Biotech
Scientific advances in cellular engineering and regenerative medicine: the development of bio-computers, artificial muscles, and the use of stem cells and light-activated systems to restore human biological functions.
Basics
videoJoël de Rosnay says five daily habits change how genes are read
In the 2018 book La Symphonie du vivant, Joël de Rosnay argues that food, exercise, stress, pleasure, and social ties change which genes cells use. Human studies back diet and exercise best; pleasure is barely tested.
Clinical Results
A new cholesterol pill cut bad cholesterol by about 60% in a large trial
CORALreef Lipids is now peer-reviewed in the NEJM (4 February 2026): once-daily oral enlicitide decanoate on top of statins in most participants cut LDL cholesterol by about 56 percentage points versus placebo at 24 weeks, with similar short-term adverse-event rates in the trial. Cardiovascular outcome benefit for this oral drug is still unproven until CORALreef Outcomes reports.
Sydney hospital freezes tumours through a needle under live MRI
Liverpool Hospital in south-west Sydney opened an interventional radiology suite in September 2025 where doctors freeze selected tumours with a needle while watching them on live MRI. One patient with a 9 mm spinal tumour was pain-free the next day. No patient numbers have been published.
videoBreakthrough in robotics: artificial muscles developed for robots
Artificial muscles enable robotic leg to walk and jump autonomously Scientists at the Max Planck Institute have developed artificial muscles…
Lab Breakthroughs
Stem cell transplant restores insulin production in type 1 diabetes patient
A groundbreaking case where a 25-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes began producing her own insulin following a transplant of…
videoSmart Sensing technology adapts to human anatomy to solve the accuracy limits of wearable health trackers
New Smart Sensing technology uses dynamic signal pathways to adapt to human anatomy, improving the accuracy and comfort of wearable health trackers.
Scientists map every neuron and connection in an adult fly brain
Researchers have produced the first complete wiring diagram of an adult animal brain, a female fruit fly brain, showing how…
Hamster cells modified to use light for energy like plants
Scientists at the University of Tokyo successfully engineered hamster cells to use chloroplasts for photosynthesis, offering new hope for lab-grown tissues.
Princeton scientists move DNA inside living cells with light
Princeton researchers used light-controlled liquid droplets to pull chosen DNA spots together inside human cells in about two minutes, and found that DNA in the nucleus behaves like a springy liquid.
Scientists built a living computer out of engineered bacteria
Researchers developed a novel multicellular artificial neural network architecture using engineered bacterial cells. These artificial networks can solve computational problems…