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In a prospective international cohort of 1,127 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and ctDNA-guided therapy, ctDNA detection was associated with shorter survival, independently of clinicopathologic features and metabolic tumor volume.

The authors have previously demonstrated the neutralising capacity of their nanoparticle vaccine, as well as showing protection of non-human primates from SARS-CoV-2 WA-1 infection. In this work, they investigate the ability of their vaccine candidate to neutralise SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, and protect animals from other sarbecoviruses.

Longitudinal genomic and transcriptomic profiling of 1,143 patients with multiple myeloma by the Relating Clinical Outcomes in Multiple Myeloma to Personal Assessment of Genetic Profile study yields an improved copy number and gene expression subtype scheme, most notably a high-risk proliferative subtype associated with complete loss of RB1 or MAX.

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.

Dendritic cells in the lung may be specialised to mediate specific types of immune function. Here the authors show that subpopulations of mouse CD11b⁺ lung DC at different stages of maturation and phenotype can promote Th17 or Th2 CD4⁺ T cell differentiation.

Bischof and colleagues report that AP-1 bookmarks prospective senescence enhancers for future activation to achieve a timely execution of the senescence programme.

The response to infectious and inflammatory challenges differs among people but the reasons for this are poorly understood. Here the authors explore the impact of variables such as age, sex, and the capacity for controlling inflammation and maintaining immunocompetence, linking this capacity to favourable health outcomes and lifespan.

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.

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.

Post-international travel quarantine has been widely implemented to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but the impacts of such policies are unclear. Here, the authors used linked genomic and contact tracing data to assess the impacts of a 14-day quarantine on return to England in summer 2020.

Dengue and Zika virus are related flaviviruses, and introduction of Zika in the Americas may have impacted dengue epidemiology. Here, Borchering et al. show that dengue incidence was unusually low in 2017 in Brazil and Colombia, and simulations incorporating immune-mediated interactions predict reductions in dengue following Zika outbreaks with subsequent rebounds.

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern continue to emerge, reducing vaccine efficacy and limiting therapeutic options. Here, Chen and colleagues describe the identification and design of shark nanobodies with pansarbecovirus activity.

The Omicron variant evades vaccine-induced neutralization but also fails to form syncytia, shows reduced replication in human lung cells and preferentially uses a TMPRSS2-independent cell entry pathway, which may contribute to enhanced replication in cells of the upper airway. Altered fusion and cell entry characteristics are linked to distinct regions of the Omicron spike protein.

Conducting a simulated turtlegrass herbivory experiment across 650 experimental plots and 13 seagrass meadows, the authors show that the negative effects of herbivory increase with latitude, driven by low levels of light insolation at high latitudes.

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug proposed as a treatment for COVID19. Here the results are reported from a randomised trial testing DMF treatment in 713 patients hospitalised with COVID-19. DMF was not associated with any improvement in day 5 outcomes.

Genetic and testing data from England show that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a transmission advantage over other lineages.

SMARCB1/SNF5 is a tumour suppressor and component of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler. Here the authors show that, independent of chromatin remodelling activities, SNF5 acts to inhibit the pro-tumorigenic transcriptional program of MYC via control of RNA polymerase pause release at MYC target genes.

DNA damage repair genes have been linked with increased aggressiveness of prostate cancer, however, the extent of mutation of these genes has not been analyzed within a cohort of African American patients. Here, the authors identify increased mutation rates in specific DNA repair genes, compared with prostate cancer patients with European Ancestry.

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.

Most Amazon tree species are rare but a small proportion are common across the region. The authors show that different species are hyperdominant in different size classes and that hyperdominance is more phylogenetically restricted for larger canopy trees than for smaller understory ones.

Immunization of macaques with nanoparticle-conjugated receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 adjuvanted with 3M-052 and alum results in cross-neutralizing antibodies against bat coronaviruses, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 variants, and may provide a platform for developing pan-coronavirus vaccines.

Perou and colleagues perform genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses on pairs of primary and metastatic breast tumors, detecting subtype switching and changes in immune signatures and DNA methylation patterns associated with metastasis.

Oxidation of ubiquinol by the mitochondrial electron transfer chain drives tumour growth by maintaining the function of the oxidative Krebs cycle and de novo pyrimidine synthesis.

A genome-wide association study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 identifies genetic signals that relate to important host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage that may be targeted by repurposing drug treatments.

The anti-tumour effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors is potentiated by CD137 agonists in preclinical models, but translation of these results to the clinical practice is hampered by toxicity. Authors describe here a human CD137xPD-L1 bispecific antibody with improved anti-cancer activity whilst maintaining low toxicity in non-human primates.

Using lidar over an area of 85,000 km², Inomata et al. identified 478 early ceremonial complexes in southern Mexico. These discoveries offer new information for understanding the origins of Mayan civilization and its relation with the Olmecs.

Whole-genome sequence analysis identifies five independent risk loci for Lewy body dementia and demonstrates overlapping genetic architecture with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

The genome of a western lowland gorilla has been sequenced and analysed, completing the genome sequences of all great ape genera, and providing evidence for parallel accelerated evolution in chimpanzee, gorilla and human lineages at a number of loci.

Openshaw and colleagues find myeloid inflammation and complement activation signatures in patients with long COVID who were previously hospitalized.

The genome of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae is sequenced, providing insights into its polyphagous feeding, silk production, hormonal repertoire and reduced Hox cluster.

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD) tau and neurodegeneration have complex regional relationships. Here, the authors show neuronal hypometabolism discordant with tau burden defines functional resilience or susceptibility to Alzheimer’s pathology via limbic/cortical axes. Susceptible groups have faster cognitive decline and evidence of non-Alzheimer’s pathologies.

The Galactic Centre is orbited by two objects that look like gas and dust clouds but behave more like stars, and now four additional similar objects are reported.

Thermostable enzymes are used for a range of industrial processes, including biofuel production. Berka et al. report the genome sequences of two thermophilic eukaryotic fungi with enzymes that operate at the elevated temperatures needed to digest biomass and prepare many biochemicals.

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) modulate inflammatory and allergic responses, but their function in cancer immunity is still unclear. Here the authors show that, in acute promyelocytic leukaemia, tumour-activated ILC2s secrete IL-13 to induce myeloid-derived suppressor cells and support tumour growth.

Perivascular and leptomeningeal macrophages, collectively termed here parenchymal border macrophages, are shown to regulate flow dynamics of cerebrospinal fluid, implicating this cell population as new therapeutic targets in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers varies depending on other genetic factors. Here, the authors perform a case-only genome-wide association study and highlight novel loci associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers.

The authors generated stem cell-derived neurons from combat veterans with and without PTSD and found PTSD-dependent gene expression changes in response to glucocorticoids. This highlights how stress response may be altered in individuals with PTSD.

The Microarray Quality Control consortium pitted 36 teams against each other to evaluate methods for creating genomic classifiers, computational tools for interpreting gene expression profiles. The performance of the classifiers on blinded validation data—and metadata on the analytic methods—reveal the challenges facing the field.