The three-dimensional analysis of cell types and their locations by spatial transcriptomics provides key information of their interactions within tissues or organs. Based on this technology, scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute have developed an AI tool called Nichecompass, which shows a comprehensive view of the cancer microenvironments, the different cells, their locations, and how they communicate with each other through different molecules inside the tumor. This AI could process data in an hour and compare samples before and after a treatment.
Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in the U.K. are developing a technology that analyzes, in vitro, how the 3D morphology of cancer cells changes when exposed to a compound, using AI to predict their response to new treatments. The researchers estimate that their methodology could accelerate drug development by 6 years, by ruling out unsuccessful drugs and thus reducing the number of preclinical trials.
The first complete DNA methylation atlas of 39 human cell types reveals which genes can talk or are silenced, depending on whether their sequence is linked to methyl group epigenetic modification that regulates their expression. This map of on-and-off switches shows differences between the alleles inherited from the father and those from the mother, providing a view of gene expression that can be explored in health and disease independently of the information contained in the DNA sequence.
Maxion Therapeutics Ltd. has raised $72 million (£58 million) in a series A financing to support its development of antibody-based Knotbody drugs for ion channel- and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-driven diseases.
Pierre Fabre SA and Redridge Bio AG have signed an exclusive R&D collaboration and license agreement to identify and develop biparatopic antibody drug candidates against multiple targets, with a focus on precision oncology, dermatology and rare diseases. The agreement provides for participation by Pierre Fabre in Redridge’s series A financing, as well as up-front, milestone and future sales royalty payments.
Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. has released promising preclinical results for its systemic Rtnova platform showing its ability to successfully deliver transient gene therapy payloads to targeted tumors. Moreover, the company’s tumor-specific virotherapy has demonstrated efficacy in killing over 60 different tumor cell lines.
Researchers have altered the genetic code in a strain of Escherichia coli, reducing the number of stop codons from three to one and assigning the freed-up stop codons to nonstandard amino acids. They reported on the recoded bacterium, which they named OCHRE, in Nature on Feb. 5, 2025.
Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules with unique 3D structures that allow for specific binding to a wide variety of ions and molecules. Due to their unique properties, aptamers have been extensively studied for the precise detection and treatment of cancer; however, their susceptibility to nuclease degradation and rapid renal clearance represent challenges that limit theranostic time window and effectiveness. Researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology evaluated the potential of a novel albumin-conjugation strategy that would improve tumor targeting of the aptamers.
A new version of Evo, the AI developed at the Arc Institute that can be used to design genomes as long as that of a bacterium, has been retrained with the DNA sequences of three domains of life – viruses, bacteria and eukaryotes.
In a recent publication in Cell, researchers from the National University of Singapore and collaborators have proposed using commensal bacteria in the nasal cavity as a delivery vector for precision therapy targeting the OE and brain.