A first-of-its-kind nanoparticle-based in vivo imaging technique that may one day be used to help diagnose and even treat cancer has been developed by researchers collaborating from Michigan State, Johns Hopkins and Stanford universities. [50] The hope is that further research into cilia will help untangle the complex relationship between them and cancer, and provide both new insights into some of the drivers of cancer as well as new targets for cancer treatment. [49] Researchers have found that changing the mechanical properties of individual cells disrupts their ability to remain stable, profoundly affecting their health and the health of the tissue that comprises them. [48] Biochemists at the University of Bayreuth and the University of Bonn have now discovered a way to regulate this process which is central to gene expression: Certain actinobacteria contain a protein that binds RNA molecules under blue light and can thereby deactivate them. [47] A new piece of a difficult puzzle-the nature of memory-fell into place this week with a hint at how brain cells change structure when they learn something. [46] Researchers at the University of Alberta have found an important protein in the cells of a deadly infectious parasite, opening the door to less harmful treatment for millions of people suffering from diseases like sleeping sickness in Africa and Chagas disease in South America. [45] The remarkable ability of a small Australian sea snail to produce a colourful purple compound to protect its eggs is proving even more remarkable for its potential in a new anti-cancer pharmaceutical. [44] Gene editing technology is a technology that eliminates the underlying causes of and treats diseases by removing specific genesor editing genes to restore their normal function. In particular, CRISPR gene editing technology is now commonly used for immunotherapy by correcting the genes of immune cells to induce them to attack cancer cells selectively. [43]