CRISPR cancer trial success paves the way for personalized treatments

Hello Nature readers,
Today we hear that a CRISPR cancer-trial success is paving the way for personalized treatments. Plus, we explore why respiratory illnesses are on the rise and ponder whether to join Mastodon.

‘Most complicated therapy ever’ success

A small clinical trial has shown that CRISPR gene editing can alter immune cells so that they seek out and destroy a person’s cancer. T cells, a type of white blood cell that patrols the body looking for errant cells, were modified to recognize the mutated proteins in tumours, which are different in every person. It is the first attempt to combine two hot areas of cancer research: gene editing to create personalized treatments, and the engineering of T cells to make them better at targeting tumours. “It is probably the most complicated therapy ever attempted in the clinic,” says study co-author Antoni Ribas, a cancer researcher and physician. “We’re trying to make an army out of a patient’s own T cells.”

Why flu and colds are back with a vengeance

Restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 markedly blunted the spread of other respiratory illnesses. Now, in the Northern Hemisphere, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is surging, and the hospitalization rate for influenza in the United States is higher for the time of year than it has been since 2010. “These viruses are coming back, and they’re coming back with a vengeance,” says immunologist Scott Hensley. Why are these surges happening now? And what’s in store for future winters? Researchers weigh in with their thoughts, from infants not being exposed at a young age to waning immunity in older children and the timing of COVID-19 restrictions lifting.

A scientists’ guide to Mastodon

Some scientists looking for an alternative to Twitter are flocking to Mastodon, an open-source alternative created in 2016. The main difference between Mastodon and Twitter is that whereas Twitter is centrally controlled by a single company, Mastodon is decentralized. Because people tend to join different servers on the basis of their interests or locations, Mastodon can make it easier for users to speak to like-minded people. But it’s harder to broadcast your message to a wide range of people using Mastodon — an important feature for scientists who are interested in communicating their research to large, non-specialist audiences.

Saying ‘no’ in science isn’t enough

During a decade of research, four female professors found that women are more likely to be asked to take on work that matters to organizations but doesn’t help to advance careers — and are also more likely to volunteer themselves for such work. “The underlying reason is simple, and sad,” say the authors. “We all expect women to take on this work, which is why we ask them more often and judge them harshly when they say no. Women have internalized these expectations, and they feel a lot of pressure to say yes.” The problem isn’t solved by individual women saying no: another female colleague often gets asked instead. The authors offer five “easy fixes” for leaders to root out the problem at the source, which revolve around assigning tasks more thoughtfully.

Futures: The last will and testament of the human race

A tongue-in-cheek look at what we might leave behind is the subject of the latest short story for Nature’s Futures series.

Podcast: Molecular cages sift water

Heavy water — which is similar to H₂O but has deuterium isotopes in place of hydrogen atoms — is difficult to separate from normal water because the two have such similar properties. Now researchers have developed a way to sieve them using tiny molecular cages.