News from China
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 5-Nov-2025 15:11 ET (5-Nov-2025 20:11 GMT/UTC)
Genetic screening could cut 33% of global cardiovascular deaths
BGI GenomicsCardiovascular diseases (CVD) cause about one in three deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 19.8 million CVD deaths in 2022, roughly 32% of all deaths. Care remains reactive and generic.
AI-powered integration of multi-omics and genomic data improves risk prediction and speeds diagnosis beyond traditional tools, study shows. With the support of advanced genetic technology, clinician can choose the right therapy to the right person, thus easing the burden on patients and health systems.
From Petri dish to patient care: organoids bring personalized cancer therapy closer
China Anti-Cancer AssociationPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Cancer Biology & Medicine
Genetic newborn screening improves case detection: 1 in 500 more affected infants identified
BGI GenomicsAtom-precise agriculture: The future of eco-friendly crop protection
Science China PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Scientists have reinvented a 19th-century pesticide breakthrough for modern agriculture. While copper-based bactericides like Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate + lime) revolutionized crop protection in 1885, their heavy metal pollution and plant toxicity remain unresolved. Now, researchers apply cutting-edge single-atom material technology to create Cu1/CaCO3, a next-gen copper bactericide where isolated copper atoms are anchored on calcium carbonate. This atomic-level design delivers the same powerful disease protection while reducing copper residue by 20-fold and minimizing plant damage. More than just a new pesticide, this advancement bridges advanced materials science with sustainable agriculture, offering a blueprint for developing eco-friendly crop protection solutions that address both efficacy and environmental concerns.
- Journal
- Science Bulletin
Nobel Laureate David Baltimore reviews NF-κB research: Mastering cell fate, regulating health and disease
Immunity & InflammationPeer-Reviewed Publication
Professor Alexander Hoffmann and Genhong Cheng from University of California, Los Angeles, jointly with Professor David Baltimore from California Institute of Technology, published a review article in the newly launched journal Immunity & Inflammation. This article provides a systematic overview of NF-κB, covering its activation mechanisms, gene regulatory networks, physiological and pathological roles. It also summarizes recent advances in therapeutic strategies targeting NF-κB, offering a critical foundation for deeper understanding the pathway’s functions and mechanisms.
Unfolded Protein Response pathway offers new targets to treat bone weakness in cancer patients
Editorial Office of West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a protective pathway that helps cells manage stress during protein production. Cancer cells exploit this system to survive harsh tumor environments. In bones, they also disrupt the balance of bone-building and bone-resorbing cells, leading to skeletal fragility. Emerging therapies that target the UPR show promise in restoring bone health while selectively killing malignant cells, offering new hope for patients with cancer-associated bone disease.
- Journal
- Bone Research
Spatio-temporal characteristics of the 8.2 and 4.2 ka BP climate events in the East Asian summer monsoon region recorded by stalagmite δ¹⁸O data
Science China PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
By integrating 13 published speleothem δ¹⁸O records from the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) region, this study systematically analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of the 8.2 (8.7–7.7) and 4.2 (4.7–3.7) ka BP abrupt climate events. The results indicate that both the temporal resolution and geographical location significantly affect the ability of the stalagmite δ¹⁸O sequences to record the 8.2 and 4.2 ka BP events. During the 8.2 ka BP event, δ¹⁸O records from both northern and southern sites showed pronounced positive excursions, whereas during the 4.2 ka BP event, δ¹⁸O records from the north and south exhibited contrasting patterns. These findings provide important evidence for understanding the mechanisms of abrupt climate change and for assessing regional climate sensitivity. The related results were published in Science China: Earth Sciences, Issue 9, 2025.
- Journal
- Science China Earth Sciences
New study decodes how tumor “stress droplets” fuel resistance—and how to shut them down
Science China PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
A Science China Life Sciences study reveals that glioblastoma (GBM) hijacks oxygen-deprived conditions by forming nuclear “stress droplets” that activate the enzyme PRMT2, fueling tumor survival independently of the classic HIF pathway. Blocking PRMT2’s phosphorylation with the orphan drug TG02 dismantles these droplets and—when combined with standard chemotherapy temozolomide—restores drug sensitivity, dramatically shrinking tumors and extending survival in resistant mouse models.
- Journal
- Science China Life Sciences
Comprehensive metagenomic survey reveals vast gut microbiome diversity and antibiotic resistome across 14 mammal species on the Tibetan Plateau
Science China PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
A large-scale metagenomic study of 2,561 gut samples from 14 mammal species on the Tibetan Plateau reconstructed 112,313 metagenome-assembled genomes representing 21,902 microbial species (86% unclassified) and identified 8,598 nonredundant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) spanning 28 types. The authors report 334 high-risk ARGs and seven cross-species horizontal gene transfer events involving high-risk ARGs, including three transfers between humans and nonhuman mammals. Additionally, the abundance of ARGs in human gut microbiomes on the Tibetan Plateau was greater than that in those from eastern China, Europe, and the United States, whereas the abundance of ARGs in livestock gut microbiomes from the Tibetan Plateau was lower than that in livestock gut microbiomes from those regions. This study reveals that the gut microbiota of Tibetan Plateau mammals is a largely unexplored resource and a significant reservoir of ARGs, offering crucial insights into microbiome research and demonstrating potential public health implications.
- Journal
- Science China Life Sciences
- Funder
- Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) program