The gut microbiota may be altered in people with depression as a result of treatment. These microorganisms reorganize differently in individuals who respond to therapy. In a multiomics study of antidepressant-naive patients presented at the 2026 World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP), scientists from National Taiwan University found that patients who improved after antidepressant treatment maintained a more balanced and functional microbial ecosystem, recovered beneficial metabolites, and displayed blood-based biological signals that aligned with these changes.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-associated genes provide direct therapeutic targets and reveal pathways that can be used to develop treatments that counteract their harmful molecular effects. Because the underlying causes of most ALS cases remain unknown, identifying disease-associated variants is essential to uncover the mechanisms that drive the disease, as shown at the European Network to Cure ALS (ENCALS) meeting, held in Madrid from June 24 to 26, 2026.

Some proteins embedded in the structure of prions may have antimicrobial activity, according to a study led by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania. An AI analysis of millions of fragments from prion-related proteins has revealed more than a thousand peptides that disrupt bacterial membranes and reduce infection in animal models, suggesting these proteins could be an unexpected source of new antibiotics.

Molecular subtyping of disease is typically associated with cancer. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge are applying it to infections.

Molecular subtyping of disease is typically associated with cancer. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge are applying it to infections. Some patients with severe pneumonia progress in different ways. Predicting their trajectories could help tailor treatments and prevent fatal outcomes. To do this, the scientists analyzed bronchoalveolar fluid from several patient cohorts and identified three biological pneumotypes based on which cells are present, which genes are active, and which inflammatory proteins are produced.

Harnessing an oncolytic signal and redirecting it against the tumor itself could be developed as a selective strategy for certain cancer types, as occurs with ErbB hyperactivity, a form of signaling that drives many carcinomas. Inspired by this idea, scientists at Stanford University have engineered a virus that replicates only in ErbB-hyperactive ovarian cancer cells. This allowed them to precisely kill this specific tumor population, achieving greater efficacy and safety than previous oncolytic viruses.

Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist used in diabetes and obesity, could alleviate depression through a pathway that does not depend on the GLP-1 receptor but instead on the gut microbiota, since the treatment increases the presence of the bacterium Lactobacillus delbrueckii.

Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist used in diabetes and obesity, could alleviate depression through a pathway that does not depend on the GLP-1 receptor but instead on the gut microbiota, since the treatment increases the presence of the bacterium Lactobacillus delbrueckii. This symbiotic microorganism produces a lipid that modulates neuronal activity, normalizing the hyperactivation of brain regions in mice involved in emotional processing, which ultimately reduces depressive behaviors.

Modulating G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is one of the major challenges in biomedicine. These are flexible proteins with small, deep binding pockets. The scientific community has explored small molecules, antibodies and nanobodies to develop ligands. Skape Bio Inc. is betting on creating miniproteins, a strategy that brings precise solutions for different functions.

TRIM21, an enzyme involved in intracellular substrate degradation, can recognize viruses and bacteria that enter the cytosol when they are coated with antibodies. Just as it tags complex molecules for elimination, it can direct these infectious microorganisms to lysosomes through a mechanism its discoverers have termed antibody-directed xenophagy (ADX). Scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, U.K., have identified the genes involved in this antibody-dependent degradation pathway, which acts as an antimicrobial process, and reported their findings in Molecular Cell on June 4, 2026.