For decades, scientists have understood proteins primarily through two defining features: their amino acid sequence and their three-dimensional structure. This framework has driven major advances in biology, biotechnology, and medicine, culminating in recent artificial intelligence tools capable of predicting protein structures with remarkable accuracy. Yet a fundamental challenge remains: even when a protein's sequence and structure are known, predicting its function, interactions, and behavior often remains difficult. An international team of researchers from Japan, Finland, Italy, and the United States now reports evidence that part of this missing information may lie in an often-overlooked component of proteins: the highly organized water surrounding them. In a study accepted for publication in Nature Communications, the team provides the first direct three-dimensional visualization of sequence-dependent hydration architectures surrounding peptide assemblies at sub-nanometer resolution using advanced three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM). The findings reveal that water near peptide and protein surfaces is not simply a passive solvent. Instead, it forms highly organized, multilayered structures whose organization is dictated by the underlying amino acid sequence and surface chemistry. These hydration architectures extend multiple layers from the peptide surface and contain distinct structural signatures associated with hydrophobic, polar, aromatic, and charged amino acid residues. 

Developmental disorders, including autism, entail challenges in social life; as the number of affected individuals has risen, this has become a significant societal concern. Using a mouse model, we demonstrate that a mutation in CHD8, a gene associated with autism spectrum disorder, causes abnormal differentiation of ventral progenitor cells, leading to autistic-like behavior in adulthood. This should lead to the elucidation of mechanisms underlying autism onset during brain development and to the advancement of therapeutics.

Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), and Tianjin Medical University General Hospital have developed a bioinspired lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that can deliver gene-editing machinery to the liver and reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, commonly known as “bad” cholesterol.

Hematopoietic stem cells can transform into any type of blood cell. However, this ability declines as we age. Recent research at Tohoku University uses AI to guide their deep dive into understanding which genes cause aging in stem cells. 

Embracing the transformational potential of new molecular profiling and artificial-intelligence-based data processing technologies on clinical and scientific innovation, Weill Cornell Medicine has created a new research department, the Department of Systems and Computational Biomedicine. Dr. Dan Landau, an internationally recognized cancer researcher and geneticist whose pioneering advances include single-cell-profiling technology innovation and an artificial intelligence-powered liquid biopsy for detecting tumor DNA in blood, will serve as the department’s inaugural chair, effective Sept. 1.

An initiative led by UC Davis Health helped pediatric clinics across the country dramatically improve adolescent behavioral health screening.

New research revealing how blood cancer evades both BTK inhibitors and BTK degraders; a new AI platform that will help expand cancer discovery and advance precision medicine; new ACCESS study findings that point to broader stem cell donor options for blood cancer patients, and more are in this month's tip sheet.

USC researchers have developed flexible MRI sensors that can be customized to individual patients and 3D-printed in less than 10 minutes for about $30. In testing, the sensors produced roughly four times greater image contrast than standard commercial versions.