A new study in Nature shows that delivering a single injection of gene therapy at birth may offer years-long protection against HIV, tapping into a critical window in early life that could reshape the fight against pediatric infections in high-risk regions.

Liver cancer cells thrive on fat, posing a serious risk of cancer diagnosis for millions of people living with fatty liver disease. But researchers at McMaster University in collaboration with Espervita Therapeutics have developed a promising new treatment that helps the immune system attack and destroy these tumours.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), and Utrecht University have found the first direct evidence that common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumors. The findings published today in Nature, obtained in mice, were supported by research showing increases in death and in metastatic lung disease among cancer survivors infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

This review elucidates the specific roles of the above mechanisms in the development of obesity-associated cancers at different sites, and outline intervention strategies to prevent obesity-associated cancers.

Researchers review controversial effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. While some studies show improved cancer outcomes, others reveal no benefit or adverse effects, highlighting the complex relationship between gut bacteria and cancer treatment success.

 

Brazilian researchers develop precision tool that can predict immunotherapy treatment failure, with the potential to personalize therapies and reduce healthcare costs.

Researchers discovered immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)—revolutionary cancer drugs—significantly increase the risk of cholestasis, a rare bile buildup that damages the liver. Younger patients (<65) and those receiving anti-PD-1 drugs face higher risk. Women develop symptoms earlier than men. Rigorous liver monitoring is urged.

This review systematically analyzes computational frameworks that integrate multi-omics data (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) to transform antagonistic drug interactions into synergistic combinations. By evaluating AI-driven models like AuDNNsynergy and DrugComboRanker, it demonstrates how these tools optimize cancer therapies, overcoming drug resistance and improving efficacy while reducing experimental screening burdens.

This review critically assesses the influence of intratumoral microbial metabolites on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and immunotherapy, which are comprehensively examined in regulating immune responses and tumor progression. Furthermore, we investigate the potential of these metabolites to augment the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies, with particular emphasis on immune checkpoint inhibitors.

A current study by the German Familial Colorectal Cancer Consortium is looking at the question of which people with Lynch syndrome are at an increased risk of developing a second colorectal cancer. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the University of Leipzig have now published their findings in the journal "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology".