Australian researchers have identified a previously overlooked population of immune cells in the skin that physically restrain melanoma growth by engulfing live melanoma cells, and the discovery could reshape thinking around macrophage-targeted cancer therapies and innate immunity in oncology.

WAVES, an algorithm designed to extract menstrual-cycle metrics from physiological signals such as basal body temperature, which oscillates with sex hormones, shows how different parameters change with age and helps determine whether each person maintains a stable individual pattern or personal footprint. A study based on data from 5,674 cycles from 753 women demonstrates through this tool that age is associated with higher temperatures, shorter cycles, and greater irregularity. In addition, several metrics show within-person stability, suggesting they could serve as personalized health markers.

Researchers at UCLA have shown that divergent neuronal signaling in fragile X mice converges on EPAC2, a druggable target whose inhibition restores circuit activity and alleviates core behavioral impairments.

A new strategy aims to improve gene therapy for Pompe disease by optimizing both the genetic component that restores the function of a deficient lysosomal enzyme and the vector that delivers it to the target tissue while avoiding the liver. The findings suggest that combining an optimized transgene with a targeted capsid could significantly enhance the effectiveness of gene therapy for Pompe disease.

There are real world demonstrations of how autonomous artificial intelligence agents are poised to disrupt biomedical research, according to two papers published May 19 in Nature. Each describes an AI system that assists across the piece, from generating hypotheses to designing experiments, analyzing the data and refining hypotheses in the light of new data.

On Sunday, May 17th, 2026, the World Health Organization classified the ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The rapid escalation to PHEIC is due to several factors. Given the high number of cases, the outbreak has likely been going undetected for some time, and may be a “much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant local and regional risk of spread,” according to the WHO statement. The outbreak appears to already have crossed the border from the DRC into Uganda at least twice. And all this is happening with a virus for which there are no approved treatments or vaccines.

Directed evolution has become a central pillar in gene therapy. This engineering strategy enables the generation of more efficient variants of genetic editors and delivery vectors. Molecular diversification methods are increasingly sophisticated and are now accelerated by machine learning and AI tools, as showcased at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) held in Boston this week.

Gene therapies rely on vectors to reach the target tissue where they act, such as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) or lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), among other delivery strategies. Each combination is optimized for a specific cell type and indication, aiming to overcome challenges such as efficacy, specificity and toxicity. On May 13, 2026, two sessions included in the scientific symposia of the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), being held in Boston this week, addressed AAV-related toxicities, which have led to fatal cases in clinical trials and remain an area for improvement in approved therapies.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is not a new concept, but it is a novel strategy in the field of gene and cell therapy. While mRNA vaccines have revolutionized medicine, this RNA fragment without free ends surpasses their performance in both efficacy and durability, bringing it to the attention of several pioneering companies. The latest advances in circRNA presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) clearly surpass the performance achieved with linear mRNA.

A designed chimeric virus induced broadly neutralizing antibodies against the macaque equivalent of HIV. The strategy works in two steps: first it uses an envelope protein with a mutation that reduces the glycan shield that makes it invisible to the immune system, and then it exposes the part of the protein most likely to generate these antibodies capable of blocking many variants of the virus. The macaques developed potent and diverse antibodies with this approach, which pave the way for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine.