Although lung cancer is often linked to environmental exposures and acquired mutations, some patients develop multiple independent tumors, suggesting a potential role for inherited genetic susceptibility. While the contribution of germline pathogenic variants (GPVs) in several tumors is studied, their significance in lung cancer remains unknown. Now, researchers have explored the genetic basis of multiple primary lung cancers, offering  insights into novel BRCA2 GPVs which could serve as targets for therapeutic strategies.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem proudly congratulates two of its outstanding researchers on receiving prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept Grants for 2026. The grants support ERC-funded researchers in translating groundbreaking discoveries into innovative applications, technologies, and services with real-world impact.

A research team led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has revealed how the genome is reorganised in 3D during male germ cell formation in vertebrates, leading to important new insights in understanding how biodiversity is generated and maintained. The article, published in Nature Communications, analyses species with a common origin dating back over 350 million years.

During embryonic development, cells with biochemically distinct ends – called polarised cells – organise into distinct patterns based on their orientation. Using theoretical physics approaches and quantitative experiments, scientists have shown how the shape of tissue boundaries determines these patterns. They found that specific features in these patterns – called topological defects – determine where the proamniotic cavity, an important structure for embryonic development, forms. This research identifies fundamental principles that govern how order and functional structures emerge inside complex biological systems.

Cricket mothers transmit environmental information that determines embryonic developmental timing. Researchers have demonstrated that entry into developmental arrest is controlled by an integrated program of transcriptional, epigenetic, and metabolic reprogramming. Their study uncovers a system-level mechanism linking environmental cues to embryonic fate.

A formal model recently published in the open-access Agricultural and Environmental Modelling journal describes the development of APODEMUS, which aims to improve risk assessments of pesticides for the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) in European agricultural landscapes. This computer simulation provides a foundational blueprint and a tool aimed at helping regulators accurately test the environmental safety of agricultural pesticides by simulating how they affect wild animal populations.

Actinobacteria TFDB is an integrated database for Actinobacteria transcription factors (TFs). The platform provides a one-stop resource for analyzing TF characteristics, target genes, ligands, and posttranslational modifications to advance microbiology and synthetic biology research.

Researchers have developed a programmable genome evolution platform called RAMPAGE that rapidly generates beneficial mutations in the industrial yeast Pichia pastoris. The technology enabled the evolution of strains that tolerate extremely high methanol concentrations, grow at elevated temperatures, and overcome growth defects caused by glycoengineering. The platform could accelerate the development of more robust microbial cell factories for sustainable biomanufacturing.