EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Breast Cancer Awareness

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we're turning our attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing awareness, supporting early detection, and highlighting the ongoing research shaping the future of breast cancer treatment and prevention.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Oct-2026 21:16 ET (20-Oct-2026 01:16 GMT/UTC)

In situ generation of NKG2D CAR T/NK cells via a tumor-targeted lipoplex for enhancing cancer immunotherapy

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a hypoxia-responsive, tumor-penetrating lipoplex that can generate NKG2D CAR-T and NK cells directly within solid tumors. This dual-controlled strategy enables local CAR generation in triple-negative breast cancer via targeting GRM4 and utilizing a hypoxia-inducible promoter, significantly enhancing antitumor immunity while minimizing off-target expression and inflammatory side effects. This study offers a promising precision strategy to engineer CARs in solid tumors with enhanced safety.

Journal: Science Bulletin

Mammals produce cyclo-octasulfur to protect cells from lipid damage

Tohoku University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Elemental sulfur is widely known to occr in microorganisms, plants, and fungi, but whether mammals produce and use elemental sulfur has remained unclear.Now, a collaborative team has finally answered this question, discovering that mammalian cells and tissues produce and store cyclo-octasulfur - a stable form of elemental sulfur composed of eight sulfur atoms arranged in a ring.

Journal: Science

Targeting mitochondria could open new routes to personalized treatment for triple-negative breast cancer

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A deeper understanding of mitochondrial function could create new opportunities for treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer. The complex relationship between mitochondrial dynamics, energy metabolism and cancer-cell survival is revealing potential targets that could support more personalized treatment strategies.

Journal: Genes & Diseases

Are young women receiving delayed care for breast cancer?

Wiley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In an analysis of data on adolescents and young adults with breast cancer, lower income and younger age were linked with delays in care. The analysis published by Wiley online in CANCER, also found that women who experienced delays in cancer diagnoses tended to have later stages of disease.

Journal: Cancer

CityUHK research reveals modulating chromatin dynamics of H2B mutations, shedding lights on novel targeted therapy of breast cancer

Communications and Institutional Research Office, City University of Hong Kong

A research team led by Professor Chan Kui-ming from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at CityUHK, discovered that H2BE113K, a missense H2B mutation, promotes colony formation and lung metastasis of breast cancer. The research revealed that H2BE113K plays a critical role in chromatin regulation, cellular function and breast cancer progression, shedding lights on novel targeted therapy of breast cancer.

Journal: Science Advances

MSK Research Highlights, October 9, 2026

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) uncovers an unknown role for immune cells in fueling triple-negative breast cancer; identifies a new strategy for fighting leptomeningeal metastases; finds trastuzumab deruxtecan shows enhanced benefit for patients with ERBB2 mutations in breast cancer; shows tumor DNA insights can help guide treatment for patients with hard-to-treat biliary tract cancers; and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to study early development.

NIH grant awarded to treat breast cancer with bacteria

Weill Cornell Medicine
Grant and Award Announcement

A scientist at Weill Cornell Medicine is working with colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on new, complementary research efforts engineering therapeutic Salmonella to target critical gaps in treatment for drug-resistant triple-negative breast cancers. The team has received a five-year, $13.1 million grant, the first of its kind for bacteria cancer therapies awarded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, to support research to design nontoxic bacteria strains that can deliver three treatment options.

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