Published in Science Advances, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists used a mix of genetic cancer dependency data, artificial intelligence (AI) and naturally occurring mutations to prioritize safer cancer drug targets. They focused their efforts on targets most likely to be effective while limiting unwanted toxicity, identifying IRS4 as a potential dependency across multiple tumor types. The work provides a proof of principle for evaluating potential toxicity early in the search for novel therapeutics.

Every year, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as “staph,” causes serious infections and outbreaks in hospitals and community settings, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Methicillin-resistant strains, known as MRSA, are a leading contributor to deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance globally.

Cancer cells survive by repairing damage to their DNA - even damage that would normally be fatal. One of their most important defense systems is homologous recombination, a high-precision repair pathway that fixes broken DNA using key proteins such as RAD51 and CHK1. While therapies such as PARP inhibitors have successfully targeted this vulnerability, many tumors eventually regain their DNA repair ability and become resistant to treatment.

A team led by metabolism researcher Prof Timo D. Müller at Helmholtz Munich has developed a new approach for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes: a hybrid molecule uses the well-known GLP-1/GIP signalling pathway as a “door opener” and delivers an additional metabolic modulator specifically into the target cells. In laboratory experiments, mice subsequently ate less, lost more weight and showed improved blood-glucose values compared with reference treatments.

A first-of-its-kind pilot program in Utah developed by a health-technology startup company uses artificial intelligence to automatically renew certain prescriptions for patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. But according to a new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign expert in legal issues surrounding cutting-edge medical technology, autonomous AI-based drug prescribing raises important clinical and legal issues.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest cancer types, with a five-year survival rate of 13%. There are only two treatment regimens available with limited efficacy. Pancreatic cancers do not respond to immunotherapy where the body’s immune system attacks tumor cells. The effectiveness of these treatments is limited due to immunotherapy resistance.

A first-in-human clinical trial led by an international team of researchers and published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that setidegrasib, an investigational targeted therapy drug designed to eliminate a key cancer-driving protein called KRAS G12D, shows encouraging early activity in patients with advanced lung and pancreatic cancers. The therapy shrank tumors in some patients and delayed disease progression, marking a potential step forward for cancers with few targeted treatment options.