Science News

[Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology] Expanding preclinical and clinical literature from PDAC and other oncological indications identifies novel approaches through which radiation therapy–immunotherapy combinations could improve local and systemic disease control in patients with PDAC.

[Nature Genetics] Single-cell master regulator analysis of multiple pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cohorts identified malignant cells in three co-existing, molecularly distinct developmental lineage states, with distinct histopathological morphologies and spatial architecture.

[US FDA] The US FDA approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a RAS inhibitor for the most common form of pancreatic cancer—delivering a new treatment option to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer months ahead of schedule.

[Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc.] Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. announced that it has entered into an exclusive option agreement with Cedars-Sinai to continue investigating the clinical utility of L-glutamine oral powder in combination with chemotherapy, as a potential treatment for PDAC.

[Oncogene] Using a transgenic mouse model, researchers showed that early stages of neuroendocrine prostate cancer are associated with increased intraprostatic recruitment of Ly6G + polymorphonuclear neutrophils and reduced infiltration of CD8 + T cells.

[UCLA Samueli School of Engineering] The US Department of Defense has awarded a four-year, $2.1 million grant to a research team led by Dr. Neil Lin at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. The funding will support a new approach merging genetic testing, functional drug-sensitivity testing and advanced computer modeling into a single system for guiding prostate cancer therapy.

[Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy] The authors provide a comprehensive overview of T cell replenishment in homeostasis, followed by the molecular hallmarks and signaling pathways of T cell senescence and exhaustion.

[Nature Cell Biology] Researchers compared fibroblast diversity and epithelial–stromal interactions in pancreatitis and PDAC using human samples, mouse models, and mouse pancreatitis-derived epithelial organoids.

[Cell Death & Disease] Researchers identified p38α (MAPK14) as a central regulator of mitophagy during severe acute pancreatitis progression (SAP). Combining bioinformatic screening with an experimental SAP model, they demonstrated aberrantly hyperactivated p38α in pancreatic acinar cells.

[Cell Death Discovery] Investigators reported that the glutamine synthesis pathway is required for cellular dormancy under androgen-deprived conditions. The key enzyme, glutamine synthetase, is upregulated during hormonal therapy, which leads to overabundant glutamine as a nutrient and an energy storage for tumor recurrence.

[Molecular Oncology] Scientists developed a CDK2 inhibitor-resistant CRPC model and performed a rational compound screen to assess which of the currently used anti-CRPC treatments could augment CDK2 therapy-response.

[Science] Researchers identified aberrant epithelial cell death as a hallmark of IBD that emerges early in lesions, persists despite advanced therapies, and predicts disease relapse.

[Acta Biomaterialia] Scientists developed an immune-activated co-culture model comprising patient-derived gastric cancer organoids and autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells as a framework for personalized chemotherapy screening strategies.

[Gut Microbes] The authors found that Agathobacter rectalis (Ar) suppressed colorectal cancer cell growth, clonogenicity, migration, and cell cycle progression. They identified (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) as an Ar-derived metabolite that recapitulated Ar-mediated anti-CRC effects, defining an Ar–EGC microbe–metabolite axis.

[Clinical and Translational Medicine] Researchers revealed a cysteine dioxygenase type 1 (CDO1)–PI3K/AKT–THBS1 signalling axis that supports CDO1-mediated tumour suppression in gastric cancer.

[Redox Report] The authors investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying oxidative damage to the intestinal barrier and intestinal epithelial cell toxicity by the natural co-occuring pollutants, Cr(VI) and DON, using the network toxicology method and cell intervention experiments.

[Biomolecules & Therapeutics] Scientists examined the methylation-dependent regulation of the miR-124–KITENIN axis and its clinical significance in colorectal cancer using a diverse panel of human cell lines.

[Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology] The authors summarize the latest advances and current knowledge gaps from within the Intestinal Stem Cell Consortium working group and across the field as a whole to understand the intestinal stemm cell niche, stem cell interactions with and in response to pathogens, and cellular and humoral regenerative strategies.

[Autoimmunity Reviews] Scientists discuss extracellular vesicles as key regulators of intestinal homeostasis and inflammatory responses, offering new insights into the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease and the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.

[Biochemical Pharmacology] The authors systemically summarize the basic biological features of the cAMP response element modulator, which comprises structural characteristics, isoform diversity, and regulatory networks in cellular signaling.