Scientists have developed a strategy to boost the cancer-fighting power of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the immune system’s first line of defence. NK cells can detect and destroy cancer cells, but tumours often create a protective barrier that blocks them, allowing cancer to grow.

Researchers at McGill University’s Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, found that suppressing two specific proteins helps NK cells overcome this blockage, turning them into more potent cancer killers.

By preserving tissue in its natural state, the technique reveals disease mechanisms that conventional methods can miss and helps identify more precise therapeutic targets.

Watkins-Conti Products, Inc. ("Watkins-Conti"), a company that develops innovative solutions for women's pelvic health, today announced the Company has added a second indication for its flagship product, the Yōni.Fit Bladder Support ("Yōni.Fit"). The new label expansion, the first of its kind, is for the collection of menstrual fluid and/or vaginal discharge in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Made in the United States from 100% medical-grade silicone, Yōni.Fit is a soft, flexible, self-administered vaginal insert. The device comes in six sizes and is available by prescription from a provider or online at yonifit.com.

Antibiotic resistance is worsening worldwide, and plasmid conjugation is a major way resistance genes spread. A new study in Engineering finds that cinnamic acid, a safe, common food additive, can block this transfer process. It works by disrupting bacterial energy metabolism and reducing ATP supply. Tests in lab conditions, gut bacteria, and mice all show positive effects without harming health or gut flora, offering a promising natural way to fight drug-resistant infections.

For the first time, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have demonstrated that Hodgkin lymphoma cancer cells from patient samples are immune cells stuck in an “identity crisis.” Normally, a B cell matures into a plasma cell that produces antibodies to fight infection, but in this case, the cells are trapped partway through the transition. They switch off key B cell features but never fully mature into functional plasma cells, instead surviving as malignant Hodgkin lymphoma cells, also called Reed-Sternberg cells.

Discover how obakulactone, a natural compound from Phellodendri cortex, eases rheumatoid arthritis symptoms! A new Engineering study uncovers it targets the ACOT1 protein, regulates fatty acid balance, curbs inflammation, and joint damage. It also rebalances immune cells, offering fresh hope for better rheumatoid arthritis treatments with a clear molecular mechanism.