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Could this enzyme help remove “zombie” cells from our tissues?

Aging cells become more susceptible to ferroptosis due to elevated levels of acid ceramidase, a previously targeted therapeutic candidate. This vulnerability can be passed to neighboring cells, impacting overall tissue health. The discovery offers new hope for supporting healthy aging and treating age-related diseases.

SourceSalk Institute·JournalCell Death and Disease·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 23, 2026

Crosstalk among aging, circadian rhythms, and cancers

Research highlights the interconnected relationship between aging, circadian rhythms, and cancer, with shared mechanisms including genomic instability, cellular senescence, and chronic inflammation. Modulating circadian rhythms may serve as a novel strategy to intervene in age-related functional decline and treat cancer.

SourceResearch·JournalResearch·TypeNews article·DateMar 11, 2025

What makes cancer cells weak

A study by Andreas Koeberle and colleagues reveals that certain natural substances can increase polyunsaturated fatty acids in cancer cell membranes, making them susceptible to ferroptosis, a type of cell death. This discovery creates new avenues for treating therapy-resistant tumours.

SourceUniversity of Graz·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 25, 2025

Synthetic RIG-I-agonist RNA induces death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

A synthetic retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) agonist RNA has been shown to induce innate immune signaling and death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro. The addition of recombinant interferon-b potentiated this cell death, suggesting a potential new mechanism for treating patients with liver cancer.

SourceMary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News·JournalJournal of Interferon & Cytokine Research·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 19, 2025

How fungi colonize plant roots

Researchers have deciphered how the beneficial fungus Serendipita indica successfully colonizes plant roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. The fungus secretes enzymes that produce a molecule called deoxyadenosine (dAdo), which activates cell death in plants, enabling colonization without causing significant harm.

SourceUniversity of Cologne·JournalCell Host & Microbe·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 27, 2024

How diabetes risk genes make cells less resilient to stress

Studies discovered that DNA sequence changes associated with diabetes predisposition alter pancreatic cell stress response, leading to reduced insulin production and increased cell death. The findings point toward a druggable target, MAP3K5, which may help prevent or treat type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals.

SourceJackson Laboratory·JournalCell Metabolism·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 8, 2024

Penny for your thoughts? Master copper regulator discovery may offer Alzheimer’s clues

A recent study by FAU researchers links copper regulation to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. The team discovered that a specific gene, swip-10, plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of copper in cells, which can prevent mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

SourceFlorida Atlantic University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 18, 2024

Cell death types and their relations to host immune pathways

Researchers have proposed a framework encompassing all discovered host immunological pathways, including TH1, TH2a, TH2b, TH3, TH9, TH17, TH22, TH1-like, and THαβ immune reactions. These relationships can help understand host defense mechanisms against invading pathogens and provide insights for developing better therapeutic strategies.

SourceImpact Journals LLC·JournalAging-US·TypeSystematic review·DateAug 16, 2024

Light targets cells for death and triggers immune response with laser precision

Researchers develop optogenetic system to precisely target cancer cells using light, inducing inflammatory cell death and triggering immune response. The approach aims to modulate the immune suppressive environment around cancer cells, helping T cells recognize and attack the disease.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalJournal of Molecular Biology·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 1, 2024

A molecular route to decoding synaptic specificity and nerve cell communication

A team of researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology identified the molecular mechanisms involved in synaptic communication using Drosophila. They found that Side-IV/Beat-IIb immunoglobulin superfamily protein molecules play a crucial role in inducing synapse formation and regulating preferential signaling among neuron pairs.

SourceTokyo Institute of Technology·JournalCell Reports·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 2, 2024

Older brain cells linger unexpectedly before their death

Researchers discovered that mature oligodendrocytes, critical for brain function, can survive for up to 45 days after a fatal trauma, defying the classical programmed cell-death pathway. This finding opens new avenues for understanding and potentially preventing damage caused by aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

SourceDartmouth College·JournalJNeurosci·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 28, 2024

Memories of mitosis: Molecular mechanism that detects defects during cell division could aid cancer treatment

Researchers discovered a protein complex that eliminates potentially harmful cells over time by measuring the duration of mitosis. The Mitotic Stopwatch Complex starts forming after prolonged mitosis and triggers cell arrest or death, providing new insights into cancer development.

Outsmarting chemo-resistant ovarian cancer

Researchers have discovered a new way to target chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer cells by depriving them of cholesterol, leading to significant tumor growth reduction. The nanoparticles starve the cells of cholesterol, triggering cell death through oxidation of lipids in the cell membrane.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalAdvanced Science·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 21, 2024

NUS Medicine researchers unlock the potential of genetic glycoengineering to advance vaccines and therapeutics technology

The team created a glycoengineering platform that simplifies the production of customized sugar carbohydrates, known as glycans, which play a crucial role in various therapeutic applications. This innovation enables the engineering of new glycans with unprecedented flexibility, addressing limitations in existing approaches.

SourceNational University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine·JournalScience Advances·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateOct 16, 2023

Experts present pioneering vision on reducing brain disorders by 2050

A special supplement presents insights on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, affecting 55 million people worldwide. Researchers explore novel molecular pathways and therapeutic approaches, such as acupuncture therapy, to alleviate the burden of brain disorders.

SourceIOS Press·JournalJournal of Alzheimer’s Disease·TypeSystematic review·DateSep 28, 2023

Switching off the cytokine storm

Researchers at EMBL Grenoble have obtained the first structure of p38α being activated by MKK6, opening up new directions for developing drugs to stop cytokine storms. The inflammatory response is triggered by a series of kinases, and inactivating p38α could prevent inflammation from occurring.

SourceEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory·JournalScience·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 14, 2023

OHSU scientists discover new cause of Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia

Researchers found that ferroptosis, a form of cell death caused by iron buildup, destroys microglia cells in the brain's immune response, contributing to cognitive decline. The study's findings may lead to the development of compounds targeting microglial degeneration, offering new hope for Alzheimer's and vascular dementia treatments.

SourceOregon Health & Science University·JournalAnnals of Neurology·TypeImaging analysis·DateSep 5, 2023

Sylvester Surgeon-scientist awarded center’s first Department of Defense grant to study pancreatic cancer

Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center will investigate signaling mechanisms between myeloid-derived suppressor cells and pro-inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer. The goal is to develop a nanoengineered immunotherapy that selectively disrupts these interactions to target treatment resistance.

Development of new p38 protein inhibitors with therapeutic potential for some heart diseases

Researchers at IRB Barcelona have developed new p38 inhibitors that selectively impair one of the activation pathways of the protein, allowing it to perform many of its normal functions. The inhibitors show therapeutic potential for heart diseases such as cardiac cell death and cardiotoxicity.

SourceInstitute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 13, 2023