Category Biology/Biotechnology

Universal stem cells reset immunity in a systemic sclerosis patient

Universal stem cells reset immunity in a systemic sclerosis patient
Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.038

Research led by Naval Medical University’s Changzheng Hospital in China reports that an off-the-shelf cell therapy built from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) loosened life-limiting skin and organ scarring in a woman with systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis progressively suffocates tissue through immune misfires, collapsed micro-vessels, and runaway collagen conditions that resist standard immunosuppressants, biologics, and anti-fibrotic drugs while driving a 40% 10-year mortality.

Cell-based approaches such as hematopoietic-stem-cell transplants and CAR-T therapies have shown promise but carry high toxicity or labor-intensive custom manufacturing, leaving clinicians and patients in search of safe...

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Autonomous gallbladder removal: Robot performs first realistic surgery without human help

Robot performs 1st realistic surgery without human help
The robot used with the Surgical Robot Transformer-Hierarchy to perform gallbladder surgery. Credit: XinHao Chen/Johns Hopkins University

A robot trained on videos of surgeries performed a lengthy phase of a gallbladder removal without human help. The robot operated for the first time on a lifelike patient, and during the operation, responded to and learned from voice commands from the team—like a novice surgeon working with a mentor.

The robot performed unflappably across trials and with the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, even during unexpected scenarios typical in real-life medical emergencies.

The work, led by Johns Hopkins University researchers, is a transformative advancement in surgical robotics, where robots can perform with both mechanical precision and human-li...

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Running injuries often strike suddenly, not gradually: Study challenges understanding of overuse injuries

running
Credit: RF._.studio _ from Pexels

A new study from Aarhus University turns our understanding of how running injuries occur upside down. The research project, which is the largest of its kind ever conducted, shows that running-related overuse injuries do not develop gradually over time, as previously assumed, but rather suddenly—often during a single training session. The research is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Our study marks a paradigm shift in understanding the causes of running-related overuse injuries. We previously believed that injuries develop gradually over time, but it turns out that many injuries occur because runners make training errors in a single training session,” explains Associate Professor Rasmus Ø...

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Metabolic differences in male and female muscles may explain diabetes variations

Focus on muscle metabolism: Sex differences in sport and obesity
Graphical abstract. Credit: Molecular Metabolism (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2025.102185

The skeletal muscles of men and women process glucose and fats in different ways. A study conducted by the University Hospital of Tübingen, the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) e.V. provides the first comprehensive molecular analysis of these differences. The results, published in Molecular Metabolism, possibly give an explanation for why metabolic diseases such as diabetes manifest differently in women and men—and why they respond differently to physical activity.

Skeletal muscles are far more than just “movement driving motors...

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