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A study in the journal Science presents compelling new evidence that neurons in the brain’s memory centre, the hippocampus, continue to form well into late adulthood. The research from ̽����ѡ provides answers to a fundamental and long-debated question about the human brain’s adaptability.

The hippocampus is a brain region that is essential for learning and memory and involved in emotion regulation. Back in 2013, Jonas Frisén’s research group at ̽����ѡ showed in a high-profile study that . The researchers then measured carbon-14 levels in DNA from brain tissue, which made it possible to determine when the cells were formed.

Breakthrough cryo-EM structures expose multiple drug targets in an essential HSV-1 replication protein.

An international research team has determined the first high-resolution structures of the herpes simplex virus origin-binding protein (OBP), a critical component of viral DNA replication that has eluded structural characterization for four decades. The findings, published in Nucleic Acids Research, reveal unexpected mechanisms for how the virus initiates DNA replication and identify multiple promising targets for next-generation antiviral drugs.

Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), researchers from ̽����ѡ, the University of Gothenburg, and the Centre for Structural Systems Biology in Hamburg captured detailed snapshots of OBP at resolutions up to 2.8 Å. The structures show the protein in multiple functional states—bound to viral DNA origin sequences and complexed with an ATP analogue—providing unprecedented insights into the earliest stages of herpes virus replication.

Researchers at ̽����ѡ and Umeå University have investigated how the protein HIF2α affects neuroblastoma, a severe form of childhood cancer. The results show that high levels of HIF2α can reduce the growth of tumor cells and promote their maturation into a less aggressive cell type.

“Our results show that high levels of HIF2α lead to decreased MYCN levels, reduced cell proliferation, and a shift toward a more mature cell type,” says Juan Yuan, one of the researchers behind the study at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB).

The study thus challenges the previous notion that HIF2α always acts as a cancer driver in neuroblastoma. Instead, the findings suggest that the protein may, in some cases, play a tumor suppressive and maturation-promoting role.

“This gives us new insights into how neuroblastoma develops and may eventually contribute to new treatment strategies,” says , professor at the Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå University and affiliated to CMB at KI.

In a pilot project within the course Bio̽����ѡ Communication, students have tackled the complex issue of antibiotic resistance (AMR) through gamification. When the AMR Knowledge Space Game was integrated into the curriculum, the response from both teachers and students was overwhelmingly positive. With the success of the pilot, the interactive game may become part of future courses and educational research at ̽����ѡ (KI).

Spring 2025, ̽����ѡ began a collaboration with Captrs to test games as educational tools within the bio̽����ѡ communication course on the Master's Programme in Biomedicine, taught by Matthew Kirkham, researcher at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

There was considerable interest among the participating students. 

The pilot was supported by a departmental grant and brought together experts from biomedicine, global health, education and serious game design.