science
DFCP1 Forms a Membrane Barrier That Organises Lysosome Repair Sites
A bioRxiv preprint reports that DFCP1 assembles into a helical coat that concentrates the membrane lipid PI3P and helps organise sites where cells repair damaged lysosomes.
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biomedical-research
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the biomedical-research desk.
science
SPEAR maps RNA modifications in glioma tissue at microscopic scale
A bioRxiv preprint reports SPEAR, a method combining laser microdissection and mass spectrometry to measure RNA modifications in small regions of preserved tissue. In human diffuse glioma samples, the authors found lower levels of several methylated RNA modifications in higher-grade foci than in low-grade regions.
health
Intero Biosystems presents human intestinal organoids for drug testing
Intero Biosystems describes GastroScreen, a platform of human iPSC-derived intestinal organoids for preclinical drug and disease studies. The company says the models combine several intestinal cell types and support functional assays.
science
Researchers build TriComm, a continuous-culture model of plasmid resistance
A bioRxiv preprint describes TriComm, a three-strain microbial community maintained in continuous culture to study plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance. The authors report that resistance plasmids protected the community from collapse under antimicrobial treatment, with protection depending on plasmid transfer.
science
Brain charts map sex-specific structural trajectories from before birth to age 100
A bioRxiv preprint reports sex-specific reference charts for 296 structural brain measures, built from imaging data from 59,915 healthy people aged from 266 days after conception to 100 years. The authors found differences in when measures reached peak milestones and reported improved prediction compared with charts that pooled sexes.
science
Biohub Expands Virtual Biology Initiative With $1.8 Billion Commitment
Biohub, US federal agencies and industry partners announced a combined $1.8 billion commitment to develop open, AI-ready biological data and measurement technologies. The initiative aims to support predictive models of cell behaviour; the announcement describes planned work, not a completed virtual cell.
health
Study maps four genomic groups in mucosal melanoma
A bioRxiv preprint reports four genomic subtypes of mucosal melanoma and immune-cell patterns associated with disease progression and immunotherapy resistance. The findings point to TIM-3 as a possible research target, not an established treatment.
science
Study finds rescue transcript rankings can overstate gene-specific evidence
A bioRxiv preprint analysing a PLP1-mutant Jimpy brain dataset finds that normalization choices and shared controls can affect which genes appear to move toward healthy levels after a rescue. The authors say such transcriptomic patterns can indicate broad state restoration without identifying which downstream gene mediates it.
health
AlphaGenome Variant Score Identifies a High-Ranking Subset of Uncertain Variants
A bioRxiv preprint reports a ClinVar-derived AlphaGenome Variant Impact quantile cutoff of 0.9938 for prioritising single-nucleotide variants. Nearly half of the uncertain variants assessed exceeded that threshold, but the result is a prioritisation signal, not a clinical reclassification.
health
Preprint reports lenalidomide-triggered safety switch for engineered T cells
A bioRxiv preprint describes a genetic switch that uses lenalidomide to trigger the death of engineered human T cells, including CAR T cells. The work reports preclinical cell experiments, not clinical testing.
health
Preprint links Clec18a to a brake on early immune responses
A bioRxiv preprint reports that Clec18a dampened inflammatory responses in cell and mouse experiments. The authors propose that it acts through Mincle, TRPM7-dependent calcium entry and the enzyme Cbl.
health
Lupus preprint finds anti-SDMA antibodies in 30–40% of patients
A bioRxiv preprint reports anti-SDMA autoantibodies in 30–40% of people with systemic lupus erythematosus. In a separate validation cohort of 201 patients, antibody levels correlated with disease-activity scores and complement levels.
health
HBV promoter mutation boosts replication in mice and marks distinct HCC profiles
A bioRxiv preprint reports that a hepatitis B virus basal core promoter mutation increased viral activity in human-hepatocyte chimeric mice, with effects that varied by viral genotype. Analysis of human liver-tumour datasets also found distinct gene-expression profiles associated with the mutation.
science
Preprint Reports DNA Evidence Supporting Jefferson–Sally Hemings Paternity
A bioRxiv preprint reports that DNA recovered from museum hair samples attributed to Thomas Jefferson supports his direct paternity of children descended from Sally Hemings. The study compares inherited DNA shared with known and putative descendants and remains a preprint.
science
Mouse study separates cholinergic neuron pathology from drug action in dystonia
A bioRxiv preprint in a DYT-TOR1A mouse model links striatal cholinergic interneuron pathology to abnormal movements while showing that antimuscarinic drugs can act without those neurons being present. The findings separate a developmental role for the neurons from the circuit mechanism through which the drugs suppress movements.
health
Preprint maps melanoma immunotherapy response in 2D and 3D
A bioRxiv preprint uses spatial multi-omics and 3D imaging to map melanoma tumours treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The study links organised immune structures, including tertiary lymphoid structures and germinal centres, with treatment response and disease-free survival.
health
Defect-Engineered Graphene Enables Direct Cortisol Detection
A bioRxiv preprint describes a receptor-free electrochemical method for detecting cortisol using a defect-engineered graphene interface and a time-resolved measurement strategy. The researchers report low-nanomolar detection in artificial and biological interstitial fluids, supporting future work on continuous cortisol monitoring.
science
Preprint proposes a more sensitive glycan analysis method
A University of Gothenburg preprint models glycan motifs as a containment hierarchy rather than independent features. Across 45 glycomics datasets, the authors report more estimated true positives and identify motif redistributions that conventional marginal analysis misses.
science
Preventing Unc13a cryptic splicing preserves memory in mice with TDP-43 dysfunction
Genetic ablation of the Unc13a cryptic exon preserved memory in a mouse model of TDP-43 dysfunction, supporting UNC13A as a therapeutic target for related dementias.
science
Preprint links 850-nm near-infrared light to lower glucose
A bioRxiv preprint reports that people in windowless offices exposed to desk lamps supplemented with 850-nm near-infrared light had reduced glucose measurements over a three-day experiment, while standard LED exposure was associated with increased levels. The study used an oral glucose tolerance test and continuous glucose monitoring.
science
Six-base sequencing profiles neural-cell DNA in cerebrospinal fluid
A bioRxiv preprint reports using six-base sequencing to analyse DNA modifications in cell-free DNA released by neural cells into cerebrospinal fluid. The authors say the approach could support liquid-biopsy research into neurodegenerative disease.