A naturally occurring gene called Cyclin A2 (CCNA2), which turns off after birth in humans, can actually make new, functioning heart cells and help the heart repair itself from injury, including a heart attack or heart failure, when the gene is turned back on.

Standard laboratory tests can fail to detect many disease-causing DNA changes. Now, a novel 3D chromosome mapping method can reliably reveal these hidden structural variants and lead to new discoveries.

Researchers have created a new type of drug molecule that can precisely destroy TERRA, an RNA molecule that helps certain cancer cells survive. Using advanced “RIBOTAC” technology, their compound finds TERRA inside cells and breaks it down without harming healthy molecules. This discovery could pave the way for a new generation of RNA-based cancer treatments, targeting the disease at its genetic roots rather than just its symptoms.

Two teams of researchers have developed a cell reprogramming technology that converts rogue disease-causing T cells from our immune system into protective Tregcells. These cells help ensure that the immune system doesn’t attack the body’s own tissues. The breakthroughs could usher in more personalized and targeted cell therapies for a host of autoimmune diseases.

Enabled by a new high-resolution mapping technique, the findings overturn a long-held belief that the genome loses its 3D structure when cells divide.