On November 10, 2025, International Open Medical Journal (IOMJ, eISSN 3069-0080) successfully held its Inaugural Asia-Pacific Editorial Board Meeting online. Over 60 experts from dozens of Chinese and international institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang University, Westlake University, Central South University, University of Cambridge, Peking University, and China Pharmaceutical University, gathered virtually. The meeting focused on the journal's positioning, development plan, operating model, and future initiatives, marking the launch of an English medical journal committed to high academic independence and benchmarking against top international publications.

A new study reveals that impaired brain fluid flow in regions opposite the tumor predicts shorter survival in glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Using advanced MRI techniques, researchers found that dysfunction of the brain’s clearance system, known as the glymphatic system, may worsen patient outcomes. These findings suggest that monitoring whole-brain fluid dynamics could help personalize treatments and identify new targets to restore brain health.

Understanding how the brain learns and applies rules is the key to unraveling the neural basis of flexible behavior. A new study from the University of Toyama, Japan, reveals that our ability to follow procedural rules is encoded in the evolving dynamics of neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, responsible for thousands of deaths each year; but early detection can dramatically increase survival rates. Now, scientists have developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model that can detect melanoma more accurately by combining skin images with patient metadata. The study achieved 94.5% accuracy, marking a breakthrough in AI-powered early detection of melanoma, thereby advancing smart healthcare systems.

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are emerging as a transformative tool in colorectal cancer (CRC) research, offering unparalleled insights into tumor biology, drug resistance, and personalized treatment approaches. These models, created by transplanting fresh human tumor tissue into immunodeficient mice, faithfully replicate the genetic, histological, and molecular features of the original tumors. As such, they serve as invaluable resources in the study of tumor heterogeneity and in the development of precision oncology.