Scientists from NTU Singapore have developed a new RNA-delivery platform based on liquid peptide microdroplets. In a preclinical study, these patent-pending microdroplets delivered siRNA into human immune cells and colorectal cancer cells, disrupting a “molecular handshake” between them from inside the cells. In mice with a hard-to-treat colorectal cancer model, the combined treatment reduced tumour growth by about 67 per cent, comparable with the gold-standard monoclonal antibody treatment used as the study benchmark. The new drug delivery platform can concentrate large RNA payloads and is being developed as a possible alternative to conventional lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The researchers estimate that, if successfully scaled, such siRNA-based treatment could be up to 10 times cheaper to manufacture than monocloal antibodies, potentially leading to lower treatment costs.

The new method, as well as allowing study of individuals, also reduces the potential for louse faecal contamination. It allows collection of high-quality samples from a single louse per test, with substantial yields of secretory proteins per louse.

Geobacter sulfurreducens derives energy from elemental sulfur, but the molecular mechanism has remained unknown. Researchers at Ritsumeikan University identified MccSep, a novel selenium-containing multiheme enzyme that functions as a polysulfide reductase. Through genetic, structural, and biochemical analyses, they proposed a unique selenium–sulfur–heme catalytic mechanism underlying sulfur respiration. The findings advance understanding of microbial sulfur metabolism and may inspire environmental biocatalysts while revealing the potential of recoded bacterial stop codons to uncover novel enzymes. 

Researchers have identified a previously unrecognised mathematical property that explains why one of evolutionary biology's most widely used statistical models can produce convincing but incorrect conclusions. They also offer a practical way to recognise and avoid this problem.

The Primate Society of Great Britain (PSGB) has announced that Sir Stephen Fry will become its new Patron. 

AI BioDesign harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and experimental biology to design, engineer, and build novel biological molecules to solve challenges in human health and society.

European Research Council funds University College Dublin projects that will help protect critical groundwater resources and improve the design of preclinical models for drug discovery.