M. Ferrer

Ketogenic diet promotes tumor ferroptosis but induces relative corticosterone deficiency that accelerates cachexia

This study shows that a ketogenic diet slows tumor growth but accelerates cachexia and shortens survival in IL-6-driven cancer models by inducing ferroptosis and corticosterone deficiency.

Thermophilic carboxylesterases from hydrothermal vents of the volcanic island of Ischia active on synthetic and biobased polymers and mycotoxins

This study identifies three novel thermotolerant carboxylesterases from hydrothermal vents that hydrolyze polyesters and mycotoxins, with potential for biotechnological applications.

The mobility of the cap domain is essential for the substrate promiscuity of a family IV esterase from sorghum rhizosphere microbiome

This paper identifies and characterizes a novel esterase from the Sorghum bicolor rhizosphere microbiome, revealing that its cap domain mobility enables broad substrate promiscuity despite a narrow catalytic tunnel.

Functional brain region-specific neural spheroids for modeling neurological diseases and therapeutics screening

The paper develops brain region-specific neural spheroids for disease modeling and drug screening, demonstrating their utility in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Opioid Use Disorder.

Early neutrophilia marked by aerobic glycolysis sustains host metabolism and delays cancer cachexia

The paper shows that early neutrophilia driven by aerobic glycolysis supports host metabolism and delays cancer cachexia in murine models.

Pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitors synergize with nucleoside analogs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection

The paper screens 18,000 drugs for antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2, identifies synergistic combinations of pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitors and nucleoside analogs, and validates their efficacy in vitro and in vivo.

Promiscuous esterases counterintuitively are less flexible than specific ones

The paper shows that promiscuous esterases are less flexible and more thermostable than specific ones, challenging the common assumption about enzyme flexibility and promiscuity.

Modeling SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Infections and Antiviral Treatments in Human Lung Epithelial Tissue Equivalents

The paper validates in vitro human lung tissue models for studying SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus infections and antiviral treatments.

Real-time sharing of drug screening data on the NCATS OpenData Portal accelerates translational research

This paper describes the NCATS OpenData Portal, a platform for real-time sharing of drug screening data that accelerates translational research by enabling immediate access to large-scale datasets.

Deciphering a marine bone degrading microbiome reveals a complex community effort

This study identifies microbial enzymes and pathways involved in marine bone degradation using metagenomic analysis of bone-associated communities.

Differential polysaccharide utilization is the basis for a nanohaloarchaeon : haloarchaeon symbiosis.

This study investigates the symbiotic relationship between a nanohaloarchaeon and a haloarchaeon, revealing differential polysaccharide utilization as the basis for their interaction.