EurekAlert! Cancer Research - News Releases

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Jul-2025 04:11 ET (28-Jul-2025 08:11 GMT/UTC)

Mitochondrial dynamics in breast cancer metastasis: From metabolic drivers to therapeutic targets

Xia & He Publishing Inc.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that adapt to cellular stress and metabolic demands through processes such as fission, fusion, mitophagy, and transport, all of which are vital for maintaining cellular signaling and metabolic homeostasis. Fission facilitates mitochondrial division and biogenesis, while fusion enhances mitochondrial fitness and metabolic flexibility by mitigating damage. Together, these processes play a critical role in regulating cellular stress responses and apoptosis. Dysregulation of mitochondrial dynamics has been linked to impaired development and cancer progression, including breast cancer metastasis. A comprehensive understanding of mitochondrial dynamics in breast cancer progression is essential for advancing precision medicine. This review delves into the intricate molecular mechanisms governing mitochondrial biogenesis, fission, fusion, and mitophagy, with a particular focus on the role of mitophagy in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and its connection to metastasis progression. Furthermore, it discusses potential therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dynamics and highlights the critical steps necessary to translate these approaches into clinical trials.

Journal: Oncology Advances

A new blood test may detect leukemia risk and replace bone marrow sampling

Weizmann Institute of Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study published today (Friday) in Nature Medicine – just days after their labs were severely damaged in an Iranian missile attack – Shlush and Tanay present findings that may lead to an innovative blood test for detecting a person’s risk of developing leukemia. This test may potentially replace the invasive diagnostic procedure of bone marrow sampling.

Journal: Nature Medicine

Releasing a molecular ‘brake’ may help immune cells better fight cancer

Van Andel Research Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Van Andel Institute scientists and collaborators have discovered a potential treatment target that may re-energize dysfunctional or “exhausted” immune cells in their fight against cancer.

The target is an immune checkpoint called PTGIR, which regulates the number and cancer-fighting powers of T cells, the soldiers of the immune system. Too much PTGIR puts a brake on T cells and reduces their ability to release cancer-killing molecules.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Immunology, could help improve cancer immunotherapies by paving the way for new immune checkpoint inhibitors or engineered T cell therapies that block PTGIR signaling and re-invigorate T cells.

Journal: Nature Immunology
Funder: Van Andel Institute, Van Andel Institute Metabolism and Nutrition (MeNu) Program, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, NIH/National Institute on Aging, V Scholar Award, American Federation for Aging Grant for Junior Faculty, University of Texas Southwestern, University of Colorado, Clinic & Laboratory Integration Program Grant, Cancer Research Institute

Study identifies ways to lower risk of liver cancer for people with hepatitis B infection

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Limiting carcinogen exposure or taking a statin drug could lower liver inflammation and cancer risk associated with HBV infection

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Burroughs Wellcome Fund, National Research Foundation of Korea, Natural Science Foundation of Anhui, China, National Natural Science Foundation of China

Precursors to bone marrow cancer can stop themselves

Aarhus University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have discovered that some cells enter a dormant state and create a defense against cancer – a breakthrough that could lead to early treatment.

Journal: Leukemia

Leafy greens could be good for the heart

Edith Cowan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A cup and a half of leafy green vegetables could go a long way to addressing atherosclerotic vascular diseases (ASVD’s), new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU), the University of Western Australia and the Danish Cancer Institute has found.

Journal: European Journal of Nutrition

Neopred: A dual-phase CT AI tool for preoperative prediction of pathological response in NSCLC

National Center for Respiratory Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In May 2025, the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer published a pioneering study entitled “NeoPred: dual-phase CT AI forecasts pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in NSCLC”, led by Professor Jianxing He’s team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University / National Center for Respiratory Medicine.

The study introduces NeoPred, a multimodal artificial intelligence model that combines dual-phase CT scans (pre-treatment and pre-surgery) and clinical features to predict major pathological response (MPR) before surgery in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Corresponding Authors: Prof. Jianxing He, Dr. Hengrui Liang Co-First Authors: Dr. Jianqi Zheng, Mr. Zeping Yan, Mr. Runchen Wang Collaborating Institutions: Shanghai Chest Hospital, Liaoning Cancer Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University

Journal: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

Partial match parity: Increasing the donor pool for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Blood cancer patients who may have previously struggled to find a donor for transplantation now have more options. A new study shows that patients achieve good outcomes with a partial match drawn from the national public registry of donors when they are treated with the immune-suppressing drug cyclophosphamide.

Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology

Further insights into the consequences of abnormal chromosome numbers

Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau
Peer-Reviewed Publication

It has been known for several years that abnormal chromosome numbers lead to protein imbalances in the affected cells. Researchers at RPTU have now investigated the detailed effects of such imbalances. Surprisingly, they found that imbalanced proteome changes impair mitochondrial function. This, in turn, could be relevant for the drug treatment of cancer. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications

Study reveals mechanisms behind common mutation and prostate cancer

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the University of Michigan Rogel Health Cancer Center, published in Science, sheds light on how two distinct classes of mutations in the FOXA1 gene—commonly altered in prostate cancer—drive tumor initiation formation and therapeutic resistance.

Journal: Science
Funder: NIH/National Cancer Institute, Michigan Prostate SPORE Career Enhancement Program award, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Rogel Fellowship, Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, V Scholar Award

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