Scientists have long been puzzled by how maturing red blood cells manage to produce all the hemoglobin they need to carry oxygen to tissues, even after shedding the vital structures they need to produce it. Now, new University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) research has found a missing piece to the puzzle: In the final stages of their maturation, red blood cells can import heme, a crucial, iron-containing component of hemoglobin, from other cells. This surprising finding not only overturns long-standing assumptions about heme and red blood cells but could eventually lead to new therapies for inherited genetic blood disorders such as β-thalassemia.

A new type of chatbot could reliably help people decide what to do about their symptoms — and do so based on guidance that is both medically sound and easy to understand. Designed to improve self-triage, the chatbot could help reduce unnecessary hospital visits and ensure that those who need care seek it sooner.

Researchers at the UBC Faculty of Medicine have developed a new targeted cancer therapy that can precisely seek out and destroy tumour cells—showing strong results in preclinical studies that bring the breakthrough closer to human clinical trials. The therapy targets a protein called IL1RAP, found on the surface of certain cancer cells but largely absent from normal tissues. By linking a cancer-killing drug to an antibody that recognizes this protein, the team created an antibody-drug conjugate that delivers treatment directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues. In multiple models of Ewing sarcoma—a rare and aggressive cancer affecting children and young adults—the treatment eliminated established tumours and dramatically reduced the spread of cancer. Similar effects were seen in other cancers.