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Reliable detection of mutations below 0.5% variant allele frequency remains a key challenge for circulating tumor DNA sequencing assays.

Systems for automatic detection of a single disease may miss other important conditions. Here, the authors show a deep learning platform can detect 39 common retinal diseases and conditions.

The DAWN study is a phase 3 clinical trial that demonstrates effective glycemic control of dorzagliatin as an add-on therapy to metfomin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Trans-ancestry meta-analysis of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from 1,046,070 individuals identifies 264 associated loci, providing a resource of molecular targets for translational research of chronic kidney disease.

A multi-ancestry genome-wide gene–smoking interaction study identifies 13 new loci associated with serum lipids.

Mutations in the LaminA gene are the second most common inherited cause of Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a major form of heart failure. Here the authors show that disruption of the nuclear protein SUN1 in cardiomyocytes, by AAV mediated transduction of a SUN1 inhibitor, significantly suppress cardiomyopathy progression, providing a potential therapeutic route to treat this disease.

Zhenglin Yang and colleagues use whole-exome sequencing to identify a rare variant in the FGD6 gene that is associated with the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy subtype of wet age-related macular degeneration. They show that FGD6 regulates proangiogenic effects together with VEGF and that the mutation results in abnormal retinal vessel development.

The roles of liver-specific genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain to be explored. Here the authors report that PGRMC1, localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, functions as a tumor suppressor in HCC by inhibiting c-Myc protein translation via activation of PERK independent of ER stress.

Cover crops can improve agricultural sustainability. In this meta-analysis, the authors find that a biculture of legume and non-legume cover crops is optimal and may promote multiple agroecosystem services while mitigating climate-related yield losses by 2100.

Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UCAR) is associated with various clinical outcomes such as kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Here, the authors report genome-wide meta-analysis in over 500,000 individuals and find 68 UACR loci, followed by statistical fine-mapping, gene prioritization and experimental validation in flies.

Current vaccine strategies for SARS-CoV-2 focus on eliciting neutralising antibodies to the spike protein (S), but differences in immunogenicity of full-length S versus receptor binding domain (RBD) only aren’t fully understood. Here, the authors show immunogenicity of different prime-boost strategies with S and/or RBD in mice and macaques.

SERS-based chemical taxonomy is attractive for practical SERS applications where the identity and concentration of analytes are unknown. Here, the authors demonstrate a machine learning framework for classifying “unknown” molecules that lie outside the boundaries of the models used.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses identify new risk loci for Parkinson’s disease, and fine-mapping and co-localization analyses implicate candidate genes whose expression is associated with disease susceptibility.

The Sequencing Quality Control (SEQC) consortium shows that junction discovery and differential gene expression profiling with RNA-seq can be robust but transcript-level and absolute measurements remain challenging.

The black phase of formamidinium lead iodide perovskite is used to make highly efficient solar cells, and a technique to improve its purity and stability by controlling crystal nucleation could make them even better.

The pluripotency program is maintained by transcription factors from the Sox and POU families. Here they identify SOX and POU factors from unicellular relatives of animals and show that unicellular SOX can replace SOX2 to induce pluripotency, whilst unicellular POU differs from OCT4.

Dual-scale chemical ordering in CoNiV-based alloys improves the synergy of strength and ductility at cryogenic temperatures, providing an approach for obtaining high-performance metallic materials for cryogenic applications.

β-Lactone-containing natural products are rare. Now, a polyketide with a unique cyclopentane–β-lactone skeleton is reported. The key enzymes identified for the formation of the bicyclic core are a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-like module with a β-lactone ring forming esterase and peptidyl carrier protein, thioester reductase and condensation domains.

Dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses normally display as smooth spherical particles, while DENV can also become bumpy-surfaced, resulting in immune evasion. Here, Morrone et al. report DENV and ZIKV infectious club-shaped particles (clubSP) that display distinct antibody binding properties.

While renewable CO₂ conversion provides a means to remove and recycle waste emissions, there are few earth-abundant materials that are both efficient and active. Here, authors prepare N-doped carbon with atomic manganese as high-performance CO₂ reduction electrocatalyst.

Elevated activity of the methionine cycle is essential for cancer stem cell tumorigenesis and represents a therapeutic vulnerability.

Polymorphisms in LMO1 are associated with increased susceptibility to develop neuroblastoma. Here, the authors show that LMO1 directly induces the transcription factor ASCL1, which regulates the differentiation of neurons, demonstrating that ASCL1 is part of the adrenergic neuroblastoma core regulatory circuit.

