We all look different to HIV, a virus that destroys the immune system. The defensive cells record every interaction with foreign agents, infections from viruses and bacteria, but also with mechanisms occurring within the body, such as microbiome metabolism, the effects of aging, or the development of diseases. At a preconference session at the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025), scientists explained the interactions of different microorganisms with HIV.

After a 10-year project and a £60 million (US$80 million) investment, the UK Biobank has completed the whole body scans of 100,000 volunteers and is making the 1 billion images available for researchers worldwide.

While people living with HIV can lead virtually normal lives thanks to antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV persists in a latent state within cellular reservoirs that scientists do not know how to eliminate. “Transcription is a critical step in the viral life cycle. … But there are currently no drugs suppressing HIV transcription, and that may be one of the reasons why current antiretroviral therapy is not curative,” Melanie Ott told the audience at the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science this week in Kigali, Rwanda.

The switch will be flicked today to make the world’s largest dementia-related proteomics dataset freely available to researchers, at the same time as members of the consortium which compiled it publish the proteomics signatures of major neurodegenerative diseases that they uncovered in a first trawl of the data.

An experimental drug for treating diabetes and obesity has been shown to lower blood sugar levels and increase fat burning. It is a β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonist that mimics the effects of physical exercise by activating skeletal muscle metabolism. Unlike GLP-1-based treatments such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, this new compound, developed by researchers at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm University, and the biotech company Atrogi AB, does not suppress appetite or cause muscle loss. 

In recognition of the fact that diversity, equity and inclusion are necessary prerequisites for precision medicine, the European Academy of Neurology announced the launch of a DEI Hub at its 11th Congress, which is being held in Helsinki through June 24.

At the 11th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, which was held in Helsinki June 21 to June 24, researchers presented new data on using CAR T cells in autoimmune neurological conditions.

In recognition of the fact that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are necessary prerequisites for precision medicine, the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) announced the launch of a DEI Hub at its 11th Congress, which is being held in Helsinki through June 24. “We know now that when we talk about personalized medicine, we have to understand that talking about stroke, for example, in a woman is different than talking about stroke in a man,” EAN president Elena Moro told the audience at the opening session of the conference.

The Alphafold machine learning system for predicting a protein’s structure from its amino acid sequence has been adapted to make it possible to design de novo proteins that fold in a particular way and bind to prespecified target proteins. The sister system, called Alphadesign, works by generating random strings of amino acids, using Alphafold to predict their structure, and then iteratively optimizing the design.

Is fecal microbiota transplant effective? Is it really safe? And is it really all the same? Scientists at the University of Chicago have investigated the regional differences in gut environments to question these interventions.