Front Cell Dev Biol. 2026 Sep 14;14:1878092. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2026.1878092. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Liquid biopsy has emerged as a powerful non-invasive tool in precision oncology, providing real-time insights into tumor evolution, host immune responses, and dynamic changes in the tumor immune microenvironment. By enabling minimally invasive sampling, it can overcome several limitations of conventional tissue biopsy. This review summarizes the major biological sources and components of liquid biopsy, including circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, and circulating immune cells, and discusses their value as dynamic indicators of interactions during cancer immunotherapy. Particular attention is given to immune-related biomarkers associated with immune checkpoints, immunosuppressive mechanisms, and immune escape, including circulating immune cell populations, and inflammatory cytokine profiles. We further examine their potential applications in predicting treatment response, monitoring immune-related adverse events, assessing minimal residual disease, and detecting acquired resistance. In addition, recent technological advances that are accelerating the clinical translation of liquid biopsy are highlighted, including multi-omics integration, microfluidic platforms. These approaches have improved the sensitivity, accuracy, and multidimensional characterization of tumor- and immune-derived biomarkers. Nevertheless, biological heterogeneity, limited assay standardization, and the lack of large-scale prospective validation studies continue to restrict widespread clinical implementation. Overall, immune-related biomarkers detected through liquid biopsy offer considerable potential for the longitudinal monitoring of the tumor immune microenvironment and may improve non-invasive cancer diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring, and personalized immunotherapy in the era of precision oncology.

PMID:42807637 | PMC:PMC13617286 | DOI:10.3389/fcell.2026.1878092

Microorganisms. 2026 Mar 26;14(4):746. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms14040746.

ABSTRACT

Effective oral interventions for alcohol-induced metabolic stress and liver injury remain limited. Pre-absorptive gastrointestinal alcohol handling is gaining interest as a non-pharmacological strategy to reduce hepatic burden. In this study, we developed a formulation-integrated, food-compatible lyophilized recombinant whole-cell catalyst based on Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 engineered to express alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Rather than focusing exclusively on strain-level genetic modification, the engineered cells were protected by lyophilization combined with a food-grade chitosan-alginate layer-by-layer coating, forming an artificial cell wall designed to enhance survivability during oral delivery. The formulation resisted simulated gastric acid, sodium taurocholate, and ethanol, retained enzymatic activity after storage, and demonstrated formulation stability. In alcohol-exposed mice, oral administration reduced blood ethanol and acetaldehyde levels, improved liver biochemical parameters, attenuated hepatic steatosis, and partially restored oxidative stress indicators. Integrated multi-omics analyses indicated coordinated gut-associated metabolic and inflammatory responses to alcohol and intervention, rather than a single dominant pathway. These findings provide hypothesis-generating evidence; causality remains to be established. Overall, this study demonstrates a proof-of-concept, food-compatible lyophilized recombinant whole-cell catalyst that integrates enzymatic function with formulation stability and gastrointestinal resilience, highlighting an applied, food-compatible microbial framework for exploring alcohol-related metabolic stress.

PMID:42075143 | PMC:PMC13119499 | DOI:10.3390/microorganisms14040746

Front Immunol. 2026 Mar 24;17:1796926. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1796926. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary immune homeostasis requires tight control of adaptive responses. Integrin β3 is a well-known mediator of cell adhesion and platelet function. However, its role in adaptive immunity, especially in B cell responses, remains unclear.

METHODS: We defined the pulmonary phenotype of constitutive β3-deficient (β3^-/-) mice by histopathology. We performed integrated transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of lung tissue to map the molecular signature of spontaneous pulmonary inflammation. We further probed the underlying mechanisms with additional histology and functional assays and tested for biological significance using transcriptomics data from auto-immune disease patients.

RESULTS: β3^-/- mice developed spontaneous pulmonary inflammation marked by B cell activation and in situ immune-complex deposition within alveoli. Multi-omics integration implicated the CD40-CD40 Ligand (CD40L) axis as a central driver of this pathology. Mechanistically, loss of β3 enhanced CD40L-CD40 engagement on B cells, resulting in NF-κB pathway hyperactivation. Consistent with our murine data, reduced ITGB3 expression in patients with autoimmune disease correlated with transcriptional signatures of B cell activation and inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS: These results reframe integrin β3 as a threshold regulator of B cell activation. The β3-CD40L-CD40 axis therefore represents a potential therapeutic target for B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.

PMID:41953039 | PMC:PMC13055533 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1796926

Front Immunol. 2026 Mar 24;17:1796926. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1796926. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary immune homeostasis requires tight control of adaptive responses. Integrin β3 is a well-known mediator of cell adhesion and platelet function. However, its role in adaptive immunity, especially in B cell responses, remains unclear.

METHODS: We defined the pulmonary phenotype of constitutive β3-deficient (β3^-/-) mice by histopathology. We performed integrated transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of lung tissue to map the molecular signature of spontaneous pulmonary inflammation. We further probed the underlying mechanisms with additional histology and functional assays and tested for biological significance using transcriptomics data from auto-immune disease patients.

RESULTS: β3^-/- mice developed spontaneous pulmonary inflammation marked by B cell activation and in situ immune-complex deposition within alveoli. Multi-omics integration implicated the CD40-CD40 Ligand (CD40L) axis as a central driver of this pathology. Mechanistically, loss of β3 enhanced CD40L-CD40 engagement on B cells, resulting in NF-κB pathway hyperactivation. Consistent with our murine data, reduced ITGB3 expression in patients with autoimmune disease correlated with transcriptional signatures of B cell activation and inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS: These results reframe integrin β3 as a threshold regulator of B cell activation. The β3-CD40L-CD40 axis therefore represents a potential therapeutic target for B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.

PMID:41953039 | PMC:PMC13055533 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1796926