Ferroptosis, a form of programmed cell death mediated by iron, has been a focus for its potential in cancer therapies. Now, researchers have discovered that lysosomal lipid peroxidation plays a critical role in the execution of ferroptosis. They also showed that this leads to iron leakage from the lysosome, further promoting ferroptosis. Additionally, administration of chloroquine—a drug that promotes lysosomal membrane damage—facilitates ferroptosis in cancer cells that are less sensitive to the process.

The University of Jena, Germany has won the renowned “Dance your PhD” competition in the category Biology with its video “Plant Vaccination”. The video visualizes the  thesis of Jena doctoral candidate Priya Reddy with dancers and original choreography. It can be viewed on the University's central YouTube channel.

Tumor-treating fields (TTFields) therapy and chemoradiation therapy (CRT) may have significant anti-tumor efficacy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM). This retrospective study provides insights on the clinical outcomes of using concurrent TTFields with or without CRT to treat patients with ndGBM in China. The researchers report that concurrent CRT and TTFields offer a safe treatment strategy for ndGBM, but the potential benefits need to be further evaluated using large-scale clinical trials.

Estrogens are known for their role in reproduction, but a new study from Fujita Health University, Japan, reveals that neuroestrogens—estrogens produced in the brain—play a key role in appetite regulation. These brain-made hormones enhance the expression of a hunger-suppressing receptor in the hypothalamus and improve leptin sensitivity. The findings highlight a new biological pathway that could lead to innovative strategies for managing obesity and eating disorders.

In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the Monterey Peninsula in California, where this study was conducted. The orange and purple stars have a hungry appetite for mussels in the rocky intertidal. Without the voracious sea stars lurking around, mussel populations exploded, expanding in cover from around five percent to more than 18 percent within three years. In the wake of the sea star die-off, mussels became a major prey surplus for sea otters, revealing a surprising link between the adjacent rocky intertidal and kelp forest ecosystems. The new research into the phenomenon shows how the loss of a keystone predator (Pisaster) in one ecosystem can impart changes to another (sea otters), linking ecosystems.

Researchers led by the University of Cincinnati’s Anna Kruyer and the University of Houston’s Demetrio Labate have published research in the journal Science Advances applying object recognition technology to track changes in brain cell structure and provide new insights into how the brain responds to heroin use, withdrawal and relapse.