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Research Daily Summary

Research Daily Summary: What Happened on October 26, 2026

ETH Zurich researchers create an archive of cellular RNA

The method preserves RNA for days, letting researchers examine past gene activity alongside a cell’s current state.

  • Updated
  • Read from 6 articles, 2 publications
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Today in brief

An ETH Zurich team developed a method to preserve thousands of RNA molecules in each cell for several days, offering a record of earlier gene activity as well as the cell’s current state.1 Other research updates covered lipid nanoparticles for large RNA cargos, adenosine receptor blockade in cardiac fibrosis, an IL-21 mimic with KRAS inhibitors, senescent-cell nanotherapy and in-body engineering of CAR natural killer cells.23456

Also worth knowing

  • Dong and colleagues reported that lipid nanoparticles optimized for large RNA cargos and tissue targeting enhanced genome editing in vivo. Delivery efficiency often falls as cargo size increases.2

  • Blocking adenosine receptors alleviated cardiac fibrosis, which can stiffen heart tissue and impair heart function. No approved therapy directly targets the condition.3

  • An IL-21 mimic worked synergistically with KRAS inhibitors in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Responses to KRAS inhibitors can be short-lived, and acquired resistance is common.4

  • Hinterleitner and colleagues reported that a nanotherapy targeting senescent cells reduced fibrosis and overcame immune exclusion in cancer. The work is preclinical, and toxicity has hindered the translation of treatments targeting senescent cells.5

  • Chen and colleagues described using ligand-directed lipid nanoparticles to engineer CAR natural killer cells in the body. Producing large quantities of these cells outside the body creates time and cost challenges.6

Also published