Infect Agent Cancer. 2025 Jun 15;20(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s13027-025-00672-0.ABSTRACTMendelian Randomization (MR) is increasingly used in cancer research to infer causal relationships by leveraging genetic variants as instrumental variables. While the growth of genome-wide association studies and biobank data has expanded the utility of MR, this surge-particularly pronounced in China-raises concerns about methodological rigor. The widespread adoption may be partly driven by the Chinese translation
Infect Agent Cancer. 2025 Jun 15;20(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s13027-025-00672-0.
ABSTRACT
Mendelian Randomization (MR) is increasingly used in cancer research to infer causal relationships by leveraging genetic variants as instrumental variables. While the growth of genome-wide association studies and biobank data has expanded the utility of MR, this surge-particularly pronounced in China-raises concerns about methodological rigor. The widespread adoption may be partly driven by the Chinese translation of key MR literature. Recent advances such as multivariable MR, mediation analysis, and integration with AI and omics data have enhanced the robustness and biological interpretability of MR studies. However, challenges persist, including horizontal pleiotropy, weak instrument bias, and misinterpretation of biomarkers as causal exposures. To improve MR study credibility, frameworks like STROBE-MR and MR-GRADE are being adopted. This article reviews methodological improvements and persistent pitfalls in MR, especially within cancer epidemiology, and highlights strategies for ensuring validity in this rapidly evolving field.
Comput Biol Med. 2025 Aug;194:110559. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110559. Epub 2025 Jun 14.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: The in silico analyses provide evidence supporting the potential of methylation-driven differentially expressed genes as therapeutic targets across cancer types. This leads us to identify novel targets and their associated drug compounds for further progress towards pancreatic cancer treatment.OBJECTIVE: To identify targeted drugs based on methylation driven genes identified using bu
BACKGROUND: The in silico analyses provide evidence supporting the potential of methylation-driven differentially expressed genes as therapeutic targets across cancer types. This leads us to identify novel targets and their associated drug compounds for further progress towards pancreatic cancer treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To identify targeted drugs based on methylation driven genes identified using bulk multi-omics data and single-cell level data to pinpoint important disease markers.
METHODS: The workflow involves screening using the TCGA and ICGC databases, followed by validation with GEO datasets. The study employs supervised learning algorithms like kNN and random forests, and constructs a prediction model using adaptive LASSO-Cox regression. The process also includes pathway analysis, evaluation of survival status, and immune profile deconvolution, as well as multistage evaluation of the methylation driven genes. We conducted drug targeting and molecular dynamic simulations, taking into account genes of interest.Lastly, molecular docking and dynamics simulations were used to find out if the key MEDEGs could be utilized as drug targets.
RESULTS: CD36, UGT1A1, TFF1, S100P, MUC13, CALHM3 and ANKRD44 were found to be top 7 methylation driven genes. The mutational profile was also documented along with pathway analysis, which showed concordance with our observation based on their significant enriched terms namely "Maintenance of Gastrointestinal Epithelium", and "Digestive System Homeostasis". CD36 had prognostic capabilities and was seen to significant in terms of survival and also showed significant immune dysregulation. Our novel findings suggest TFF1, S100P, and MUC13 were found to be associated with cell type specific expression as seen in single cell data and UGT1A1 was found to be suitable for probable drug targeting. CD36, UGT1A1, TFF1, S100P, and MUC13 showed concordance when observed at proteomics level and across other datasets. Apigenin-7-O-glucuronide emerged as the top binder for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (also known as UDP 1A1), forming stable complexes with favourable interactions. Catechin and epicatechin were identified as the best ligands for TFF1 and S100P, while rutin showed high-affinity binding to MUC13.
CONCLUSION: The study successfully identified and validated a panel of biomarkers specific to pancreatic cancer, with potential applications in early diagnosis and treatment. The findings highlight the importance of multi-omics data integration in cancer research and the potential of personalized medicine in improving patient outcomes. The in-silico drug targeting analysis provides a foundation for the development of novel drugs for PanCa treatment. Hence TFF1, S100P, MUC13, and UGT1A1 showcased themselves as most promising biomarkers and novel drug targets.
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
How AI can help make cities work better
In recent decades, cities have become increasingly adept at amassing all sorts of data. But that data can have limited impact when government officials are unable to communicate, let alone analyze or put to use, all the information they have access to.This dynamic has always bothered Sarah Williams, a professor of
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
How AI can help make cities work better
In recent decades, cities have become increasingly adept at amassing all sorts of data. But that data can have limited impact when government officials are unable to communicate, let alone analyze or put to use, all the information they have access to.
