In a world first, a research team led by the University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science has shown it is possible to engineer a quantum mechanical process inside proteins, opening the door to a new class of quantum-enabled biological technologies.

The study, published today in Nature, reports the creation of a new class of biomolecules, magneto-sensitive fluorescent proteins (or MFPs), that can interact with magnetic fields and radio waves.

A national clinical trial led by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has found that abemaciclib, an oral cancer drug, may slow tumor growth in patients with aggressive meningiomas that have specific genetic mutations. This primary analysis of Alliance A071401 is published in Nature Medicine.

Meningiomas, tumors that grow in the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, are the most common primary brain tumors.

Approximately 20 to 30 percent of all people who suffer from psoriasis also develop painful inflammation in their joints over time. If left untreated, this condition known as psoriatic arthritis can lead to permanent damage to bones and joints. Until now, it was a mystery why the disease progressed this way in some patients and not in others.

Researchers from IRTA and IrsiCaixa, partners in the EPIVINF project, have identified the golden Syrian hamster as a potential relevant model for studying the biology of long COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC).

Long COVID is not a single disease but a complex syndrome involving a range of persistent symptoms. People suffering from it report overwhelming fatigue, memory lapses, "brain fog," difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, and neurological symptoms that can last for months or even years after the initial infection.

Plants make substances called alkaloids to protect themselves, and humans have long taken advantage of these chemicals, using them in painkillers, treatments for disease and household products such as caffeine and nicotine.

By understanding how plants make these substances, researchers aim to produce new and improved chemicals for medicines more quickly, cheaply and with less environmental impact.

The mucosal surfaces that line the body are embedded with defensive molecules that help keep microbes from causing inflammation and infections. Among these molecules are lectins - proteins that recognize microbes and other cells by binding to sugars found on cell surfaces.

One of these lectins, MIT researchers have found, has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria found in the GI tract.

Researchers at McMaster University are leading preclinical studies into a novel drug candidate developed by Espervita Therapeutics that has the potential to prevent and reverse liver fibrosis - a dangerous, disease-induced build-up of scar tissue in the liver that often leads to cancer.

The findings point to a potential new treatment for the millions of people living with liver disease, addressing a critical gap where no approved drugs currently exist in Canada.