In this issue, Azzam and colleagues show that functional precision medicine — a combination of genomic profiling and drug-sensitivity testing of patient-derived tumor cells — can be used to provide personalized treatment recommendations for children and adolescents with relapsed or treatment-refractory cancers. The maze on the cover depicts the challenge of determining the most effective treatment option for pediatric cancers once standard-of-care therapies are no longer an option, and the brain represents functional precision medicine, which could indicate an effective path forward for doctors and their patients.

See De La Rocha et al.

In this issue, Shi, Jin, Yin, Fang, Chen, Shen and colleagues use proteomic data to identify biomarkers of the response to adjuvant chemotherapy and develop a prognostic risk model for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The cover depicts a pancreas compass with the needles symbolizing biomarkers, illustrating the potential for optimizing treatment management for patients with pancreatic cancer.

See Jiang et al.

In this issue, Hou, Liu and colleagues present interim results from the SHIELD program, showing that a comprehensive intervention package is feasible and effective in reducing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in various health settings in China. The cover is inspired by the traditional Chinese art of paper cutting and depicts a mother protecting her baby from infection with HBV.

See Yin et al.

In this issue, Nature Medicine launches a Series on Women’s Health throughout the life course. Women’s health remains underserved by the medical research community, and the impacts of sex differences and sociocultural factors on the health and wellbeing of women are rarely considered. The first installment of this Series presents a Perspective calling for a life-course approach to the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases in women.

See Series