Despite significant advancements in medicine, cancer remains a major health challenge and the leading cause of mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for continued research to identify robust biomarkers for the early detection, prognosis, and treatment across multiple cancer types.

Neutralizing antibodies that merely block receptor binding are losing ground against heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants. A new approach now exploits a llama-derived nanobody—VHH21—that does not just bind the spike (S) protein but actively tears the trimer apart within seconds. Bactrian camels were immunized with a cocktail of recombinant S proteins from ancestral and VOC strains, yielding a high-diversity VHH phage library. Multi-round biopanning and BLI screening singled out six nanomolar-affinity binders; VHH21, which spontaneously dimerizes, stood out by destroying 68 % of surface-immobilized S-trimers in 20 min, far outperforming ACE2 or conventional nanobodies.

The microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) of oocytes are essential for meiotic spindle assembly and for ensuring precise chromosome segregation. The detailed dynamic changes of MTOCs in germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes - a stage where early events of MTOC maturation happen - remain unclear. Recently, a study published in Science Bulletin explored the dynamics of MTOCs maturation in GV oocytes and disclosed the key factors involved in these processes. According to the investigation, MTOCs maturation is required for spindle assembly and may play an unrecognized role in oocyte aging.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Lee Ho Seong) has developed a diagnostic platform that amplifies the unique optical signals of molecules by more than a hundred million times, enabling the precise detection and quantification of trace amounts of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in body fluids.

North American river otters eat, play and defecate in the same place. But their terrible food hygiene make them ideal for detecting future health threats in the environment, according to scientists. In a new study published Aug. 14, Smithsonian scientists analyzed the otters’ diets and “latrine” habitats in the Chesapeake Bay for the first time. They discovered river otters often eat food riddled with parasites—and that may not be a bad thing for the larger ecosystem.