Using ALK+ lung cancer patient-derived cell lines, researchers have performed phosphoproteomic screening and identified guanylate kinase 1 (GUK1) as a TKI sensitive metabolic molecule in ALK-driven lung cancer. They reported their results online in Cell on Feb. 6, 2025.

The scientific establishment has launched a fight back against the Trump administration and the slew of executive orders that threaten to dismantle research funding, with a warning that the next month could be critical for the future of U.S. science.

New research has uncovered a complex interplay between extracellular matrix (ECM) structure and the transcriptional responses of cancer cells, showing how they alter their gene expression to ‘escape’ from ECM. The findings will make it easier to identify tumors that are likely to metastasize at an early stage.

Researchers from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland, Australia and Emory University have shown that a potential new targeted therapy for childhood brain cancer was effective in infiltrating and killing tumor cells in mouse models.

A large-scale study cross-referencing genomic data from multiple sources with primary care health records has identified genetic overlaps in 72 chronic diseases, opening the way for a more holistic approach to researching, treating and preventing multimorbidity.

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco have identified an RNA-binding protein that increased the translation of Myc mRNA. The authors wrote that their work, which was published online in Nature Cell Biology on Feb. 4, 2025, “transforms the understanding of the translational code in cancer and illuminates therapeutic openings to target the expression of oncogenes.”

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have tested a broadly neutralizing antibody that binds the stem of a protein against H5N1 avian influenza, which prevented severe disease in nonhuman primates and was effective for at least 8 weeks. The scientists remark on the potential of the design developed by Astrazeneca plc against a possible outbreak of the influenza A virus.

Implanted patches of iPS-derived heart muscle integrated with heart tissue in a primate model of heart failure, and in patients being treated in a clinical trial, marks progress toward a potential option for patients with advanced heart failure.

The liver and pancreas are the main actors in glucose metabolism, but not the only ones. Muscles, adipose tissue and the brain play different roles. However, the prize for the best new actor in glucagon production goes to the innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), which, according to a study published in Science, respond to intestine neuron signals traveling to the pancreas to control glucose.

Following Nobel Prize-winning chemist David Baker’s recipe for cooking an antidote to cobra venom using artificial intelligence (AI) could be faster and more effective than currently available methods. The ingredients and steps can be found in a new study published by the University of Washington scientist in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark. They are ready for the next steps in preclinical trials.