EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Infectious Diseases

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we’re focusing on infectious diseases, a topic that affects lives and communities around the world. Here, you’ll find the latest research news, insights, and discoveries shaping how infectious diseases are being studied, prevented, and treated globally.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Oct-2026 12:17 ET (23-Oct-2026 16:17 GMT/UTC)

Researchers discover molecular mechanism that helps aggressive colorectal cancer to spread

University of Turku
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland and Gustave Roussy Institute in France have discovered a molecular mechanism that regulates whether the cells of an aggressive colorectal cancer are conventional or inverted when they spread in the body. The discovery can help identify patients who have an elevated risk that the cancer metastasises to the abdominal cavity. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications

Colorectal cancer screening could reduce mortality by over 40%

Karolinska Institutet
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People who take part in screening for colorectal cancer may have as much as 43 per cent lower risk of dying from the disease, according to new estimates published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University in Sweden. These findings are based on up to 14 years of follow-up data from the Stockholm–Gotland screening programme.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Mouth and gut microbes could help detect gastrointestinal cancers

Cell Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

It’s widely understood that the microbiome—especially microbes found in the mouth and the gut—can have a profound effect on health. In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell Host & Microbe on August 20, researchers report that by analyzing the make-up of oral microbes, they may be able to detect signals associated with gastric (stomach) and colorectal cancer. These findings could lead to the development of new, less-invasive screening tests for gastrointestinal cancers.

Journal: Cell Host & Microbe
Funder: National Research Foundation of Korea, Yonsei Signature Research Cluster Program

Colorectal cancer may quietly damage nerves prior to chemotherapy

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that, in preclinical models of colorectal cancer, tumors can start damaging peripheral nerves before chemotherapy begins. These findings suggest tumor-related inflammation and changes to fat metabolism could damage the protective coating around nerves, disrupting signals and potentially making them more vulnerable to treatment-induced peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage.

Journal: Nature Communications

Research alert: Study identifies previously missed DNA mutation pattern in colorectal cancer

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers identified a previously overlooked pattern of DNA mutations in colorectal cancer. The pattern had been detected in large cancer-genome datasets before, but researchers had interpreted it as a combination of other, already known mutation patterns.

Journal: Nature Communications

Colon cancer: How highly aggressive tumors evade the immune system

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the HI-STEM Stem Cell Institute have identified a previously unknown mechanism by which a particularly aggressive form of colon cancer evades the immune system. The findings show that the activation of a key signaling pathway helps cancer cells suppress the immune system, thereby promoting the development of malignant tumors.

Journal: Gastroenterology

New mechanistic insights into the role of inflammatory molecules in cancer progression

Juntendo University Research Promotion Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

While cancer cells acquire malignant traits through epigenetic remodeling, it remains unclear how immune-derived inflammatory factors regulate the epigenetics of colorectal cancer cells. Now, researchers have discovered that the interleukin-26 produced by exhausted T cells can reprogram the cancer cell epigenome, promoting immune evasion. These findings provide new insights into the complex landscape of cancer immunotherapy and highlight potential opportunities to improve future treatment strategies.

Journal: Nature Communications

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