Nobel Prize Highlights, Vaccine Updates, and Gaza Malnutrition in Science Quickly Roundup

Science Quickly delivers a concise digest of last week’s science news, including Nobel Prize recognitions in physiology or medicine, physics, and chemistry, plus updates on COVID vaccine guidance and a Lancet study on acute malnutrition in Gaza. The episode connects regulatory T cell research to autoimmune disease therapies, demonstrates macroscopic quantum tunneling, and highlights metal-organic frameworks MOFs with wide-ranging applications. It also covers public health policy around vaccines and the humanitarian implications of war on child nutrition in Gaza.

Nobel Prize Highlights: Immunoregulation, Quantum Tunneling, and MOFs

The episode opens with a review of last week’s Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry. In Physiology or Medicine, Mary E. Bronko, Fred Ramsdale, and Shimon Sakaguji were cited for uncovering how the immune system prevents self-attack, focusing on regulatory T cells that keep immune responses in check. The discovery of the regulatory T cell genetic switch by Brunko and Ramsdell built on Sakaguchi’s earlier work showing that these cells are essential for preventing tissue damage, a finding that has spurred hundreds of clinical trials aimed at treating autoimmune diseases and improving organ transplantation.

"Regulatory T cells regulate immune tolerance to prevent self-attack." - Shimon Sakaguji, Nobel Laureate

In Physics, John Clark, Michelle H. Devere, and John M. Martinez were recognized for demonstrating quantum tunneling in macroscale circuits built from superconductors, validating that quantum effects can manifest in devices large enough to be held in the hand. The work helps explain how billions of electrons can act as a single quantum particle, a milestone that underpins quantum computing and related technologies. In Chemistry, Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yagi received the prize for metal-organic frameworks, MOFs, which function as tunable cages that trap specific substances. MOFs have potential for cleaning polluted water, hydrogen storage, and targeted drug delivery, with Robson initiating the concept and Kitagawa and Yagi advancing framework flexibility and stability.

"Quantum tunneling in larger-scale circuits shows quantum effects can span macroscopic devices." - John M. Martinez

"Metal-organic frameworks act as customizable cages for capturing molecules and enabling targeted applications." - Omar M. Yagi

Vaccine Updates and Public Health Policy

The program then shifts to vaccine news, noting that the CDC officially endorses updated COVID vaccines but with a caveat to consult a healthcare practitioner before vaccination. The guidance emphasizes that seeking a booster does not require a prescription or a doctor’s visit; pharmacists can advise on routine vaccines and boosters for all ages and health statuses. The discussion also covers the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, where acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill has called for breaking up the combination shot, a move the CDC website says has no proven safety benefit and would increase the number of injections and visits.

"Pharmacists can advise you on routine vaccines and boosters for all ages." - Jim O’Neill, Acting CDC Director

"There is no evidence that there’s any benefit to separating the combination shot into individual immunizations." - Jim O’Neill

Gaza Malnutrition: The Lancet Study

The final section highlights a Lancet study estimating that more than 54,600 children in Gaza were experiencing acute malnutrition as of mid-2025, extrapolated from measurements of nearly 220,000 children aged 6 months to 5 years. The study links malnutrition to blockades and restricted aid, noting a temporary dip during an early 2025 ceasefire and subsequent rises when blockades resumed. An accompanying Lancet commentary emphasizes that aid restrictions have contributed to malnutrition and warns of lasting health consequences for generations.

"Aid restriction has contributed to childhood malnutrition in Gaza, and health impacts could persist for generations." - Lancet commentators