The metabolism of cancer cells may play a key role in their ability to evade the immune system. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Liège, which reveals how methylglyoxal stress – a by-product of tumour metabolism – promotes immunosuppression and the formation of metastases, and may contribute to resistance to immunotherapy and the progression of triple-negative cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype characterized by limited targeted treatment options, a high propensity for distant metastasis and variable responses to immune checkpoint blockade. Increasing evidence indicates that the tumor microbiome can influence cancer progression and therapeutic responses, yet the mechanisms through which intratumoral bacteria reshape the TNBC microenvironment remain poorly understood. Fusobacterium nucleatum, a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium associated with several cancers, has been detected in breast tumors and linked to metastatic progression, but its contribution to metabolic and immune regulation in TNBC has remained unclear.

A recent study in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts describes a bio-based, multimetallic Fe-MOF nanoreactor designed to enhance chemodynamic and ferroptosis-based cancer therapy. The researchers used protocatechuic acid (PCA), a natural phenolic compound, as a redox-active ligand to construct a mixed-valence Fe-MOF framework. Ultrasmall Au nanoparticles and Cu ions were subsequently introduced to establish an Fe/Cu/Au redox-cycling network, while brazilin was incorporated as a natural therapeutic compound and a 4T1 breast cancer cell membrane was used for biomimetic surface coating. The resulting nanoreactor promoted H₂O₂ conversion, hydroxyl-radical generation and glutathione depletion, while increasing lipid peroxidation and disrupting ferroptosis-defense pathways. In 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, the optimized nanoreactor produced an approximately 80% tumor inhibition rate and also provided T1-weighted MRI contrast, demonstrating the potential of the platform for integrated therapeutic and imaging applications.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have developed an ER-targeted gold nanorod platform that combines anticancer drug delivery with photothermal therapy. Featuring the first reported integration of gold nanorods with cisplatin and indomethacin for ER-targeted cancer treatment, the platform triggered ER stress, autophagy and apoptosis, and reduced the viability of colon, cervical and breast cancer cells while showing negligible toxicity towards tested non-cancerous cells. The approach offers a promising direction for developing more precise cancer therapies, although further studies are needed for clinical translation.