--- title: 'Research Daily Summary: What Happened on October 7, 2026' headline: Mitochondrial DNA levels track with cancer mutations and therapy response description: Other research examines immune-cell engagers for autoimmune disease, brain-targeted oligonucleotide delivery and yeast-based building material tested under simulated Martian conditions. url: https://thebench.bio/news/research/2026-10-07 topic: research date: '2026-10-07' covers: - '2026-10-07' date_published: '2026-10-07T12:02:50Z' date_modified: '2026-10-07T12:02:50Z' sources: 7 publisher: The Bench (thebench.bio) --- # Research Daily Summary: What Happened on October 7, 2026 **Mitochondrial DNA levels track with cancer mutations and therapy response** Other research examines immune-cell engagers for autoimmune disease, brain-targeted oligonucleotide delivery and yeast-based building material tested under simulated Martian conditions. ## Today in brief Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur found that mitochondrial DNA copy number rose with cancer mutational load and was associated with differences in genes linked to chemotherapy response. [1] A review surveys immune-cell engagers for depleting B cells in autoimmune disease, and researchers tested a yeast-based printing material under simulated Martian conditions. [2] [3] ## Mitochondrial DNA tracks with cancer mutations Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur analyzed mitochondrial DNA copy number, mutations and gene expression across cancer types. [1] Copy number rose alongside mutational load and was associated with differences in the expression of genes related to chemotherapy response. [1] The relationships varied by cancer type and remained after accounting for tumor ploidy. [1] ## Immune-cell engagers for autoimmune disease Immune-cell engagers can recruit T cells and other immune cells to destroy B cells and related antibody-producing cells. [2] Early clinical reports of CD19- and BCMA-targeted T-cell engagers have described sustained improvement in several systemic autoimmune diseases. [2] The review discusses challenges including differences in B-cell populations among diseases, impaired effector cells and the risk of cytokine release syndrome. [2] ## Yeast-based material tested for 3D printing Researchers combined Martian rock material, gelatin and engineered yeast to make a printable building material, then tested it under simulated Martian conditions. [3] The small printed domes had a compressive strength of 10 to 12 megapascals. [3] The material has only been tested on Earth, and the team does not know whether its yeast can survive actual Martian conditions. [3] ## Also worth knowing - Preclinical studies are testing how shuttle design and oligonucleotide features affect delivery from the bloodstream into the brain and reduction of target activity there. [4] - Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai won a Nobel Prize for work on reactions that produce one-handed molecules. [5] - The Nordic EMBL Partnership held its 14th annual research meeting in Umeå, Sweden, from September 7 to 10, bringing together scientists from its network of four institutes. [6] - Insilico Medicine began a Phase III trial of its AI-discovered drug rentosertib for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in China in July 2026, following Phase IIa results that included dose-related changes in fibrosis and inflammation markers. [7] ## The day in numbers - **10 to 12 megapascals**: Compressive strength of the yeast-based material tested for 3D-printed structures under simulated Martian conditions. [3] - **14.3%**: Average chance of first approval from Phase I in a benchmarking study of 18 pharmaceutical companies. [7] ## Sources 1. [Mitochondria Closely Linked with Cancer Progression](), Inside Precision Medicine, 2026-10-07 2. [Next-generation immune cell engagers for B cell depletion in autoimmune diseases](), Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2026-10-07 3. [3D printing houses on Mars using yeast – it’s not as crazy as it sounds](), BioTechniques, 2026-10-07 4. [CNS oligo delivery – the next frontier for brain shuttles](), BioCentury, 2026-10-07 5. [Nobel Prize honors researchers who solved chemistry's asymmetry mystery](), Science News, 2026-10-07 6. [Nordic EMBL Partnership brings its research community together in Umeå](), EMBL, 2026-10-07 7. [How advances in drug discovery are changing the path from research to clinical trials](), Clinical Trials Arena, 2026-10-07 --- The Bench wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: [5]: [6]: [7]: