People who suffer from the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis experience muscle weakness that can affect any of the muscles we use to blink, smile or even move our body around.

Researchers have known that the disease is caused by miscommunication between nerves and muscles. The body’s immune system mistakenly produces “autoantibodies,” or antibodies that attack its own tissues and proteins. In the case of myasthenia gravis, the body produces autoantibodies that target acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), which are essential triggers for normal muscle contraction functions.

Medications prescribed to boost acetylcholine and suppress the immune system have varying levels of success, leading researchers to believe that myasthenia gravis may be caused by varying underlying mechanisms for different people.

Capitalizing on the flexibility of tiny cells inside the body’s smallest blood vessels may be a powerful spinal cord repair strategy, new research suggests.

In mouse experiments, scientists introduced a specific type of recombinant protein to the site of a spinal cord injury where these cells, called pericytes, had flooded the lesion zone. Once exposed to this protein, results showed, pericytes change shape and inhibit the production of some molecules while secreting others, creating “cellular bridges” that support regeneration of axons—the long, slender extensions of nerve cell bodies that transmit messages.

Researchers observed axon regrowth in injured mice that received a single treatment injection of the growth-factor protein, and the animals also regained movement in their hind limbs. An experiment involving human cells suggests the results are not restricted to mice.

A team of researchers from the University of Chicago, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, has identified a novel oncometabolite that accumulates in tumors and impairs immune cells’ ability to fight cancer.

The study, published in Nature Cell Biology, highlights how the metabolic environment of tumors influences the function of T cells, which are critical immune cells responsible for eliminating cancer. The finding opens new possibilities for improving cancer immunotherapy by targeting tumor metabolism.

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found that the motion of unlabeled cells can be used to tell whether they are cancerous or healthy. They observed malignant fibrosarcoma cells and healthy fibroblasts on a dish and found that tracking and analysis of their paths can be used to differentiate them with up to 94% accuracy.

Beyond diagnosis, their technique may also shed light on cell motility-related functions, like tissue healing. The paper is published in the journal PLOS ONE.

While scientists and medical experts have been looking at cells under the microscope for many centuries, most studies and diagnoses focus on their shape, what they contain, and where different parts are located inside. But cells are dynamic, changing over time, and are known to be able to move.