A plant kinase mediates symbiotic signalling and suppress host immunity to enable legume–rhizobium symbiosis.

Integrating static image capture and dynamic visual processing in a single sensor is challenging. The authors experimentally demonstrate a CMOS-integrated organic neuromorphic imager with adjustable memory, capable of high-resolution dual-modal imaging.

Tropical cyclones (TCs) transport a substantial amount of energy and water, affecting the atmosphere and oceans. This Review outlines the immediate, short-term and long-term effects of TCs and the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

The combination of high energy density and sustainability makes the lithium–sulfur battery a technology of growing importance. Here the authors show a polymeric cathode design that enables impressive performance in practical pouch cells.

Měnglà virus (MLAV) is a phylogenetically distinct bat filovirus, whose genome shares 32–54% nucleotide sequence identity with known filoviruses. MLAV glycoprotein-typed pseudo-types can transduce cell lines derived from humans, monkeys, dogs, hamsters and bats.

For relaxor ferroelectrics, correlating their properties and local structures is challenging. Here, the authors correlate the atomic-scale structure and the large dynamic electromechanical property in Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-based relaxor ferroelectrics.

Phase transitions in crystals are challenging to study with atomic resolution. Here, the authors reveal that the transition from fcc to bcc occurs across a few-atoms-wide coherent interface, which serves as a precursor phase for the nucleation of the bcc phase.

Resistance to menin inhibitors often occurs in the initially sensitive MLL-rearranged (MLLr) leukemias. Here authors discover that inhibition of guanine nucleotide biosynthesis leads to myeloid differentiation and sensitization to menin inhibitors in leukemia stem cells of MLLr leukemia.

Results of a multicentre phase 1 clinical trial evaluating treatment with the engineered herpes simplex virus VG161 in advanced liver cancer indicate a good safety profile and promising efficacy.

Monitoring chirality transfer during self-assembly processes is challenging. Here, the authors study the assembly of chiral pillar[5]arene-based nanotubes; diastereomerically pure trimeric nanotubes are synthesized from a mixture of pillar[5]arene compounds.

Alloying lead telluride has proven a good strategy to improve its thermoelectric properties. Here, the authors use a rapid temperature quenching to prepare compounds alloyed above the thermodynamic solubility limit, which results in band convergence and high thermoelectric figures of merit.

The LHCb experiment at CERN has observed significant asymmetries between the decay rates of the beauty baryon and its CP-conjugated antibaryon, thus demonstrating CP violation in baryon decays.

Porphyrins are produced at scale through metabolic engineering and optimization of CPIII purification.

While chemotherapy may initially be effective in patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), resistance often develops. Here, the authors identify PJA1 as a driver of resistance to docetaxel via inhibition of GSDME-mediated proptosis and target this using a PJA1 inhibitor to restore sensitivity in preclinical models of NPC.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial, the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor small-molecule inhibitor fruquintinib plus chemotherapy significantly extended progression-free survival, but not overall survival, as second-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancers.

Liu et al. identify downregulation of DDX5, an RNA helicase, in the cartilage of patients and mouse model of osteoarthritis. Targeted upregulation of DDX5 in mouse chondrocytes inhibits hyaline cartilage fibrosis and degradation via pre-mRNA splicing and G4 unwinding, a potential therapeutic strategy against osteoarthritis.

Hi-C and single-molecule sequencing analysis provide an improved assembly of the Xenopus tropicalis genome and insights into three-dimensional genome dynamics throughout embryogenesis.

Wragg and colleagues use MHC class II tetramers and TCRβ sequencing to track clonal populations of spike-specific CD4⁺ cT_FH cells from cohorts of convalescent individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 or SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated individuals over 15 months.

The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant has spread rapidly worldwide. Here, the authors characterise a single chain of transmission of Delta in China, and find evidence that it is more infectious and replicates faster during early infection compared to early pandemic lineages.

This paper presents an imaging-based sensor enabled by differential guided-mode resonance with nanoscale thickness modulation, achieving high sensitivity and expanded dynamic range for medical diagnostics and biochemical sensing.

Understanding the deformation of nanoparticle lattices in elastic materials is crucial for photonics. Here, authors reveal 3D lattice transformations under strain with models and experiments, demonstrating tuneable optical properties and significant structural changes.

Chan et al. report that 3′ UTR splicing is widespread and enhanced across different cancer types and is associated with more advanced tumour progression.