Oligonucleotide synthesis is fundamental to genetic analysis, biological research, and nucleic acid therapeutics. However, current methods rely on moisture-sensitive building blocks and require a dedicated oxidation step with each chain elongation, making it operationally complex. To address this, researchers from Japan have developed a new approach using phosphorofluoridate building blocks, enabling efficient oxidation-free oligonucleotide synthesis. This advance simplifies the synthetic workflow, offering a faster and more reliable platform for nucleotide chemistry.

Beyond the gut and skin microbiota, a world of persistent intracellular microbes resides within human tissues. A new review introduces the concept of PIEM—persistent intracellular extraintestinal microbes—to describe these residents. Using human cytomegalovirus as a model, the authors propose that PIEMs act as systemic "tuning devices," calibrating immune, vascular, and metabolic baselines. The review also highlights circulating viral miRNAs as a liquid biopsy window for monitoring PIEM activity, opening directions for precision medicine.

Researchers have developed LorMe, an R-based framework that integrates complex microbiome workflows into a unified, standardized, and reproducible analytical framework. The framework enables researchers to perform community profiling, differential tax identification, and microbial network analyses through a streamlined workflow, supporting more consistent and reproducible microbiome studies.