A Wits-led study published in the prestigious journal Nature has added whole-genome data from more than 1,000 people across nine African countries to global science, significantly expanding understanding of human genetic diversity. The research, led through the Assessing Genetic Diversity in Africa (AGenDA) project, is expected to uncover millions of novel genetic variants, improving how diseases such as cancer, mental illness, diabetes and heart disease are studied, predicted and treated.

By focusing on African populations historically underrepresented in genomic research, the project strengthens genome-wide association studies and provides a model for African-led data governance, ethical data sharing and community partnership. The findings will contribute to more accurate genetic research and precision medicine for African populations and beyond.

Smartwatches with both PPG and ECG functionality improve the detection of atrial fibrillation in comparison with standard care. Researchers from Amsterdam UMC analysed the data from 437 patients and detected heart arrythmia four times more often in those who wore an Apple Watch. These results are published today in JACC (Journal of the American College of Cardiology).

A recent review by a collaborative team from Sun Yat-sen University and Jinan University systematically summarizes the latest advances in biomacromolecule-loaded microneedles for treating various major diseases. The article details the design of functional microneedles with specific structures to overcome drug delivery barriers in the skin, heart, and blood vessels, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes. It also discusses key challenges in industrial-scale manufacturing and clinical translation, proposing forward-looking solutions.

Australians undergoing open-heart surgery could soon benefit from safer, simpler care and get home earlier thanks to the results of a world-first clinical trial led by Monash University’s Victorian Heart Institute.

A multi-institutional study led by the University of California, Davis, finds that living in urban areas with a higher percentage of visible trees is associated with a 4% decrease in cardiovascular disease. By comparison, living in urban areas with a higher percentage of grass was associated with a 6% increase in cardiovascular disease. Likewise, a higher rate of other types of green space, like bushes or shrubs, was associated with a 3% increase in cardiovascular disease. The new research was published in Environmental Epidemiology.

Having an ischemic stroke during pregnancy or three months after pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack or second stroke, heart disease and depression later in life. The new study is published on January 21, 2026, in Neurology^®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke. It occurs when a clot or blockage reduces blood flow to the brain, depriving it of oxygen and nutrients.

Nitric oxide is a therapeutic gas that researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, helped establish as a life-saving therapy for hundreds of thousands of newborns with congenital heart disease. Nearly 30 years later, investigators from the same laboratory at Mass General Brigham report that high-dose inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) demonstrates potential antimicrobial activity in preclinical models and is safe and feasible in early human studies, supporting further clinical investigation. The findings are published in Science Translational Medicine.

Researchers have devised a new therapy for metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH) that generates CAR T cells in the body that target proteins responsible for fibrosis – and show that these cells can reduce liver fibrosis in mice. Their experiments take in vivo CAR T cell therapies one step closer to clinical translation, and with further work, could address the large gap in therapies for fibrotic liver disorders. MASH is a severe form of fatty liver disease that involves liver inflammation, fibrosis, tissue damage, and a higher risk of liver cancer. Fibrosis is the main driver of deaths in patients with MASH, as it stiffens tissues and severely impairs the organ’s overall function. Although there aren’t any therapies that can reverse fibrosis, researchers theorize that clearing out profibrotic hepatic stellate cells could help. One approach involves CAR T cells, which are mainly used against cancer but can also be designed to deplete noncancerous cells. However, traditional CAR T cells that are created in a lab aren’t suitable, as they persist for a long time and could deplete noncancerous cells excessively. Chittampalli Yashaswini and colleagues instead turned to in vivo CAR T cell generation, which has previously been tested against heart fibrosis. They designed lipid nanoparticles to ferry mRNA that instructs the body to produce CAR molecules specific to T cells. These in vivo-generated CAR T cells then target a protein named FAP that’s expressed on hepatic stellate cells. When given to mice with MASH, the nanoparticles generated anti-FAP CAR T cells that successfully targeted hepatic stellate cells. The CAR T cells also calmed inflammatory and fibrotic pathways in other cell types, such as immune and endothelial cells, leading to reduced fibrosis. “These findings highlight the potential of in vivo CAR T therapy to attenuate a highly morbid and pervasive liver disease, not only by directly reducing fibrosis but also through indirect effects on other cell types,” the authors conclude.

For reporters interested in trends, a January 2022 paper in Science used lipid nanoparticles to generate CAR T cells in vivo to treat heart fibrosis and restore heart function in mice: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm0594