Engineering a parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which is naturally suited to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter neuronal cells, so that it can deliver therapeutic proteins to the central nervous system: this is the result of a study by an international group of scientists, including researchers from the University of Milan and Human Technopole, recently published in Nature Microbiology.

In collaboration with an international team of scientists, HT researchers identified a missense mutation in a gene involved in brain-intrinsic immunity as the genetic cause of SARS-CoV-2 brainstem encephalitis.

A study by Human Technopole, the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London has shown that in prostate cancer the presence in the same tumour of cells with large differences in shape and genetic composition indicates an increased risk of relapse, including after a decade. The study may help doctors better tailor treatment for this disease, adopting more aggressive therapies in cases where these parameters indicate a higher risk of disease recurrence.