Mercury Pharmaceuticals

Synthetic biology platform unmasks hidden bacterial targets of bacteriophages

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering.

Higher BMI raises risk for 19 cancers as global review expands the obesity-cancer link

A major systematic review and meta-analysis links higher BMI to increased risk of 19 cancer types, including leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder cancer, and glioma, which were not previously recognized in major consensus reports. The study also reveals regional and sex-based variation in cancer risk, with genetic evidence generally supporting many observational links while highlighting the need for more diverse global cohorts.

Blood proteins reveal which aging cells may raise disease risk

Age-related muscle loss linked to increased tumor growth

Duke-NUS scientists have discovered that aging muscle may contribute to cancer growth by releasing fewer extracellular vesicles, tiny particles that cells use to communicate with one another.

Losing smell and taste may profoundly affect wellbeing

University of East Anglia research reveals that smell loss can affect quality of life as severely as conditions including diabetes, stroke, Parkinson's, and kidney failure.

Universities and hospitals repurpose existing drugs at significantly lower costs

Universities and hospitals are repurposing existing drugs through late-stage trials with funded costs up to 90% lower than those taking place in the pharmaceutical industry.

Evidence strengthens connection between alcohol and pancreatic cancer

A new paper led by researchers at University of Victoria's Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) contributes to mounting evidence that alcohol use can cause pancreatic cancer.

New biomarker predicts gastric cancer outcomes from CT scans

Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, have identified a new biomarker that may help determine the prognosis for patients with gastric cancer, the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide.

New study reveals cause of chronic inflammation with age

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has uncovered a previously unknown connection between nucleic acid structures called R-loops and age-related inflammation – or inflammaging – that could herald new intervention options for chronic inflammation and the subsequent health conditions.

Retinal photographs may reveal early Alzheimer's disease risk

Often called "the window to the soul," the eyes may also offer clues about something less poetic but just as important: the health of the brain.