The Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth is a hub for world-leading research into low-grade tumours including low-grade glioma, meningioma, and schwannoma. Renewed funding from the charity Brain Tumour Research will enable scientists to deepen their understanding of how these tumours develop and translate that knowledge into life-changing therapies.

The Family Heart Foundation, a leading research and advocacy organization, published new research in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology revealing significant gaps in cholesterol management during 2022-23 among U.S. adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Findings show that only 13% of adults with ASCVD were meeting three key components of optimal low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) management, including receiving guideline-recommended therapy, consistently taking the therapy, and reaching an LDL-C level less than 70 mg/dL. According to the study, many factors contributed to this gap, including the low usage of non-statin therapies to treat LDL-C in high-risk patients.

Researchers at Okayama University have developed a novel photochemical macrolactonization that converts hydroxyaldehydes into macrolactones (ring sizes 7–21) using in-situ generated acyl bromide intermediates under purple LED light. This radical light-driven method bypasses conventional activating agents and opens a versatile, efficient pathway for constructing complex natural product frameworks—a promising advance for drug discovery and macrolide synthesis.

With a new $2.3 million, four-year grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, part of the National Institutes of Health, researchers at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC are developing tools and techniques for gathering high-quality brain function data during during parent-child interactions.

New study examines the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and suggests its influence may extend beyond dental tissues. Researchers investigated whether Pg-driven periapical lesions, localized dental issues, can trigger wider metabolic disturbances through an IL-17–intense inflammatory response. Using sham-controlled mouse models without oral colonization, the researchers compared mice with and without Pg colonization to assess how IL-17 drives both tissue damage and impaired glucose regulation. The study examines whether chronic periapical infections subtly shape metabolic health and whether targeting IL-17 could offer unexpected systemic benefits.

The first study to examine the extent of European ancestry biases in gene maps reveals tens of thousands of genetic instructions in people from populations in Africa, Asia and the Americas that have been invisble to date, including possible products of entirely new genes yet to be discovered. Some of the new transcripts belong to genes already linked to conditions that differ between ancestries, leaving potentially important insights into disease risk hidden from view and highlighting inequity in genomics research.