This dynamic has always bothered Sarah Williams, a professor of urban planning and technology at MIT. Shortly after joining MIT in 2012, Williams created the Civic Data Design Lab to bridge that divide. Over the years, she and her colleagues have made urban planning data more vivid and accessible through human stories and striking graphics. Read the full story.
—Ben Schneider
This story is from the next print edition of MIT Technology Review, which explores power—who has it, and who wants it. It’s set to go live on Wednesday June 25, so subscribe & save 25% to read it and get a copy of the issue when it lands!
Inside OpenAI’s empire with Karen Hao
AI journalist Karen Hao’s newly released book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI, tells the story of OpenAI’s rise to power and its far-reaching impact all over the world.
Hao, a former MIT Technology Review senior editor, will join our executive editor Niall Firth in an intimate subscriber-exclusive Roundtable conversation exploring the AI arms race, what it means for all of us, and where it’s headed. Register here to join us at 9am ET on Monday June 30th June.
Special giveaway: Attendees will have the chance to receive a free copy of Hao’s book. See registration form for details.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 The White House is sharing tasteless deportation memes Its digital strategy revolves around boosting policies for cheap laughs. (WP $) + Trump’s immigration raids are a rapid escalation of his deportation tactics. (Vox) + The administration is revelling in the outraged reaction to its actions. (The Atlantic $) + But New Yorkers are fighting back. (New Yorker $)
2 New York is asking companies to disclose when AI contributes to layoffs It’s the first official step towards measuring AI’s impact on the labor market. (Bloomberg $) + People are worried that AI will take everyone’s jobs. We’ve been here before. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Regeneron isn’t buying 23andMe after all A non-profit controlled by its cofounder has made a higher bid. (WSJ $) + Anne Wojcicki says she has the backing of a Fortune 500 company. (FT $) + How to… delete your 23andMe data. (MIT Technology Review)
4 RFK Jr has filled the CDC’s vaccine committee with allies Robert Malone, one of the appointees, has encouraged the public to embrace the term anti-vax. (The Atlantic $) + Here’s what food and drug regulation might look like under the Trump administration. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Americans are commissioning animal torture videos The US government has revealed details of residents accused of paying people in Indonesia to abuse helpless monkeys. (Ars Technica)
6China has conducted its first brain implant clinical trial Making it only the second country to do so, after the US. (Bloomberg $) + Brain-computer interfaces face a critical test. (MIT Technology Review)
7 The US Navy wants your startup It’s more open to partnerships than ever before, apparently. (TechCrunch) + China is stockpiling intercontinental ballistic missiles. (Insider $) + Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military. (MIT Technology Review)
8 The UK is working on a chemotherapy-free approach to treating leukaemia Combining two targeted drugs appears to perform better. (The Guardian)
9 Brace yourself for AI sponcon Just when you thought product placement couldn’t get any worse. (The Verge)
10 Zines are staging a comeback Creatives are turning their backs on social media in favor of good old-fashioned booklets. (Wired $)
Quote of the day
“Being a highly “online” person is a very embarrassing thing and should be relegated to basement losers.”
—Derek Guy, aka The Menswear Guy on X, explains to Wired why he thinks a significant proportion of the Republican coalition need to step away from their keyboards.
One more thing
Bright LEDs could spell the end of dark skies
Scientists have known for years that light pollution is growing and can harm both humans and wildlife. In people, increased exposure to light at night disrupts sleep cycles and has been linked to cancer and cardiovascular disease, while wildlife suffers from interruption to their reproductive patterns, and increased danger.
Astronomers, policymakers, and lighting professionals are all working to find ways to reduce light pollution. Many of them advocate installing light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, in outdoor fixtures such as city streetlights, mainly for their ability to direct light to a targeted area.
But the high initial investment and durability of modern LEDs mean cities need to get the transition right the first time or potentially face decades of consequences. Read the full story.
—Shel Evergreen
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ As commencement speeches go, Steve Jobs’ is definitely one of the best. + I love this iconic Homer moment recreated in Lego. + The remains of a beautiful Byzantine tomb complex has been uncovered between Aleppo and Damascus. + I want to believe: check out this short, bizarre history of alien abductions in America
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