https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists at Rutgers University–Newark have developed a first-of-its-kind RNA-based nanotechnology that assembles itself inside living human cells and can be programmed to stop propagation of harmful cells. The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, represent a major breakthrough in biomedical research. The researchers are now in the midst of testing the technology on human cancer cells as a potential cure for the disease but have not yet finished the study or published results. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-rna-nanotechnology-cells-path.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:02:13 EST news689428861 The potential of microrobots is enormous. These miniature objects can be designed to carry out actions within the body, such as sensing biomarkers, manipulating objects like blood clots, or delivering drug therapies to tumor sites. But working out how to make the tiny bots effective, biocompatible, and cost effective is challenging. Now a Caltech-led team has taken a huge step toward making the next generation of microrobots for drug delivery. They have simplified both the structure of the microrobots and their production method, while making the bots highly effective and "smart" enough to direct themselves to a tumor. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-bots-simple-biocompatible-microrobots-autonomously.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:40:04 EST news689257892 Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a new light-based nanotechnology that could improve how certain cancers are detected and treated, offering a more precise and potentially less harmful alternative to chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The study advances photothermal therapy, a treatment approach that uses light to generate heat inside tumors and destroy cancer cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-based-nanotechnology-potential-alternative-chemotherapy.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:29:49 EST news688926541 Cells organize their molecules into distinct functional areas. While textbooks usually refer to membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria and cell nuclei, recent studies have also revealed organelles without membranes. These include stress granules and proteasome storage granules (PSGs). https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cryoelectron-tomography-reveals-paracrystalline-architecture.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:05:34 EST news688842301 Gifu University scientists have uncovered how a brain-specific enzyme reshapes protein-linked sugar chains to facilitate the formation of complex glycans essential for normal brain function. These insights could inform future research into glycan-related brain disorders and open new avenues for therapeutic investigation. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-brain-enzyme-sugar-chains-linked.html Biochemistry Tue, 27 Jan 2026 19:30:04 EST news688728069 Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone. The study led by Oleh and Olena Taratula and Chao Wang of the OSU College of Pharmacy appears in Advanced Functional Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanomaterial-oxidative-stress-cancer-cells.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:44:40 EST news688754642 A new study reveals a simple and fast, label-free way to distinguish aggressive cancer cells by how they physically behave. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed this novel way to identify aggressive cancer cells, not by analyzing their genes or chemical markers, but by observing how they physically interact with their environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-sensor-surface-distinguishes-aggressive-cancer.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 26 Jan 2026 13:30:03 EST news688656299 A newly published Perspective article in Nature Nanotechnology details groundbreaking nanoparticle technology to eliminate harmful, disease-causing proteins in the body. The technology marks a transformative leap in the potential to drug "undruggable" proteins, to treat diseases such as dementia and brain cancer. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanoparticle-technology-hard-diseases.html Bio & Medicine Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:20:01 EST news688310445 In a study published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, scientists from the UF Health Cancer Institute have found a way to make treatment for a notoriously aggressive breast cancer more effective. Using a delivery system that relies on extracellular vesicles (small, lipid nanoparticles secreted from a myriad of cell types), the team was able to circumvent two common difficulties associated with a targeted treatment for triple negative breast cancer: access to tumor sites and stable and effective transport in the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-drug-delivery-mechanism-aid-breast.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:15:50 EST news688396501 Colorectal cancer, the abnormal growth of cancerous cells in the large intestine or the rectum, is one of the most common types of cancers worldwide. Available treatments for this type of cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and interventions designed to strengthen patients' immune system (i.e., immunotherapies). https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanorobot-immune-cell-recognition-colorectal.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:10:01 EST news687782621 Inflammation has to fight pathogens fast—but it can't get out of control. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now deciphered in more detail how the organism masters this balancing act. Their work shows that cells use two different strategies to precisely control inflammatory genes and thus precisely regulate the inflammatory response. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cells-dual-strategies-fine-tune.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:55:22 EST news687786901 A class of ultrasmall fluorescent core-shell silica nanoparticles developed at Cornell is showing an unexpected ability to rally the immune system against melanoma and dramatically improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, according to a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Engineering researchers. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-tiny-fluorescent-core-shell-silica.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:59:35 EST news686854741 Immune checkpoint molecules play a crucial role in keeping the immune system in balance and preventing an attack on the body's own cells. Cancer cells can use these checkpoints to hide from the immune system, making them a key focus for treatments that boost the immune response against cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are proteins that release this brake on the immune system and unleash our immune cells to attack tumors. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-inhalable-nanotherapy-advanced-melanoma-aims.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 05 Jan 2026 10:53:16 EST news686832771 Within tumors in the human body, there are immune cells (macrophages) capable of fighting cancer, but they have been unable to perform their roles properly due to suppression by the tumor. A KAIST research team led by Professor Ji-Ho Park of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering have overcome this limitation by developing a new therapeutic approach that directly converts immune cells inside tumors into anticancer cell therapies. