cancer

A molecular geneticist at Montana State University has discovered a cellular process once believed impossible by scientists – the creation of the amino acid cysteine within a living cell when the cell's primary systems to do so fail. The discovery may one day lead to new cancer treatments.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01980-2 Bassot, Violy, Gorka, Cigalotto and colleagues identify ERO1a as a mitochondria-associated membrane protein that regulates calcium flux and mitochondria bioenergetics, which may be potentially targeted to inhibit glioblastoma growth in vivo.

A team of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers has discovered large droplets of proteins known as condensates near inactive chromosome regions within the cell nucleus that are a feature of some cancer cells and may hold clues for better anticancer strategies.

Nature Communications, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73980-7 Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are important regulators of breast cancer (BC) progression. Here the authors identify a distinct pro tumorigenic myofibroblastic CAF population that derives from bone-resident Osterix+ osteolineage cells and retains osteolineage features in the tumor microenviroment.

The metabolism of cancer cells is reprogrammed toward aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect), which stimulates tumor growth. Phosphofructokinase (PFK) and its isoforms, PFKP, PFKM, and PFKL, are highly conserved central glycolytic controllers and a potential therapeutic intervention. This review discusses the complex functions of PFK in tumor biology, including its roles in regulating proliferat…

One of the most detailed maps to date of meningioma -- the most common brain tumor in adults -- reveals how the tumor's surrounding environment helps drive disease behavior and patient outcomes, according to new research from Mayo Clinic.

A new research paper was recently published in Volume 17 of Genes & Cancer, titled "Active Beta-Catenin (ABC) promotes an invasive phenotype in pediatric osteosarcoma."

A new study has uncovered an unexpected vulnerability in some of the deadliest cancers. Researchers at UCLA have identified a previously hidden weakness in some of the most aggressive cancers, pointing to a possible new way to attack tumors that have remained difficult to treat. Small cell neuroendocrine cancers can develop in the lungs, prostate, [...]

Scientists at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) have taken a major step forward in pancreatic cancer research. By mapping a healthy pancreas in detail down to the cellular level, they discovered that specific, rare cells in the healthy organ already bear strong similarities to the most aggressive tumor cells.

Cancer’s most notorious growth protein may also be helping tumors survive chemotherapy. A protein already known for fueling cancer growth may have another troubling ability: helping damaged tumor cells repair their DNA and survive treatments designed to destroy them. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) report that MYC, a protein that is overactive [...]

Arecoline, the major alkaloid of areca nut, is a common exposure in chewing products, but its relationship with prostate cancer (PCa) is unclear. We integrated network toxicology, bulk RNA machine learning, single-cell transcriptomics, molecular simulation, and in vitro validation to prioritize candidate molecular nodes potentially linking arecoline exposure to PCa-related alterations. Potential …

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 27 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41565-026-02172-7 An annular carbon-nanotube nanosensor array integrated onto a medical-grade catheter enables near-infrared, in situ spatial mapping of bladder cancer-associated protein biomarker release in the bladder with 182-fold higher sensitivity than urine sampling.

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 05 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41565-026-02173-6 A catheter equipped with an annular carbon nanotube sensor array enables real‑time, in situ three‑dimensional chemical imaging of cancer biomarkers, mapping the localization of early-stage tumours.

Nature Communications, Published online: 06 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74058-0 In glioblastoma, matrix stiffness has been linked to poor prognosis and resistance to therapy. Here, the authors demonstrate that matrix stiffness drives radioresistance via upregulation of IQGAP3 promoting cancer cell stemness via SOX2 stabilization and show that blocking this interaction resensitises glioblast…

The UCLA study, conducted in mouse models and human cells and published in iScience, shows that dendritic cells -- the immune cells that direct killer T cells to attack cancer -- ramp up their intake of creatine inside tumors and depend on it to function effectively in this nutrient-poor environment.

Damage to DNA in cancer cells can lead to pieces breaking off chromosomes and floating away, like icebergs cracking off from a glacier. Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and their colleagues published findings May 28, 2026, in Genome Medicine demonstrating significant similarities between samples of tumors featuring these stranded DNA fragments and research models d…

Nature Communications, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73806-6 MET upregulation drives many human cancers. Herein, the authors identify a G-quadruplex in the MET promoter that recruits LRPPRC to boost MET transcription, and show that nitidine acts as a molecular glue to stabilize the LRPPRC–MET-G4 complex, suppressing MET expression and inhibiting tumor growth.

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Cancer remains a leading global health challenge, with limitations in chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy driving interest in alternative modalities. Phototherapy, comprising photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy, has shown promising antitumor efficacy, yet conventional photosensitizers and photothermal agents often suffer from poor stability, limited tissue specificity, and sub…