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Patients’ own autoantibodies may hold key to boosting cancer immunotherapy response

A new study has revealed that autoantibodies—immune proteins traditionally associated with autoimmune disease—may profoundly influence how cancer patients respond to immunotherapy.

The study, published in Nature, offers a potential breakthrough in solving one of modern-day oncology’s most frustrating mysteries: why checkpoint inhibitors work for some patients but not others—and how we can extend their benefits to more people.

“Our analysis shows that certain naturally occurring autoantibodies can tilt the odds dramatically toward shrinking tumors,” said senior author Aaron Ring, MD, Ph.D., an associate professor at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. “We saw some cases where autoantibodies boosted a patient’s likelihood of responding to checkpoint blockade by as much as five-to ten-fold.”

Electrical stimulation of facial muscles influences how people perceive others’ emotions, study finds

Psychology research suggests that the human body, particularly the muscles on our face, plays a key part in the processing of others’ emotions. For instance, past findings suggest that when we see another person smiling or frowning, we often unconsciously mimic their facial expression, and this helps us interpret their emotions.

Theories suggest that the mimicry of facial expressions sends signals from our facial muscles to the brain, broadly referred to as “facial feedback,” which in turn contributes to the interpretation of other people’s emotions. So far, however, the contribution of this feedback to emotion recognition and how its contribution unfolds over time remain poorly understood.

Researchers at the University of Essex recently carried out a study to investigate the effects of facial feedback on the perception of emotions at different stages of visual processing, using a technique known as facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES). Their findings, published in Communications Psychology, suggest that signals generated by the movements of muscles on people’s faces influence how they interpret the emotions of others, particularly during the earlier stages of visual processing.

New microscope enables neurovascular coupling imaging across the entire cortex of awake mice

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow in response to neural activity. Specifically, when neurons become active, nearby blood vessels dilate to increase blood supply, thereby meeting the heightened energy demands associated with neural activity.

Virtual reality therapy reduces voice hallucinations in schizophrenia trial

Copenhagen University Hospital’s VIRTU Research Group reports that an immersive virtual reality-assisted therapy called Challenge-VRT yielded a statistically significant, short-term reduction in auditory verbal hallucination severity among Danish adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Auditory verbal hallucinations rank among the most frequent and distressing features of schizophrenia, affecting roughly 75% of patients and resisting medication in about one-third. Approximately 13% of patients experience worsening hallucinations during their first decade of illness.

Current cognitive behavioral and relational psychotherapies show modest effects, leaving a clear unmet need for innovative treatment approaches.

Tiny brain circuit linked to cocaine withdrawal discomfort and relapse risk

Why do so many people relapse after quitting cocaine? A new study from The Hebrew University reveals that a specific “anti-reward” brain circuit becomes hyperactive during withdrawal—driving discomfort and pushing users back toward the drug. Surprisingly, this circuit may also serve as a built-in protective mechanism, offering new hope for addiction treatment.

Cocaine addiction has long been understood as a tug-of-war between reward and restraint. The rush of dopamine keeps users hooked, while withdrawal triggers anxiety, depression, and despair. But a new study by researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that it’s not just the craving for pleasure—but the brain’s aversion to pain—that plays a powerful role in relapse.

Led by Prof. Yonatan M. Kupchik and Ph.D. student Liran Levi from the Faculty of Medicine, the study, appearing in Science Advances, identifies a specific “anti-reward” network deep in the brain that undergoes lasting changes during cocaine use, withdrawal, and re-exposure. This glutamatergic network, located in the ventral pallidum, is emerging as a key player in addiction—and a promising target for future therapies.

Quantum tool could lead to gamma-ray lasers and access the multiverse

A University of Colorado Denver engineer is on the cusp of giving scientists a new tool that can help them turn sci-fi into reality.

Imagine a safe gamma ray laser that could eradicate cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue. Or a tool that could help determine if Stephen Hawking’s multiverse theory is real by revealing the fabric underlying the universe.

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Aakash Sahai, Ph.D., has developed a quantum breakthrough that could help those sci-fi ideas develop and has sent a ripple of excitement through the quantum community because of its potential to revolutionize our understanding of physics, chemistry, and medicine.

An Extra Sense May Connect Gut Bacteria With Our Brain

According to new research, communication between the gut and the brain is sophisticated enough to be classed as a new and distinct sense – one capable of affecting our appetite and even our mood.

This two-way link has previously been associated with a variety of health issues, though the physical processes at work have never been clearly identified.

Building on what we already know about our digestive and neurological systems, a team from Duke University in the US traced a series of biochemical actions from the digestive tracts of mice to their brains.

New Organ Recovery Technique Could Make More Heart Transplants Available

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have developed a groundbreaking new method for the recovery of hearts from deceased organ donors after circulatory death (DCD). The method (rapid recovery with extended ultra-oxygenated preservation [REUP]), which involves flushing the donor heart with a cold oxygenated preservation solution after death, avoids the disadvantages of two existing preservation methods, both of which reanimate the heart, one that has ethical questions and another that

A Naked Mole Rat Gene Was Put Into Mice, And It Made Them Live Longer

Naked mole rats are well known for living far longer lives than any rodent ought to have. It’s just one of their amazing talents for surviving in a challenging, even hostile underground environment.

A fascinating new study led by researchers from the University of Rochester in the US has shown a single gene could play a significant role in their longevity, one that could be transferred into other mammals to give their own life spans a nudge.

The gene – a version of what’s known as hyaluranon synthase 2 – produces an abundance of high-molecular-mass hyaluronic acid (HMM-HA), a compound already thought to mediate the risk of cancer in naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber).

Targeting the ‘undruggable’: New molecular degraders offer hope for aggressive breast cancer

In the battle against aggressive breast cancer, a once-elusive target is now within reach—thanks to a breakthrough from a team from the Faculty of Medicine at Hebrew University. Dr. Raphael Benhamou and M.Sc. student Liann Kassabri have developed innovative druglike molecules capable of degrading HuR, a key RNA-binding protein that stabilizes oncogenes and fuels cancer progression.

HuR (also known as ELAVL1) has long been labeled “undruggable” due to its structural flexibility and lack of a conventional active site. Overexpressed in many cancer types—particularly breast cancer—HuR fortifies by protecting mRNAs that drive and survival.

“We knew that simply blocking HuR wasn’t enough,” says Dr. Benhamou. “We needed to eliminate it altogether.” Strikingly, this elimination led to a three to four orders of magnitude improvement in anticancer properties compared to traditional HuR-binding molecules that do not induce degradation.