The Japan Science and Technology Agency has selected winners for the fourth Marie Sklodowska Curie Award for young female researchers together with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. The award honors Marie Sklodowska’s great contribution and achievements to the development of science and technology across the world, and will inspire more active participation in this field by Japanese female researchers.

A cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) model developed at Institute of Science Tokyo is transforming lung cancer diagnosis—no high-powered graphics processing unit (GPU) servers needed! Led by Professor Kenji Suzuki of the Biomedical AI Research Unit, the team applied ultra-lightweight deep learning to make AI-driven diagnostic tools more accessible, paving the way for low-cost, high-impact solutions.A cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) model developed at Institute of Science Tokyo is transforming lung cancer diagnosis—no high-powered graphics processing unit (GPU) servers needed! Led by Professor Kenji Suzuki of the Biomedical AI Research Unit, the team applied ultra-lightweight deep learning to make AI-driven diagnostic tools more accessible, paving the way for low-cost, high-impact solutions.

Werner syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder that causes premature aging and serious complications. In the first clinical trial of its kind, researchers from Japan with the company Niagen Bioscience, investigated the effects of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a vitamin B3 derivative, in patients with WS. NR supplementation significantly improved cardiovascular health, reduced skin ulcer area, and slowed kidney function decline—offering promising therapeutic potential for a disease that currently lacks effective treatment.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers observed medaka raised in a close-to-natural environment for 24 hours straight and found out when the fish’s spawning and courtship behavior peaked.

Organoids, lab-grown 3D miniatures derived from patient tumors, are shedding new light on why some esophageal cancers resist chemotherapy. Researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) used these organoids to pinpoint the molecular drivers of resistance and identified fedratinib as a potential drug. Their findings offer fresh hope for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer, by paving the way for more effective, personalized therapies.