Using aptamer-based proteomic assays and cohort analyses of over 15,000 individuals, researchers at Harvard University found that low levels of activated GDF11/8 subforms predict increased risk of cardiovascular events, mortality, and dementia. Unlike mass spectrometry, aptamers selectively detect active forms, offering a promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target for age-related diseases.

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Using high-resolution mass spectrometry-based proteomics and RNA sequencing across in vitro, viral infection, and tumor models, this study identified a distinct proteotoxic stress response (Tex-PSR) in exhausted CD8⁺ T cells. Tex-PSR features increased protein synthesis, aggregation, and chaperone upregulation, driven by sustained AKT signaling, and impairs immunotherapy efficacy. This novel cellular mechanism underlying T cell exhaustion could have significant future of cancer immunotherapy.

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Published in Science Advances, a team of researchers from Stanford University integrated multiplex immunofluorescence, RNA sequencing, and histology data to uncover spatial lymphocyte phenotypes linked to immunotherapy outcomes in NSCLC. Using the NucSegAI deep learning model, researchers identified image-based biomarkers that outperform PD-L1 scoring, offering scalable tools for future personalized cancer treatment.

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