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Brain cancer thrives by hijacking mechanisms to boost synapse strength

Synaptic connections between cancer cells and neurons can boost tumour growth. Analyses of brain tumours reveal how cancer cells enhance the strength of synapses with neurons to promote tumour survival.
  1. Matthew B. Dalva

    1. Matthew B. Dalva is at the Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA.

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Cancer often results from the dysregulation of normal cellular mechanisms, because tumour cells can co-opt such processes to increase their own survival, proliferation and invasiveness. A great deal of effort has been made to develop therapies that target these processes, with the goal of slowing the growth of the tumour cells, reducing their proliferation or killing them. However, many cancers — particularly those of the brain — have not been successfully targeted by this approach, which suggests that other factors are involved in mediating cancer progression. Writing in Nature, Taylor et al.1 reveal that brain cancer harnesses an unexpected type of cellular process.

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Nature 623, 260-262 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03306-w

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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