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Explore readers’ favorite genomics stories from this year.Image credit:© iStock.com, Evgenii KovalevGenomics and genome editing tools took center stage this year, from the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences honoring the development of base editing and prime editing to the controversy surrounding the de-extinction of so-called dire wolves. The Scientist explored these and how advances in AI-based tools can help scientists with their CRISPR experiments, Mexico’s ban on genetically modified corn, the history of TALENs, and more. Check out readers’ favorite genomics stories from 2025.Romulus and Remus are the wolf pups created by Colossal Biosciences.Colossal BiosciencesEarlier this year, biotech company Colossal…
CPN expands beauty and wellness push, partnering with 690 brands to tap Thailand’s fast-growing longevity-driven market. Thailand’s largest commercial property developer and operator of Central shopping malls, Central Pattana Public Company Limited (CPN), is deepening its investment in beauty and holistic wellness as consumer demand shifts toward longevity, preventative care, and personalized services. Announced on 19 December, CPN’s latest strategy positions beauty and wellness not as discretionary retail categories, but as long-term lifestyle investments. The company is rolling out “THE UNLIMITED BEAUTY 2025” campaign in partnership with Galderma, a global leader in aesthetic medicine, and more than 690 beauty, wellness…
By targeting a hidden toxic protein, an experimental drug could change how Alzheimer’s is prevented and treated. For decades, Alzheimer’s disease has been treated as a condition that becomes visible only when memory begins to fail. Now, new research from Northwestern University challenges that idea, suggesting the disease may quietly begin years, even decades, before symptoms appear. In a study published this month in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, scientists identified a previously unknown toxic protein in the brain that appears to trigger the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s. More strikingly, an experimental drug was able to…
Partnership targets cold-chain bottlenecks by combining hydrogel preservation with human-relevant organoid platforms. Atelerix, a UK-based biotech focused on non-cryogenic cell preservation, has entered into an agreement with French organoid and organ-on-chip specialist Cherry Biotech. The partnership aims to integrate Atelerix’s hydrogel-based biosample transport technology with Cherry Biotech’s advanced 3D organoid models to address long-standing challenges in the global shipment of temperature-sensitive biological materials. The collaboration, announced last week, centers on enabling extended-duration, ambient or controlled-temperature transport of organoids without reliance on conventional cold-chain logistics. By reducing dependence on dry ice and cryogenic shipping, the companies aim to improve reliability, cost…
From models and measurement to clinics and competition, 2025 marked the moment longevity began behaving like a field with consequences. For the past few years, longevity has been rich in theory and poor in certainty – brimming with promise, but still largely contained within papers, panels and PowerPoint decks. In our 2024 review, we focused on understanding – refining theories of aging, interrogating mechanisms and testing the boundaries of what intervention might one day look like. Necessary work, certainly, but still a step removed from everyday reality. In 2025, something shifted. Not a single breakthrough, nor a tidy inflection point,…
Dive into the most read genetics stories of 2025, which feature solving criminal mysteries to uncovering whether identical twins are truly identical.Image credit:©iStock.com, Tetiana LazunovaMuch of what shapes people’s lives happens at an unseen level—it comes down to DNA. This year, The Scientist explored genetic insights into how individuals smell, metabolize alcohol, and even how identical “identical” twins really are. Genetics reach farther than most people realize. As we revisit some of our best genetics coverage, don’t miss these highlights before we head into 2026.Why do some people seem to “hold their liquor” while others tip over after a single…
Anavex is pushing for a second look at a potential early Alzheimer’s treatment in a move that could reshape the company’s future. New York-based biotech Anavex Life Sciences has formally asked the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to re-evaluate its application for blarcamesine, a drug candidate aimed at treating early-stage Alzheimer’s disease [1]. Importantly, this request triggers a review by a new set of evaluators, offering what the company describes as a “fresh review” of the data supporting the drug. The company has also requested the involvement of an independent Scientific Advisory Group, which would provide expert input alongside the regulatory…
Liom boasts miniaturization breakthrough in spectroscopy-powered continuous glucose monitoring technology. Swiss healthtech startup Liom has secured a $16.5 million extension to its Series A financing, bringing the round to $48 million, after making a key technical breakthrough in shrinking its non-invasive biomarker monitoring platform to wearable size. The company is initially developing a glucose-monitoring wearable, designed to provide continuous metabolic insight without requiring needles or user calibration – targeting a commercial launch in 2028. Previously known as Spiden, Liom was founded by serial entrepreneur Leo Grünstein to harness optical sensing and AI in health monitoring. The company’s approach leverages…
The brain is constantly bombarded with information, and focus depends on its ability to filter out distractions and detect what matters. Attention disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involve a breakdown in our ability to separate signal from noise. Stimulant medications improve attention by boosting activity in circuits known to govern attention, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC). A new study has now discovered a surprising potential alternative strategy, which may be to reduce background activity as a way of turning down extraneous noise. Headed by Priya Rajasethupathy, MD, PhD, head of the Skoler Horbach Family Laboratory of Neural…
US President says agreements with more drugmakers will lower costs for patients; critics question what savings consumers will actually see. President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a fresh set of drug pricing agreements with nine additional pharmaceutical companies, widening the administration’s effort to curb prescription drug costs while temporarily stepping back from threatened import tariffs. With the latest round of commitments, 14 of the 17 drugmakers previously singled out by the White House have now signed on. The deals follow a common framework: participating companies agree to lower prices for Medicaid recipients, sell select medicines directly to consumers at discounted…