Researchers at Aarhus University have developed a microscopic DNA needle that can deliver molecules directly into cells - and, crucially, help make sure they remain active once they get there. That addresses a major problem in modern medicine: much of what enters a cell is quickly sealed off in tiny bubbles and put out of action before it ever reaches its target.

How can cancer cells be targeted without damaging healthy tissue? This is one of the major challenges facing oncology today. Using synthetic DNA strands, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has created a “smart” system that can recognise cancer cells with exceptional precision and release powerful drugs only where they are needed. Beyond cancer treatment, this research paves the way to “smart” medicines and programmable drug delivery.

A research team led by the Fisabio Foundation has demonstrated that dermcidin, an antimicrobial peptide produced constitutively by the human body, also exhibits antiviral activity against the influenza virus. The study also shows that people who do not develop flu-like symptoms have higher baseline levels of this molecule, which could be associated with lower susceptibility to infection.

The model organ for this research project is the best pediatric brain tumor model developed so far and can be used to test new drugs. The results of the project, conducted by the University of Trento with Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome, were published in the Nature Protocols.

In recent years, cancer research switched from the study of two-dimensional assays (cultures on plastic) to organoids, more complex systems that make it possible to work in a three-dimensional environment and that allow for a more realistic observation of the disease.

A team from the University of Barcelona has designed and validated in animal models an innovative compound with a pioneering mechanism of action for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike current drugs, which mainly remove beta-amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brain, this new experimental drug reprogrammes the neuronal epigenome by correcting alterations in gene expression that contribute to the progression of the disease.

A drug to treat Parkinson’s disease can be made from waste plastic bottles using a pioneering method, a study shows.

The approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform post-consumer plastic into L-DOPA, a frontline medication for the neurological disorder.

An international team of researchers has achieved a breakthrough in the production of doxorubicin, a vital chemotherapy agent. The study identifies and resolves molecular "bottlenecks" that have limited the natural production of this drug for over 50 years.

Doxorubicin is a chemotherapy drug that was first approved for medical use in the 1970s.