The mitochondrion, often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell, plays critical roles in cellular function, making it a prime organelle to target for fundamental studies, metabolic engineering, and disease therapies. With only a limited number of existing mitochondrial targeting sequences, a new study from the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology demonstrates the utility of generative artificial intelligence for designing new ones.

People who are given a vaccine for shingles have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, according to a study of more than a million people published in the European Heart Journal.

The protective effect of the vaccine lasts for up to eight years and is particularly pronounced for men, people under the age of 60 and those with unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and being inactive.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a technique that enables efficient delivery of therapeutic proteins and RNA to cells. The method, presented in Nature Communications, shows promising results in animal studies to deliver gene editors and protein therapeutics.

The method is based on so-called extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny bubbles that are naturally secreted by cells and can transport biologically active molecules between cells.

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a specific mode of fat uptake by immune cells within tumors that serves as a metabolic checkpoint against anti-cancer immune responses. Harnessing that insight, researchers led by Ludwig Lausanne's Ping-Chih Ho and Yi-Ru Yu - along with Sheue-Fen Tzeng and Chin-Hsien Tsai, former post-docs in the Ho lab who now lead their own labs at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan - have developed a humanized antibody to dismantle that barrier as a potential cancer immunotherapy.

University of Oregon (UO) researchers have uncovered a molecule produced by yeast living on human skin that showed potent antimicrobial properties against a pathogen responsible for a half-million hospitalizations annually in the United States.

It's a unique approach to tackling the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, continues to pose a significant global health challenge due to its high mortality rate and limited treatment options. However, a new frontier in cancer therapy has emerged, focusing on neddylation modification, a crucial cellular process that influences cancer progression. The latest insights into this mechanism provide hope for targeted therapies that could revolutionize the treatment landscape for HCC.

Chemists have confirmed a 67-year-old theory about vitamin B1 by stabilizing a reactive molecule in water - a feat long thought impossible. The discovery not only solves a biochemical mystery, but also opens the door to greener, more efficient ways of making pharmaceuticals.

The molecule in question is a carbene, a type of carbon atom with only six valence electrons. Generally, carbon is stable with eight electrons around it. With only six electrons, it is chemically unstable and highly reactive.