces cell metabolic activity and alters structural proteins in human bronchial … Read more

Duke Engineers Use Robots and AI to Improve Gut Health

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for systematically developing novel, complex combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to more effectively maintain gut health and treat gastrointestinal diseases, according to findings published online July 27 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. By combining robotic automation with machine learning, the approach addresses longstanding consistency challenges … Read more

AI Redesign Helps Enzymes Evolve Beyond Natural Limits

According to a study published in the journal Nature, researchers using artificial intelligence-based protein sequence redesign to stabilize enzyme starting points achieved superior outcomes in automated directed evolution, mitigating stability-activity trade-offs that traditionally constrain enzyme engineering. By combining the deep-learning model ProteinMPNN with the computational stabilization tool PROSS on botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) protease models, scientists … Read more

Why Decoding Cognition Is Harder Than Movement in Neural Networks

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are shifting from restoring physical movement to treating complex cognitive disorders. According to Dr. Ignacio Saez of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the next generation of these devices will target conditions like depression, PTSD, and anxiety by functioning as closed-loop systems that detect and regulate dysfunctional brain states in … Read more

Advancing Precision Oncology with New Tumor Organoids

Patient-derived tumor organoids are emerging as high-fidelity preclinical models for precision oncology, offering a way to test cancer treatments on three-dimensional cell clusters that mirror a patient’s specific disease. Recent research led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine demonstrates that these “avatars” can reliably predict treatment sensitivity, potentially expanding the pool of patients eligible for … Read more

Can Probiotics Extend Lifespan? New Study on Worms Reveals 20% Boost

A specific probiotic strain, Limosilactobacillus reuteri A21041, extended the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans worms by 19.3% in a recent study published in Frontiers in Nutrition. Researchers from the AIage Longevity Science Corporation Ltd. and the Guangxi Academy of Sciences found the strain, isolated from a centenarian in Beihai City, China, also reduced fat accumulation by … Read more

New Portable Strip Test Rapidly Detects Mosquito-Borne Viruses

Researchers at China Pharmaceutical University have developed a multisite bridging-mediated lateral flow immunoassay (mbLFIA) that detects mosquito-borne viruses like Chikungunya (CHIKV) with high sensitivity without the need for specialized laboratory equipment. According to a study published in Targetome on April 30, 2026, the method achieves a visual detection limit of 2 pmol·L−1, offering a portable … Read more

New Battery-Powered Device Detects Bundibugyo Ebola in 30 Minutes

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), in partnership with K.K. DNAFORM and the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are developing a portable, rapid diagnostic system to detect the Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). The project, supported by the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), aims to provide field-ready, … Read more

New Wearable Microneedle Patch Monitors Drug Levels in Real Time

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a wearable microneedle patch capable of continuously measuring drug concentrations in interstitial fluid and transmitting that data to a smartphone in real time. The device, which weighs 6.7 grams, aims to explore whether continuous monitoring could provide a more complete picture than periodic … Read more

Directed Enzyme Evolution: Methods and Applications

Directed evolution, a method for engineering enzymes by mimicking the natural process of selection, is shifting from a niche lab technique to a primary engine for industrial chemistry. According to Caltech’s Frances Arnold, who received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work, the future of the field lies in integrating machine learning with … Read more