A Baylor College of Medicine-led team has developed a strategy that combines the analysis of thousands of proteins with artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate the discovery of small molecules called ‘molecular glues’ to treat disease. Their novel approach has uncovered a new class of molecular glues that can potentially neutralize harmful proteins that have been linked to blood cancers and autoimmune diseases. The work also shows how AI-based structural modeling can guide chemists early for compound optimization, well before experiments reveal how a compound works.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that moderate-intensity exercise alters circulating extracellular vesicles in ways that promote cartilage health and tissue resillence, identifying microRNA-29 as a key mediator that improved characteristics of aged cartilage cells and reduced signs of joint degeneration. Published in Nature Aging, the findings provide new insight into how exercise protects joints and could inform future osteoarthritis treatments designed to reproduce exercise’s beneficial biological effects for patients who cannot exercise sufficiently.