A Science China Life Sciences study reveals that glioblastoma (GBM) hijacks oxygen-deprived conditions by forming nuclear “stress droplets” that activate the enzyme PRMT2, fueling tumor survival independently of the classic HIF pathway. Blocking PRMT2’s phosphorylation with the orphan drug TG02 dismantles these droplets and—when combined with standard chemotherapy temozolomide—restores drug sensitivity, dramatically shrinking tumors and extending survival in resistant mouse models.

A study published today in Nature Communications describes how lymphatic endothelial cells assist in generating robust immune memory, offering new insights into how the immune system functions.

Specifically, the researchers found there is a particular genetic program within the lymphatic endothelial cells that enables storage and archival of portions of an immunization or pathogen (antigens) for future use.

The research is among the first to outline that there’s a genetic “transcriptional” program within lymphatic endothelial cells that impact the immune response and could be manipulated.

The study was led by researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz, with experts in medicine, immunology and microbiology and biochemistry and molecular genetics.

There has been a rapid increase in the global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to tackle cancer risk factors over that same time period. Without urgent action and targeted funding, 30.5 million people are forecast to receive a new cancer diagnosis and 18.6 million are expected to die from cancer in 2050—with over half of new cases and two-thirds of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study Cancer Collaborators, published in The Lancet. 

Women who don’t turn up for their first breast screening appointment face a 40% higher long term risk of dying from breast cancer, mainly due to delayed detection, finds a study published by The BMJ today.