Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), can dramatically improve cancer treatment, suggest two groundbreaking studies published in the prestigious Nature Medicine journal. The first study shows that the toxic side effects of drugs to treat kidney cancer could be eliminated with FMT. The second study suggests FMT is effective in improving the response to immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer and melanoma.

A team of researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center discovered an innovative way to use a drug already approved in treating irregular heartbeat to selectively target specific functions of enzymes in lymphoma, effectively killing cancer cells and reducing tumor growth with little to no toxicity. Recent findings published in Pharmacological Research set the groundwork for how this strategy could help transform the future of precision medicine in cancer.

Although DNA is tightly packed and protected within the cell nucleus, it is constantly threatened by damage from normal metabolic processes or external stressors such as radiation or chemical substances. To counteract this, cells rely on an elaborate network of repair mechanisms. When these systems fail, DNA damage can accumulate, impair cellular function, and contribute to cancer, aging, and degenerative diseases.

Multiple randomized clinical trials and electronic health record studies now show that metformin, a widely used and well-established medication, significantly reduces the risk of developing Long COVID when taken during or shortly after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. The findings were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

In the paper, the University of Minnesota Medical School research team provides information about metformin and summarizes several studies in low, standard and high risk populations

A short-term oat-based diet appears to be surprisingly effective at reducing the cholesterol level. This is indicated by a trial by the University of Bonn, which has been published in the journal Nature Communications. The participants suffered from a metabolic syndrome - a combination of high body weight, high blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose and blood lipid levels. They consumed a calorie-reduced diet, consisting almost exclusively of oatmeal, for two days.

Chemotherapy commonly damages the intestinal lining, a well-known side effect. But this injury does not remain confined to the gut. It reshapes nutrient availability for intestinal bacteria, forcing the microbiota to adapt.

The researchers report that chemotherapy-induced damage to the intestinal lining alters nutrient availability for gut bacteria, reshaping the microbiota and increasing the production of

A newly published perspective article in Nature Nanotechnology details groundbreaking nanoparticle technology to eliminate harmful, disease-causing proteins in the body. The technology marks a transformative leap in the potential to drug "undruggable" proteins, to treat diseases such as dementia and brain cancer.

The research was led by Chair Professor in Nanomedicine Bingyang Shi from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), together with international collaborators Professor Kam Leong from Columbia University, and Professor Meng Zheng from Henan University.