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Scientists have discovered the first evidence of protein folding driven by liquid-liquid phase separation, a phenomenon in which fluids form into microscopic droplets and separate inside cells — like drops of oil in water.

Regeneration of muscle tissue was achieved by combining direct cell reprogramming with natural-synthetic hybrid scaffold as structural support.

Researchers have shown that people with a partial or total absence of the natural killer cell receptor NKG2C, important in the antiviral immune response, are most likely to develop severe COVID-19.

The gut microbiome is an integral component of the body, but its importance in the human aging process was unclear. Now, researchers have identified distinct signatures in the gut microbiome that are associated with either healthy or unhealthy aging trajectories, which in turn predict survival in a population of older individuals.

A research group has tracked changes in the pancreas’s proteome — its complete set of proteins — from before birth through late adulthood.

In a PLOS ONE paper, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that individual immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may be limited by the major histocompatibility complex or MHC, a set of variable genes that code for cell surface proteins essential for the adaptive immune system.

The thyroid gland is a strong regulator of the body’s metabolism, making it key to many health conditions. The molecular details of how thyroid hormone acts on cells in the body have never been fully understood. Researchers have demonstrated that the mechanism doesn’t operate as a straightforward on/off switch, but more like a dimmer.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are a subytpe of cancers known as sarcomas. Researchers found that specific cell-to-cell communication influences GIST biology and is strongly associated with cancer progression. They also identified several therapeutic targets that could lead to novel treatment options for patients.

By combining high-resolution imaging techniques, scientists have succeeded for the first time in imaging HIV during transport into the nucleus of an infected cell, opening the door for new therapeutics.

Scientists have used a technique to grow bile duct organoids – often referred to as "mini-organs" – in the lab and shown that these can be used to repair damaged human livers. This is the first time that the technique has been used on human organs.