Antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis responsible for more than a million deaths annually. By 2050, the World Health Organization estimates it could surpass cancer and heart disease as the leading cause of death as more bacteria develop defenses to the drugs designed to combat them.

Now Tulane University researchers have identified a unique genetic signature in bacteria that can predict their likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed an AI-based platform that designs short proteins, termed peptides, capable of binding and destroying previously undruggable disease-causing proteins. Inspired by OpenAI’s image generation model, their new algorithm can rapidly prioritize peptides for experimental testing.

The work appeared Jan. 22 in the journal Science Advances.

A natural compound derived from gut-friendly bacteria significantly slows the progression of vitiligo and may restore pigmentation, reports a new Northwestern University pre-clinical study in mice.

The findings could offer hope to millions affected by the autoimmune disease, which causes visible patches of skin discoloration and carries profound emotional and physical consequences.

Basal cell carcinomas, the most common form of skin cancer, occur in chronically sun-exposed areas such as the face. Locally advanced tumours in particular can be difficult to treat surgically. A research team from MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has now investigated the effectiveness of a new type of therapy and achieved promising results: The active substance TVEC led to a reduction in the size of the basal cell carcinoma in all study participants, which not only improved surgical removal, but also led to a complete regression of the tumour in some of the patients.

A collaborative study between researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), and the Institute for Biostatistics and Informatics in Medicine and Ageing Research, Rostock University Medical Center, Germany, investigated how advanced AI tools, like Large Language Models (LLMs), can make it easier to evaluate interventions for ageing and provide personalised recommendations. The findings were published in the leading review journal Ageing Research Reviews.

A team of scientists has developed a groundbreaking approach using specially designed peptides to improve drug formulations. This innovative method significantly enhances anti-tumor efficacy, as demonstrated in leukemia models. The study, published in the journal Chem, was led by researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Demand for weight-loss medications sold under brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy continues to surge, with a recent study reporting one in eight Americans has taken or is currently using the drugs to treat diabetes, heart disease or obesity.

Formally, these drugs are known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) and include Mounjaro and Zepbound. Informally, media, patients and even some physicians have dubbed GLP-1 medications as "miracle drugs" because of the profound weight loss among users.