Drug conjugates, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and small molecule-drug conjugates (SMDCs), are often dependent on efficient receptor-mediated endocytosis for payload release1-3-supported by about 10% of targets4-7. For poorly internalizing targets, drug conjugates dissociate and clear rapidly, limiting efficacy. To overcome the limitation in the internalization-to-release (ITR) pattern, we introduce a binding-to-release (BTR) strategy that decouples drug release from endocytosis by positioning an electrophile for direct cleavage by a proximal nucleophilic residue within the binding pocket. To realize this, we developed phosphorus(V)-phenol exchange (PhoPEx), a sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange-inspired chemistry enabling release of various payloads. This platform demonstrated high specificity from in vitro to clinical specimens, achieving precise detection of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expression in patient-derived lymph nodes. In therapeutic settings, the FAP-BTR-SMDC achieved 5.9-fold higher monomethyl auristatin E exposure (AUC0-120 h) in tumours than internalization-dependent FAP-ITR-SMDC, matching FAP-ITR-ADC levels while minimizing off-target release. This led to improved ratios: the tumour-to-blood ratio was 14.7- and 3.6-fold higher than that of FAP-ITR-SMDC and FAP-ITR-ADC, respectively, and the tumour-to-liver ratio was 55.1- and 58.7-fold higher, respectively. This biodistribution increased the maximum tolerated dose and led to near-complete tumour regression in various tumour models. We further extended BTR to programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and an mRNA-display-derived FAP peptide, suggesting potential broad applicability. This work establishes a framework that overcomes the internalization barrier, broadening the target scope for therapeutic and diagnostic conjugates.
This study constructed a pH-responsive P-TN/SF@Fe-Cur composite coating that demonstrated significant anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, pro-angiogenic, and pro-osteogenic effects in rat subcutaneous infection and femoral defect models.
ProteinReasoner is developed, a multimodal generative protein foundation model that sequentially connects amino acid sequence, evolutionary constraints and three-dimensional structure within a shared autoregressive architecture and suggests a general route towards reasoning across interdependent representations in other scientific domains.
Chaozhong Liu, Linlin Chao, Shaomin Ji et al.· bioRxiv· 1 citation
Due to its importance and wide adoption, wheat cultivation is promptly required to shift towards sustainable practices, reducing the dependency on chemical components. Among bio-based solutions aimed at securing the sustainability of wheat cultivation, biostimulants offer a versatile platform of eco-friendly tools assuring sustainability and profitability. Microalgae present a concrete example of a biostimulant source due to their richness in metabolites and high value products. Therefore, this study evaluated the biostimulant potential of eleven eco-extracts prepared from soil-isolated microalgae strains. Eco-extracts applied via soil drench at low dose (0.1 g/L) were investigated for their biostimulant effects on wheat growth, physiology, yield, and quality under controlled conditions. Results demonstrated significant ameliorations in treated plants as compared to the control, with no phytoinhibitory effects. Remarkable enhancements were notable in growth parameters such as shoot and root lengths (+40-70%), physiological traits such as total chlorophyll and stomatal conductance (+7-52%), yield components in the example of grain number per spike and thousand grain weight (+17-103%), and grain quality namely protein and polyphenol content (+2-fold to 4-fold). Similarly, phosphorus accumulation and uptake were significantly improved, while soil physicochemical status was ameliorated, indicating enhanced fertility. Multivariate analysis and composite index ranking marked Chlorella sp. GA18, Chlorella sp. GA65, Scenedesmus sp. GA69, and Chlorococcum sp. GA63 as eco-extracts with consistent performances across all plant traits. These findings highlighted the promising potential of integrating microalgae-based eco-friendly extracts in sustainable wheat cultivation.
Amer Chabili, Z. Hakkoum, F. Minaoui et al.· Plant Science· 1 citation
HydroGym is introduced, a solver-independent reinforcement learning platform providing more than 60 validated, openly available flow control environments spanning from canonical laminar flows to complex turbulent flows, with systematic progression in the Reynolds number up to Re = 4 × 105, and Mach number variations in two and three dimensions.
Christian Lagemann, Sajeda Mokbel, Miro Gondrum et al.· Nature· 1 citation
ABSTRACT Microplastics (MPs) accumulation in ecosystem and human organs poses urgent environmental and health risks, yet few enzymes efficiently degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) under physiological conditions. We leveraged deep learning to mine unexplored sequence space across 246 million proteins, discovering AhPETase, an evolutionarily distinct hydrolase with low homology (<50% sequence identity) to known PET‐degrading enzymes. This noncanonical biocatalyst efficiently depolymerizes PET at 37°C, outperforming all typical PETases and achieving a 7.76‐fold enhancement over IsPETase, one of the most representative mesophilic PETases. Additionally, engineered variant AhPETaseM1 retains functional activity for over 20 days under physiological conditions and can degrade post‐consumer PET MPs 34‐fold faster than recombinant human‐derived enzyme MG8 (rMG8) under equal enzyme loading. Critically, it reversed PET‐induced toxicity in human lung and colon cells, establishing the first proof‐of‐concept for enzymatic MPs detoxification.
Yuxuan Wang, Shijie He, Yuheng Chang et al.· Advancement of science· 0 citations
The application of quercetin in functional foods is severely limited by its poor aqueous solubility, chemical instability, and low oral bioaccessibility. This study investigated the synergistic effects of ultrasound pretreatment and λ-carrageenan (λ-CA) complexation on the stability and quercetin delivery efficiency of tilapia protein (TP)-based emulsion gels. The results showed that ultrasonication induced partial unfolding of the TP secondary structure and tertiary conformation, thereby exposing more hydrophobic groups and free sulfhydryl groups, which promoted the formation of UTP-λ-CA complexes with enhanced solubility. More importantly, this synergistic strategy constructed a denser, more ordered gel network, providing effective steric hindrance against droplet aggregation and significantly enhancing the viscoelasticity, environmental stability, and digestive resistance of the system. Compared with UTP-0.1%λ-CA and UTP-0.2%λ-CA complex-stabilized emulsion gels, the UTP-0.3%λ-CA emulsion gel exhibited the smallest droplet size (D4,3 = 14.95 μm, D3,2 = 2.80 μm), the highest storage modulus (G'), and superior viscoelasticity. It also demonstrated the highest quercetin retention rates after UV irradiation (77.07%) and thermal treatment (74.93%). Furthermore, this system achieved the greatest quercetin bioaccessibility (31.19%), a 2.09-fold increase compared to the TP emulsion gel (14.92%). These findings provide theoretical support for the development of high-performance aquatic protein-based delivery systems for hydrophobic bioactive compounds.