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An individual-based mathematical model evaluating the public health benefits of RSVpreF vaccination showed that vaccinating older adults and pregnant women can substantially reduce respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related hospitalizations and deaths, averting substantial inpatient costs, with the impact varying across countries and influenced by both uptake rates and the local epidemiological characteristics of RSV seasons.

Genomic studies often lack representation from diverse populations, limiting equitable insights. Here, the authors show that the BIG Initiative captures extensive genetic diversity and reveals ancestry-linked health disparities in a community-based Mid-South cohort.

Here, the authors profile the oral, lung, and gut microbiota of 479 patients with acute respiratory failure, revealing that reduced diversity and increased pathogen presence can predict survival outcomes, highlighting the potential for microbiota-based approaches in critical care.

In a post-hoc analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) features from patients with metastatic prostate cancer treated with [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu–PSMA-617 or cabazitaxel in the randomized phase 2 TheraP trial, low ctDNA levels at baseline were predictive of clinical benefit from [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu–PSMA-617, and PTEN or ATM alterations were identified as potential biomarkers of response.

A randomized trial in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 showed no benefit and potentially increased harm associated with the use of convalescent plasma, with subgroup analyses suggesting that the antibody profile in donor plasma is critical in determining clinical outcomes.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

How telomere dysfunction is directly linked to inflammation in humans is currently unclear. Here the authors reveal that telomere dysfunction drives activation of the YAP1 transcription factor, up-regulating the pro inflammatory factor, pro-IL-18 thus revealing a link between telomere dysfunction and initiation of intestinal inflammation.

Genetically-encoded indicators with more red-shifted excitation and emission wavelengths are advantageous for in vivo imaging. Here, Dalangin et al. report the engineering of far-red fluorescent Ca2+ indicators and demonstrate their utility for monitoring of all-optical cardiac pacing in embryonic zebrafish.

Different functional variants in ADH1B (and elsewhere) in Europeans and Africans strongly affect risk for alcohol dependence. Dependence only partly genetically correlates with consumption, with strong correlations to other psychiatric disorders.

Hundreds of genetic loci associated with age at menopause, combined with experimental evidence in mice, highlight mechanisms of reproductive ageing across the lifespan.

A report from the Australian Acute Care Genomics programme shows that the integration of rapid whole-genome sequencing and multi-omic analyses informs diagnoses and treatment decisions in a prospective cohort of 290 critically ill infants and children.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

Hearing loss is common among older adults and has reported associations with a higher risk of dementia. Machado-Fragua et al. offer evidence that shows midlife hearing loss is modestly associated with a higher incidence of late-life dementia, and highlight considerations of duration of exposure, measurement, intervention timing and public health awareness for dementia risk reduction.

MacDonald et al. show that EGF triggers de-sialylation of plasma membrane glycoproteins like integrins in a mechanism that depends on the Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter NHE1 and the neuraminidases Neu1 and Neu3. Integrins are trafficked to the Golgi and re-sialylated.

It is unclear how the brain prioritizes goals. Here, the authors show that the mental timestamps assigned to goals guide their dissociation along the anterior-posterior parts of the hippocampus, extending its long axis system to include temporal goal organization.

Inbreeding depression has been observed in many different species, but in humans a systematic analysis has been difficult so far. Here, analysing more than 1.3 million individuals, the authors show that a genomic inbreeding coefficient (FROH) is associated with disadvantageous outcomes in 32 out of 100 traits tested.

Alison Abbott probes a history on the fraught nexus of mental illness and biology.

A combined-ancestry GWAS of diabetic retinopathy, comprising 68,169 cases and 129,188 controls, revealed nine previously unreported loci associated with the condition, including an evolutionarily adaptive genetic variant alongside a potential functional mechanism that influences racial disparities in diabetes complications among individuals of non-Hispanic African ancestry.

Siddiqui et al. explore the role of islet-specific XBP1 expression in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and glycemic traits across diverse ancestries. XBP1 eQTL is associated with T2D, beta-cell function, HbA1c and drug response in East and South Asians in whom this variant is common and beta-cell dysfunction is a significant driver of early onset T2D.

The authors analyzed the whole-exome sequences of over 16,000 individuals and found that very rare variants predicted to disrupt the SETD1A gene confer substantial risk for schizophrenia. Damaging variants in SETD1A were also associated with diverse, severe developmental disorders, providing an important genetic link between schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

A multidisciplinary approach is essential for the optimization of patient care in oncology, especially in the current landscape, in which standard-of-care approaches to cancer treatment are evolving towards highly targeted treatments, precise image guidance and personalized cancer therapy. Herein, the authors discuss current career development pathways for oncologists, suggesting strategies to improve clinical training and research, with specific emphasis on the involvement of trainees in multidisciplinary teams.

A study of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in England between September 2020 and June 2021 finds that interventions capable of containing previous variants were insufficient to stop the more transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.

By integrating healthcare and exome-sequencing data from parent–offspring trios of patients with developmental disorders, 28 genes that had not previously been associated with developmental disorders were identified.

Developmental duration is a key life-history trait. Cooney et al. compile data on 3096 bird species to quantify the degree to which phylogenetic history, body size and ecological variables like predation risk or breeding phenology influence variation in developmental duration.

Arrayed and pooled high-throughput screening is crucial for drug discovery and CRISPR functional genomics. Here, the authors present dFLASH; a dual FLuorescent transcription factor Activity Sensor for Histone-integrated live-cell reporting for high performance screening applications across numerous pathways and screening contexts.

Graham and colleagues analyzed locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma clinical trial patient samples and identified major changes in gene expression profiles and immune microenvironment composition independent of changes in clonal composition.

Want to get the best research from your team? Take these six steps to invest in stronger relationships, urges Alison Antes.

Polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer’s disease derived from individuals of European ancestry can show improved performance in multiancestry settings after incorporating genome-wide association summary statistics from diverse populations.

Longitudinal tracing of antibody responses to the ChAdOx1 and the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines in 45,965 adults from the United Kingdom give indications for vaccine prioritization.

Here, the authors leverage whole-genome sequencing from >88,000 diverse individuals to uncover 18 BMI-related genetic signals, including novel variants in participants of African genetic ancestry, highlighting the value of diversity in genetic discovery.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

Preclinical studies indicate that simultaneous HER2 and VEGF blockade may be beneficial in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). Here, the authors report the efficacy and biomarker analysis of a phase II clinical trial investigating the combination of bevacizumab (anti-VEGF) and standard-of-care CAPOX (capecitabine, oxaliplatin) and trastuzumab in previously untreated advanced HER2 + GEA.

In a new study including 200 families who experienced perinatal death, adding genomic analyses to standard autopsies improved the identification of underlying pathogenic causes and informed genetic counseling.

In the final report of a phase 1 trial evaluating intracerebroventricular B7-H3-targeting CAR T cells in children and young adults with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, repeated intracranial infusions were feasible and well tolerated with a median overall survival of 19.8 months and 3 patients surviving over 40 months from diagnosis.

It is unclear whether the sequence and timing of early life neurodevelopment varies across human populations, excluding the effects of disease or malnutrition. Here, the authors show that children of healthy, urban, educated mothers show very similar development across five geographically diverse populations.