December 2025 Volume 21, Issue 4
Volume 21, Issue 4 | December 2025
December 2025
In this Issue
Artificial Intelligence
Machine learning drives progress in fibrosis treatment
Insilico’s Phase 2a trial of an AI-designed therapy marks a milestone in data-driven drug development.
AI and spatial genomics reveal rogue fibroblasts driving disease
New study identifies fibroblast subtypes as potential universal drug targets in cancer, skin, and inflammatory diseases.
Can AI take the guesswork out of CRISPR?
New AI tools promise to speed up and simplify CRISPR experiments, but their real-world impact is still being tested.
AI helps radiologists find breast cancers earlier and faster
Rather than replacing radiologists, AI is working alongside them to catch cancers earlier and improve screening efficiency.Neuroscience
Could a short-acting psychedelic transform depression treatment?
Short-acting psychedelics like bretisilocin could offer rapid, lasting relief for patients with major depressive disorder.
3D brain model enables personalized disease research and drug discovery
Mini “miBrains” replicate key brain cell types, enabling personalized disease research and drug testing.
A more electric language for biology
Bioelectricity is a potent lever for controlling health. What would it look like to treat the body electrically, rather than chemically?
How small molecule tau inhibitors could treat Alzheimer’s disease
While amyloid plaques form first, new work suggests targeting tau tangles that spread through the brain could also help the fight against this devastating disease.Disease Models
Why a human-first approach is the future of drug discovery
Harnessing human-first models to accelerate drug discovery, improve safety, and capture the diversity of human biology.
Researchers develop most advanced kidney organoid yet for disease modeling and drug discovery
The kidney structures replicate newborn-level maturity, enabling studies of complex disease features such as fibrosis and drug toxicity.
Can we stop using mice for research?
As nearly 90 percent of drugs fail in human trials, researchers are turning to patient-derived cells, engineered tissues, and AI to better predict human responses and reduce costly late-stage failures.Immunology
Bacteria and viruses combine in two-microbe system to kill cancer
Scientists created a novel platform that uses the advantages of both bacteria and viruses to attack tumors.
A BTK inhibitor finds an autoimmune disease in need of treatment
A clinical trial showed that Rhapsido can safely and effectively treat chronic spontaneous urticaria; its developer Novartis hopes that’s just the start.
Blood tests for colorectal cancer screening have arrived
They’re approved by the FDA and Medicare and inching closer to widespread adoption nationally. But how good are they at detecting colorectal cancer?
