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The Continuum Letter
A longer view of science, health and the lives we hope to lead.
The founding collection
Thirty-six briefings.
Eight years of progress.
Original English editorial reports on selected research from 2019 to 2026: AI and proteins, precision medicine, gene editing, cellular ageing and regeneration.
This collection was prepared and published in September 2026. The years below identify the underlying research; they do not imply that NoahThera published these articles in those years. Entries include trials, preclinical studies, reviews and infrastructure milestones, each labelled by evidence stage.
Research year
2026
4 briefingsComputational research
AlphaGenome and the interpretation of DNA variation
Sequence models can help researchers explore how variants affect gene regulation.
Read the briefing →Phase 1 sponsor announcement
ER-100: from reprogramming theory to a first-in-human eye study
An English research companion to the supplied video, with the claims placed in context.
Read the briefing →Open research infrastructure
Beyond single proteins: complexes join the AlphaFold database
New entries add interactions while requiring careful interpretation of the totals.
Read the briefing →Research-practice perspective
Better benchmarks, more trustworthy biomedical AI
The next advance depends on how models are tested, not only how large they become.
Read the briefing →Research year
2025
4 briefingsIndividual human treatment report
A gene editor designed for one child
Patient-specific development showed the promise and complexity of bespoke medicine.
Read the briefing →Phase 2a human trial
An AI-discovered molecule enters a randomised lung-disease trial
Rentosertib connected computational discovery with an early clinical evaluation.
Read the briefing →Post hoc human trial analysis
Omega-3, exercise and modest changes in ageing clocks
A three-year study invites a careful reading of biological-age measurements.
Read the briefing →Phase I/II human trial
Cell replacement for Parkinson’s: an early clinical step
A small study tested a defined cell product in a specific neurological condition.
Read the briefing →Research year
2024
5 briefingsComputational research
AlphaFold 3: modelling molecular interactions
Protein structure prediction expanded towards complexes involving other molecules.
Read the briefing →Randomised human trial
A senolytic trial with a negative primary result
The less dramatic findings are essential to an honest longevity reading list.
Read the briefing →Animal research
Engineering immune cells to target senescent cells
Senolytic CAR T cells offered a different way to investigate cellular senescence.
Read the briefing →Comparative biology
What a cockroach can teach us about regrowing a leg
Regeneration depends on organised developmental signals and the animal’s life stage.
Read the briefing →Scientific recognition
The protein AI Nobel: AlphaFold, not AlphaGo
The 2024 Chemistry Prize recognised protein prediction and computational design.
Read the briefing →Research year
2023
5 briefingsResearch review
Twelve hallmarks, one more useful view of ageing
An expanded framework connects the many processes involved in ageing.
Read the briefing →Randomised human study
Calorie restriction and the pace of biological ageing
A clock analysis found a modest signal, with important differences between measures.
Read the briefing →Computational and laboratory research
Designing new proteins with RFdiffusion
Generative models moved from predicting existing proteins towards proposing new ones.
Read the briefing →Animal research
Epigenetic information: a testable ageing hypothesis
A mouse study investigated the relationship between DNA damage responses and cell state.
Read the briefing →Regulatory milestone
CRISPR reaches an approved clinical use
Approval for a specific severe disease marked a major step for gene editing.
Read the briefing →Research year
2022
6 briefingsAnimal research
The BioDome frog experiment: a brief signal, a long regenerative response
An experimental treatment stimulated complex limb regrowth in adult frogs.
Read the briefing →Comparative biology
The jellyfish that changes its life stage
Turritopsis dohrnii offers a striking example of life-cycle reversal.
Read the briefing →Animal research
Partial reprogramming in normally ageing mice
Longer experiments explored how timing and duration influence molecular renewal.
Read the briefing →Human and animal research
Nutrition, immune biology and the human thymus
A study connected sustained energy restriction with immune and metabolic pathways.
Read the briefing →Genomics research
Completing a human reference genome
A more complete map opened previously difficult regions of the genome to study.
Read the briefing →Open research infrastructure
Two hundred million protein models become a shared resource
The scale of openly available structural predictions changed what researchers could attempt.
Read the briefing →Research year
2021
4 briefingsComputational research
AlphaFold 2: a new starting point for structural biology
A major advance in prediction accelerated the search for molecular explanations.
Read the briefing →Computational research
A structural atlas for the human proteome
Broad coverage transformed access to protein models while preserving important uncertainty.
Read the briefing →Computational research
RoseTTAFold: why independent AI approaches matter
A second influential architecture broadened the tools available to structural biologists.
Read the briefing →Early human research
Editing inside the body: an early ATTR amyloidosis study
In vivo editing moved a targeted genetic strategy into a small clinical study.
Read the briefing →Research year
2020
4 briefingsComputational research
The first AlphaFold paper: learning the geometry of proteins
Deep learning began turning protein sequences into more useful structural hypotheses.
Read the briefing →Animal research
Restoring function in the mouse eye: the OSK study
Epigenetic reprogramming showed a tissue-specific regenerative signal in mice.
Read the briefing →Animal research
The mouse ageing atlas: why different tissues age differently
Single-cell measurements made ageing visible at a much finer scale.
Read the briefing →Early human research
Early CRISPR results in inherited blood disorders
A disease-specific clinical milestone first published online in 2020.
Read the briefing →Research year
2019
4 briefingsHuman pilot
Reading the biological clock: what the TRIIM pilot actually showed
An early epigenetic-age result opened a new question about measuring change.
Read the briefing →Laboratory research
Prime editing: a more versatile way to rewrite a genetic instruction
A foundational advance in genome editing widened the kinds of DNA changes scientists could investigate.
Read the briefing →Human pilot
Senolytics in people: the first tissue-level signals
A small clinical study moved the senescent-cell hypothesis beyond animal models.
Read the briefing →Animal research
Hydra: mapping a life of continuous cellular renewal
A tiny freshwater organism offers a remarkable view of stem-cell maintenance.
Read the briefing →Editorial approach
Sources before
superlatives.
We link primary papers, trial records or official announcements. A sponsor announcement is identified as such. A retrospective briefing does not substitute for a systematic review or a clinical consultation.
We include null findings and discuss uncertainty. Cited institutions and researchers are independent sources; their inclusion does not imply partnership or endorsement.
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