Fecal transplant capsules show promising results in clinical trials for multiple types of cancer

Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) can dramatically improve cancer treatment, suggest two groundbreaking studies published in the Nature Medicine journal. The first study shows that the toxic side effects of drugs to treat kidney cancer could be eliminated with FMT. The second study suggests FMT is effective in improving the response to immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer and melanoma.

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) capsules have been shown to reduce toxic side effects of immunotherapy in kidney cancer and significantly improve response rates in lung cancer and melanoma. Clinical trials indicate FMT is safe and may enhance treatment efficacy, with response rates rising to 80% in lung cancer and 75% in melanoma, compared to standard immunotherapy alone.

Fernandes, R., Jabbarizadeh, B., Rajeh, A. et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation plus immunotherapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: the phase 1 PERFORM trial. Nature Medicine (2026). doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04183-8

Duttagupta, S., Messaoudene, M., Hunter, S. et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation plus immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma: the phase 2 FMT-LUMINate trial. Nature Medicine (2026). doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04186-5

Researchers unveil simpler, faster way to make vaccines

A new vaccine development platform enables rapid, low-cost production using inactivated bacteria engineered with synthetic DNA, bypassing the cold storage and complexity of mRNA vaccines. The method yields shelf-stable vaccines suitable for global distribution and can generate candidates for testing within three weeks. Early trials show strong immune responses, with up to eightfold improvement over initial versions.

Juan Sebastian Quintero-Barbosa et al, Engineering Enhanced Immunogenicity of Surface-Displayed Immunogens in a Killed Whole-Cell Genome-Reduced Bacterial Vaccine Platform Using Class I Viral Fusion Peptides, Vaccines (2025). DOI: 10.3390/vaccines14010014

'Holiday mode': Why our green habits vanish on vacation

Tourists tend to act less environmentally responsible while on vacation due to a shift into a "vacation place identity," which reduces feelings of accountability for sustainable behavior. This identity switch occurs even though core environmental values remain unchanged, leading to increased waste and less conservation compared to behavior at home. Subtle prompts evoking home routines before travel may encourage more sustainable actions.

Dorine von Briel et al, Does activating home place identity on vacation have the potential to alter environmentally significant tourist behaviour?, Tourism Management (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105321