One health
Communicable diseases remain one of the major causes of mortality worldwide. There are disparities in the numbers of individuals affected by disease between low-and-middle-income countries and those in developed nations. Microbes will play in important role in drug discovery: producing anticancer drugs and antimicrobials. Applying One Health principles, to understand the interaction of pathogens and the human host, development of diagnostics, treatments, and disease prevention, applied microbiologists can shape global health and wellbeing outcomes.
News
Researchers identify bacterial enzyme that can cause fatal heart conditions with pneumonia infections
Researchers have identified a bacterial enzyme that may be the reason some people get heart complications with pneumonia, while others do not. Since enzymes create chemical reactions to help bacteria survive, grow, and sometimes attack tissues, zmpB could become a target for future therapies.
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NewsTo treat long COVID, we must learn from historical chronic illnesses, medical researchers say
Scientists and doctors have highlighted the importance of studying long COVID in the context of other post-acute infection syndromes or chronic illnesses. By analyzing historical accounts of other epidemics, researchers can gain important perspective on the effects of these chronic illnesses.
NewsDo oral bacteria from tooth infections worsen diabetes risk?
A new study demonstrates that Porphyromonas gingivalis and its lipopolysaccharide are potent drivers of both periapical bone destruction and systemic metabolic dysfunction, acting through an IL-17–dependent inflammatory pathway.
NewsThe power of gut enzymes: why healthy eating affects everyone differently
Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that determines how our gut microbiome processes healthful plant compounds. The chemical cookbook of gut bacteria varies from person to person—and is often disrupted in chronic diseases.
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Researchers use ‘brain-on-a-chip’ to revolutionize fight against deadly encephalitis viruses
A transparent chip no larger than a stick of gum is helping scientists transform the way researchers study the human brain and develop treatments for some of the world’s deadliest viruses.
NewsSingle-cell movies reveal how host physiology sets phage success - and how to time therapies
A new study outlines how an innovative tool can be used to help uncover the reasons why phages succeed or fail when used to target bacterial infections.
NewsNew roadmap reveals how everyday chemicals and microbes interact to fuel antimicrobial resistance
A new perspective outlines an urgent scientific roadmap for understanding how common chemicals interact with microbial communities to accelerate the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
NewsMental health conditions may heighten liver cancer risk in veterans due to increased hepatitis C
Mental health conditions, especially alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), significantly increase the likelihood of developing liver cancer among U.S. veterans living with cirrhosis of any cause.
NewsStudy shows common childhood virus can drive bladder cancer development
Tackling a common childhood virus could open the door to preventing bladder cancer, according to new research. The study suggests that a virus most people pick up in childhood can trigger the type of DNA damage that can lead to bladder cancer later in life.
NewsNew test distinguishes vaccine-induced false positives from active HIV infection
A new device correctly identified those with active HIV-1 infection 95% of the time and those without active infection but with vaccine-induced molecules that could trigger a false positive, 98% of the time.
NewsFamily dogs boost adolescent mental health through the microbiome
It’s no surprise that dogs benefit people’s mental health. Researchers point to a reason as to why: dogs prompt changes in the collection of microbes that live in and on our bodies, resulting in an increase in mental health.
NewsCedars-Sinai and Exobiosphere partner to launch biomedical research aboard the Haven-1 Space Station
Cedars-Sinai is partnering with Exobiosphere, a company that has developed scientific hardware to automate biomedical research in space and on Earth, and will send experiments to Haven-1, set to become the world’s first commercial space station.
NewsAntibiotics could trigger immune response through gut microbiome metabolites
Researchers report how one of the most abundant gut bacteria responds to tetracyclines, a class of commonly prescribed antibiotics. Newly characterized signals released by the bacterium could aid the host’s immune response, inhibit pathogens and restructure the gut microbiome.
NewsFish freshness easily monitored with a new sensor
Researchers have developed a simple, effective electronic device that quickly measures a compound that forms when decomposition starts. The prototype sensor can determine how fresh a fish is in less than two minutes.
NewsLight-sensitive microbial protein may herald new cancer therapies
Researchers used a mouse cancer model to show that tumors expressing Archaerhodopsin 3 shrink after exposure to green light.
NewsStudy links childhood vaccination to lower risk of drug-resistant bacteria
Children in Guatemala who received a common vaccine that helps prevent pneumonia were less likely to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a new study examining whether rotavirus (RV) and pneumococcal (PCV13) vaccines reduce gut colonization by a group of bacteria.
NewsCommon water pill may help HIV medicines work faster and reduce inflammation, early study suggests
Adding a readily available diuretic to standard HIV therapy appears to reduce circulating virus by four-fold, a new study shows. Researchers treated HIV-infected mice with human immune cells with first‑line antiretroviral therapy plus a long‑acting form of spironolactone.
News‘Creeping catastrophe’: Climate change is driving global rise in infectious diseases, leading health experts warn
Infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, and tuberculosis are considered to pose as great a challenge to global health as new or emerging pathogens, according to a study. Participants reported that climate change, poverty, and drug resistance are combining to create an escalating health crisis.
NewsProfessor named EMBO Young Investigator for work on the infant microbiome
Prof. Moran Yassour has been selected as one of the 2025 EMBO Young Investigators. She receives this prestigious recognition for her innovative research on the developing infant microbiome and its impact on pediatric health.
NewsPresurgical vaccine may prevent orthopedic device infections
Researchers have developed a novel presurgical vaccine strategy that may prevent dangerous infections in patients receiving hip, knee, and other joint replacements, creating an injectable scaffold designed to stimulate the immune system.
NewsStudy unravels the fungi-cancer connection
A growing body of evidence indicates that the microbiome within the gut and tumors significantly influences cancer initiation, progression, and treatment response. Current research primarily focuses on bacteria, whilst the role of fungi is only now gaining attention.
NewsToxoplasmosis: How a deadly parasite infects its host cells
Researchers have discovered how the parasite Toxoplasma gondii builds a specialised structure that allows it to move and invade host cells. They identified two proteins that control how the conoid complex is assembled - this acts like an engine for movement and cell-invasion.
NewsHorizon Awards 2025: Max Fisher named as individual winner of Dorothy Jones Award
Max Fisher, a leading Disability & LGBTQIA+ Advocate, and Senior Research Associate at ViaNautis Bio, has been named as individual winner of the Dorothy Jones Diversity & Inclusion Achievement Award 2025.