Gastric (stomach) cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers in East Asia, including Korea. Yet despite its high prevalence, it has received far less molecular attention than colorectal cancer, which is more common in Western countries. As a result, many of today’s models of gastric cancer biology are still based on assumptions borrowed from colorectal cancer research — often with limited success when applied to patients.

One of the biggest unanswered questions has concerned the very first steps of gastric cancer development: how do early cancer cells survive and grow when they should not?

Under normal conditions, cells lining the stomach cannot grow independently. They rely on constant signals from their surrounding tissue — known as the microenvironment — to tell them when to divide, when to rest, and when to die. Losing this dependence is one of the defining features of cancer. But in gastric cancer, researchers have long struggled to explain how this transition occurs.

This problem has been tackled by a joint international research team led by Dr. LEE Ji-Hyun, Dr. KOO Bon-Kyoung, and Dr. LEE Heetak at the Center for Genome Engineering within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), in partnership with the laboratories of Prof. CHEONG Jae-Ho and Prof. KIM Hyunki (Yonsei University College of Medicine) and Prof. Daniel E. STANGE (TU Dresden / University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus). The team has identified a previously unknown mechanism that allows early gastric cancer cells to become self-sufficient. The findings provide a new framework for understanding how stomach cancer begins — and point to potential new targets for treatment.

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Endometrial model will revolutionise what we know about embryo development during implantation, supporting our understanding of the causes of early pregnancy loss and serious pregnancy complications. 

New research reveals that disrupting our internal body clock weakens immune defenses and fuels aggressive cancer — while pointing to a promising new treatment.

Their results could guide the development of healthier and more productive wheat lines.

Researchers have developed a novel "theragnostic" approach for ischemic stroke using extracellular vesicles derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth stem cells (SHED-EVs). Engineered with quantum dots, these vesicles allow for real-time imaging of the blood-brain barrier while simultaneously scavenging harmful reactive oxygen species to reduce brain injury.

The Cr-substituted LRMs with high capacity and stability is successfully fabricated for high energy-density solid-state batteries.

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