Regulatory T cell therapies at a translational crossroads
Prof Rita Carsetti, International Union of Immunological Societies, Germany, and Prof Michael Schmueck-Henneresse, University Health Network, Canada — Bringing tolerance-restoring Treg therapies to patients worldwide requires regulation, manufacturing, and reimbursement to evolve alongside the science.
Evolving policies for surgical AI and robotics
As artificial intelligence and robotics reshape surgical practice, policy and regulatory frameworks must keep pace to address issues such as accountability, safety, and equity, argue members of TROGSS (The Robotic Global Surgical Society) Michail Koutentakis, Nicolas Zucchini, Christian Macias, Aman Goyal, Abhirami Babu, Adel Abou-Mrad, Adolfo Perez-Bonet, and Rodolfo J. Oviedo.
One Sustainable Health for All: How to Go from Cascading Crises to an Integrated Policy Response
This commentary breaks down the institutional inertia and siloed governance currently blocking cross-sector action on planetary health. The authors propose an "Open One Health Data" framework to bridge the gap between global science and national policymaking.
Two Ways That Science Advice Underpins Science Diplomacy
Science diplomacy has evolved from idealistic collaboration into a pragmatic tool for navigating global tensions, shaping policy, and strengthening international cooperation. As science, diplomacy, and governance become increasingly interconnected, trust, openness, and strategic engagement are becoming essential to solving shared global challenges.
The Atrophy Risk: What AI Could Cost Science Advice
Science for Policy 3.0: AI is transforming how governments use evidence—but efficiency gains may come at a hidden cost. As AI takes over policy workflows, the real challenge is protecting human judgment, expertise, and institutional capacity before they quietly disappear.
The science trust dividend: enabling innovation and adoption
Held under Chatham House rules, the discussion brought together leaders across research, policy, industry, and media to examine how trust is shaped by transparency, governance, and communication practices. Participants emphasized that in an increasingly complex and fragmented information landscape, strengthening trust requires more than scientific excellence. It depends on aligning incentives, improving access to reliable evidence, and building systems that connect knowledge to action across sectors and societies.
Strategy, advocacy and neutrality: reflections on the realities of Science Advice in Asia
This article examines how science advisors in Asia work within diverse political systems. The authors show how advisors deliver scientific evidence while keeping their work accurate and reliable. By comparing state-led development in China and Vietnam with active democracies in India and Indonesia, the text highlights the difficulty of staying neutral. It reviews the trade-offs of inside advisory groups versus independent, arm’s-length systems. Finally, the authors share practical steps to keep science advice stable during government changes, using regional examples like the Fukushima wastewater release.
The Dangers of a Silent Sunset for Science in Latin America
In this commentary, Guillermo Anlló, Chair of INGSA-Latin America and the Caribbean, argues that shifting political cycles, drastic budget cuts, and the discontinuation of long-term programs are quietly dismantling Latin American science. He warns that losing local research capacity creates global blind spots in climate, biodiversity, and disease tracking, fuels brain drain, and erodes democratic resilience. Anlló calls for regional trust funds, coordinated science diplomacy, and initiatives like INKA to safeguard science as a transnational public good.
Multi-agent artificial intelligence in soil science: cutting through the hype toward actionable policy
Multi-agent AI could move soil science beyond fragmented data and into actionable policy, if paired with stronger data infrastructure, transparency, and governance, argues Catherine Nakalembe of the University of Maryland.
The Real Reason Science Advice is Under Attack—And How to Fix It
Science is driving unprecedented advances in health, technology, and society—yet science advice is facing growing scrutiny and political tension. This piece examines the deeper forces behind this apparent paradox.
Lessons from the NHS Covid Contact Tracing App Programme (Part II)
A reflection on the institutional, political, and conceptual lessons from the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app, examining how science advice operates under uncertainty, digital dependency, and crisis conditions.
Reflections from the NHS Covid Contact Tracing App Programme (Part I)
A first-hand account of the development of the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app, examining how scientific advice operates under institutional pressure, technical uncertainty, and political scrutiny during a public health crisis.
Nature Positive — a positive contribution to holistic frameworks
Achieving a Nature Positive future requires embedding systems thinking into policy and finance so that ecological integrity becomes a foundation—not a constraint—of economic decision-making, says Éliane Ubalijoro, Isaac Rutenberg, Robert Nasi, Paulo Augusto of Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF).
Sustainability policies’ secret sauce: rigorous but practical measurements
A credible, standardized Nature Measurement Protocol is essential to mobilize the private sector and translate the Nature Positive goal into measurable, accountable action, says Marco Lambertini, the Convener of the Nature Positive Initiative in Switzerland.
Rethinking healthcare with AI and innovation
At the Frontiers Science House in Davos, the first venue dedicated to transformative science during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, this set of sessions examined how advances in AI and biomedical innovation are reshaping healthcare systems. Across discussions on discovery, delivery, and prevention, speakers emphasized that the central challenge is no longer technological capability, but system readiness. The convergence of data, incentives, and environmental risk is driving a shift from reactive care toward integrated and predictive health systems.
Championing One Sustainable Health for global resilience
At the Frontiers Science House in Davos, discussions about One Sustainable Health highlighted how interconnected risks across human, animal, and environmental systems are reshaping global health. This session underscored a shift from fragmented interventions to system-level responses grounded in cross-sector collaboration.
Reinventing 21st-century cities with science
At the Frontiers Science House in Davos, sessions on cities and the Frontiers Planet Prize explored how planetary health can move from scientific insight to large-scale implementation. Speakers connected planetary boundaries with urban systems, food chains, and governance structures, emphasizing that the key challenge is not knowledge but execution. The discussions highlighted the need to align finance, policy, and data to enable measurable, system-wide transformation anchored in real-world contexts.
Beating antimicrobial resistance
At the Frontiers Science House in Davos, the antimicrobial resistance was framed as one of the most pressing yet under-recognized threats to global health systems. Speakers examined how to resolve this tension while preventing AMR from undermining modern medicine.
Restoring multilateralism with science diplomacy
At the Frontiers Science House in Davos, this session examined how science diplomacy is evolving in a context of increasing geopolitical competition. Speakers highlighted the need to move from reactive cooperation to anticipatory engagement, embedding scientific expertise earlier in diplomatic processes. The discussion emphasized that effective science diplomacy will depend on building trust, strengthening international coordination, and enabling more inclusive global participation in shaping emerging technologies.
Energy for data center demand
At the Frontiers Science House in Davos, this session explored how the rapid growth of AI and digital infrastructure is placing unprecedented pressure on global energy systems. Speakers highlighted the tension between scaling data capacity and maintaining grid stability, affordability, and climate goals, emphasizing the need for flexibility, new energy sources, and smarter system management.

