Microbial ‘cities’ reveal secrets of health in space
Biofilms - the microbial ‘cities’ that surround and protect microorganisms - are everywhere on Earth, supporting essential functions in humans, plants, and ecosystems. Now, researchers are uncovering their critical role in space, where long-duration missions could be affected by changes in these ancient microbial communities.
A new Perspective article in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, led by teams at the University of Glasgow, Maynooth University, and University College Dublin, explores how biofilms influence human and crop health during spaceflight and what this means for life on Earth. The study [1] was coordinated through NASA’s Open Science Data
Repository, part of the GeneLab Microbes Analysis Working Group.
“Biofilms are often seen as a problem to eliminate,” said Dr Katherine J. Baxter, first author from the University of Glasgow, “but they are the prevailing microbial lifestyle supporting healthy biological systems. Spaceflight offers a unique testbed to study biofilm organisation and function, helping us safeguard health during missions.”
Spaceflight and ground-based simulations can alter biofilm architecture, gene regulation, signalling, and stress tolerance - effects that vary across species and experimental platforms. Using advanced genetics and ‘multiomics’ approaches, the researchers
Rewiring fruit fly brains wins 2025 Eppendorf & Science Prize
outline a roadmap to understand complex, multi-species biofilms and their interactions with hosts, including plants.
“Plants will sit at the centre of long-duration missions,” said Dr Eszter Sas from Maynooth University. “Their performance depends on biofilm interactions around roots. Multiomics is helping us uncover new mechanisms of signalling and metabolism in these systems.”
The study highlights the two-way benefits of space biofilm research. Observations in space can reveal how life responds to extreme environments, while insights gained may improve human health and agriculture on Earth. Professor Nicholas J. B. Brereton of University College Dublin added: “Open
science and international collaboration allow us to translate discoveries from space into real-world applications.”
The authors call for coordinated, open biofilm research beyond narrow model systems, combining analogue and cross-mission experiments to accelerate understanding and interventions for both space and Earth applications.
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1. Biofilms: from the cradle of life to life support. published in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41522-025-00875-8.
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Oxford team engineers first quantum-enabled proteins
For the first time, researchers at the University of Oxford have engineered quantum effects inside proteins, opening the door to a new class of ‘quantum- enabled’ biological technologies.
Cheng Lyu.
Cheng Lyu, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, has been awarded the 2025 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology for his innovative work on rewiring the olfactory neural circuit in fruit flies. His research sheds light on the molecular mechanisms that guide olfactory receptor neurons in choosing a single synaptic partner from numerous possibilities, offering new insights into the fundamental principles of neural circuit assembly.
Lyu’s experiments revealed that the fly’s olfactory network develops its three- dimensional structure through a series of one- dimensional steps. By carefully manipulating this process, he was able to rewire the neural circuit and even modify the flies’ courtship behaviour, linking genetic variation through circuit assembly to observable behavioural outcomes.
The prize also recognises two finalists for their outstanding contributions to neurobiology. Constanze Depp from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard explored the role of myelin and oligodendrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease, while Sara Mederos of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre investigated how the brain adapts fear responses and learns to suppress them.
The Eppendorf & Science Prize, awarded annually since 2002, celebrates early-career scientists under 35 who make exceptional contributions through hands-on laboratory research. Winners receive USD 25,000, full support to attend the prize ceremony at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, and the opportunity to publish an essay about their research in Science. Finalists also have their essays published and receive full support to attend the ceremony.
The prize was presented on 16 November 2025 in San Diego, and applications for the next cycle are due on 15 June 2026.
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The study [1], published in Nature, reports the creation of magneto-sensitive fluorescent proteins (MFPs) that respond to magnetic fields and radio waves when illuminated with the right light. While quantum processes have been observed in nature - for example, in birds’ magnetic navigation - this is the first time they have been deliberately designed and harnessed for practical applications.
Using directed evolution, the team introduced thousands of genetic variants and selected those with improved magnetic sensitivity over multiple rounds. This ambitious approach combined expertise in engineering biology, quantum science, and artificial intelligence, marking a first in exploiting all three disciplines in tandem to create a new technology.
The researchers have already demonstrated a prototype imaging system capable of locating these engineered proteins inside living organisms, similar to MRI but with molecular precision. Potential applications include tracking gene expression, monitoring tumour changes, and targeted drug delivery.
Gabriel Abrahams, first author and PhD student, said: “What amazes me is the power of evolution - by steering the process in bacteria, Nature helped us design a quantum sensor we couldn’t have built from scratch.”
Associate Professor Harrison Steel, senior author, added: “This project shows how fundamental science - from bird navigation to humble oat proteins - can lead to technological breakthroughs. It’s a reminder that the path from discovery to application is rarely straight, but always exciting.”
With ongoing work funded by the EPSRC and BBSRC, the Oxford team is now exploring the full potential of quantum biology, from medical imaging to
Gabriel Abrahams and Associate Professor Harrison Steel. Credit: Caroline Wood
biotechnological innovation, in collaboration with international partners.
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1. Quantum spin resonance in engineered proteins for multimodal sensing published in Nature
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Stem cell matrix supports breakthrough in human embryo modelling
A recombinant laminin matrix from Amsbio has played a key role in a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where researchers used stem-cell-derived blastoid models to explore the earliest stages of human development.
The work [1], published in Nature, demonstrates how blastoids — structures generated from pluripotent stem cells that mimic human blastocysts — can be used to interrogate the influence of human- specific LTR5Hs elements during early embryogenesis. The study offers rare insight into epiblast differentiation and mechanisms shaping the earliest phases of development.
At the centre of the team’s culture system was iMatrix-511, a purified human recombinant laminin-511 E8 fragment
full-length laminin, vitronectin, or Matrigel.
The matrix also integrates into Amsbio’s wider stem cell workflow, working alongside the company’s StemFit media and CELLBANKER cryopreservation reagents as part of a complete solution for ES/iPS cell culture.
Cell colonies grown with iMatrix-511. Credit: EPLF-Lutofl Lab
produced in CHO-S cells. Long regarded as a benchmark matrix for maintaining ES and iPS cells under feeder-free conditions, iMatrix-511 supports robust single-cell passaging and delivers stronger adhesion compared with traditional matrices such as
The Stanford study highlights how reliable, chemically defined matrices can underpin advanced stem-cell-based embryo models — helping researchers probe questions impossible to answer in human embryos.
More information online:
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1. A human-specific regulatory mechanism revealed in a pre-implantation model published in Nature
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