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanoparticle-therapy-reprograms-tumor-immune.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:49:42 EST news686569741 Immunotherapy has emerged in recent years as a new cancer treatment that is gentler than traditional chemotherapy and causes milder side effects in patients. However, conventional dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy shows inconsistent clinical outcomes, and the cell culture process remains complex and costly. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nanozigzags-biomaterial-cancer-immunotherapy-efficacy.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:25:34 EST news686323476 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a first-of-its-kind mRNA system that switches on therapeutic genes preferentially inside targeted cells—an advance demonstrated in studies in mice that could lay the groundwork for safer, more precise treatments for cancer and other diseases. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientists-smarter-mrna-therapy-cells.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:09:37 EST news685033741 A new Dartmouth study opens new avenues for understanding—and potentially manipulating—how cells decide to live or die. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-hidden-gatekeeper-cell-death-reveals.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:34:20 EST news684592441 This week, JPL scientists reported that glaciers speed up and slow down at predictable intervals. CERN's ATLAS experiment detected evidence for the decay of a Higgs boson into a muon-antimuon pair. And researchers discovered that exercise slows tumor growth by shifting glucose uptake to muscles. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-saturday-citations-cancer-therapy-breakthrough.html Other Sat, 06 Dec 2025 09:30:01 EST news684152960 Cells are regularly faced with environmental stresses that may damage or destroy them. To survive, they quickly adjust their gene expression to protect themselves. This is especially true for cancer cells, which must contend with a microenvironment that is inherently uncongenial. Yet they can thrive in these conditions, turning on genes that help them to develop into larger tumors or spread to other parts of the body. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-molecular-cancer-cells-survive-harsh.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 17 Nov 2025 12:31:04 EST news682605061 Traditional bisulfite sequencing damages DNA, while enzyme-based alternatives are inconsistent. A novel methylation analysis method, called UMBS-seq, has been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ultra-mild-sequencing-method-flaws.html Biotechnology Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:56:17 EST news682250166 Species that evolved rapidly in body size—such as the greater kudu and bighorn sheep—have fewer cancerous tumors, but the same is not true for non-cancerous tumors, according to new research. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-cancerous-tumors-common-rapidly-evolving.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Nov 2025 10:08:03 EST news682078081 A new study has found for the first time that magnetoelectric nanoparticles—tiny, wirelessly controlled particles activated by magnetic fields—can both locate and destroy pancreatic tumors in preclinical models, offering a potential new approach to minimally invasively treating one of the deadliest cancers. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-magnetoelectric-nanotherapy-pancreatic-tumors-survival.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:48:04 EST news681479281 Cancer immunotherapy, which uses drugs that stimulate the body's immune cells to attack tumors, is a promising approach to treating many types of cancer. However, it doesn't work well for some tumors, including ovarian cancer. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-nanoparticles-jumpstart-cells-ovarian-tumors.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 31 Oct 2025 06:00:04 EDT news681052662 Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics hold significant promise for the future of personalized cancer treatment, but persistent off-target effects and treatment-resistant tumor microenvironments have limited progress. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-customizable-nanomedicine-platform-advancing-personalized.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:01:03 EDT news680968861 In the quest for more targeted lung cancer treatments, a researcher at the University of Missouri thinks the solution may lie in tiny bubble-shaped packages that cells use to talk to each other. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-extracellular-vesicles-halt-lung-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:39:04 EDT news680884742 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered how cells can adjust their gene activity to survive when oxygen runs low. The study, published in Nature Cell Biology, reveals that cells use a previously unknown mechanism to control which proteins are produced—and how quickly. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-epigenetic-cells-oxygen-reveals.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:34:49 EDT news679926886 A research team has introduced a novel cancer immunotherapy strategy. This approach involves attaching "fake targets" to tumor cells to guide immune cell attacks, overcoming the limitations of conventional antibody-based therapies. The study is published in ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-fake-tumor-cells-enables-antigen.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:58:03 EDT news679845481 Molecular biologists have long believed that the beginning of a gene launched the process of transcription—the process by which a segment of DNA is copied into RNA and then RNA helps make the proteins that cells need to function. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-rewriting-genetics-reveals-gene-boundaries.html Biotechnology Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:40:01 EDT news679580718 A research team at CiQUS (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain) has unveiled an innovative molecular approach that enables anticancer drugs to reach the nucleus of tumor cells, where they can exert their therapeutic effect. The study focused on doxorubicin, a widely used chemotherapy agent. Prolonged exposure to this drug often leads to the emergence of resistant cells, a major clinical challenge that this strategy successfully overcomes while preserving the drug's antitumor activity. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-peptide-nanotubes-chemotherapy-resistance.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:50:01 EDT news679319004 A research team has developed an approach to significantly reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and metastasis after surgery, by targeting both bulk cancer cells and the elusive cancer stem cells (CSCs) responsible for relapse. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-nanovaccine-halts-tumor-growth-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:59:04 EDT news677923141