News & Views |
Featured
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Article
| Open Access
Trans-vaccenic acid reprograms CD8+ T cells and anti-tumour immunity
A screen of nutrient-derived compounds identified trans-vaccenic acid as a promoter of effector T cell function, and functional assays demonstrate that this occurs via inactivation of GPR43 on T cells.
- Hao Fan
- , Siyuan Xia
- & Jing Chen
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Article |
The extracellular matrix dictates regional competence for tumour initiation
Experiments in mice show that expression of the oncogene SmoM2 induces basal cell carcinoma in the ear epidermis but not in the back skin, and that this difference in susceptibility is regulated by the extracellular matrix.
- Nordin Bansaccal
- , Pauline Vieugue
- & Cédric Blanpain
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Article |
Stepwise requirements for polymerases δ and θ in theta-mediated end joining
Polymerase delta is required for multiple steps in polymerase theta-dependent repair of chromosome breaks, a pathway targeted in cancer therapy.
- Susanna Stroik
- , Juan Carvajal-Garcia
- & Dale A. Ramsden
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Article
| Open Access
Targeting of intracellular oncoproteins with peptide-centric CARs
Peptide-centric chimeric antigen receptors (PC-CARs) provide a platform to address the challenges involved in targeting intracellular oncoproteins, and PC-CARs based on the neuroblastoma-dependency gene PHOX2B induce elimination of aggressive tumors.
- Mark Yarmarkovich
- , Quinlen F. Marshall
- & John M. Maris
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Article |
Latent human herpesvirus 6 is reactivated in CAR T cells
Genomics analyses reveal that in vitro culture of CAR T cells can lead to reactivation of a latent herpesvirus, which might be involved in complications in patients receiving associated cell therapies.
- Caleb A. Lareau
- , Yajie Yin
- & Ansuman T. Satpathy
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News & Views |
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.
- Matthew B. Dalva
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News |
Cancer trial results show power of weaponized antibodies
Tumour-targeting antibodies coupled with toxic chemicals are an unprecedented success in treating bladder cancer.
- Heidi Ledford
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Article |
IL-1β+ macrophages fuel pathogenic inflammation in pancreatic cancer
Single-cell and spatial gene expression analyses of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma uncover a population of interleukin-1β-expressing macrophages that drive inflammatory reprogramming of neighboring tumour cells leading to disease progression and poor prognosis for patients.
- Nicoletta Caronni
- , Federica La Terza
- & Renato Ostuni
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Article
| Open Access
Epigenetic regulation during cancer transitions across 11 tumour types
A pan-cancer epigenetic and transcriptomic atlas identifies epigenetic drivers associated with cancer transitions.
- Nadezhda V. Terekhanova
- , Alla Karpova
- & Li Ding
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Article
| Open Access
Glioma synapses recruit mechanisms of adaptive plasticity
In glioma, malignant synapses hijack mechanisms of synaptic plasticity to increase glutamate-dependent currents in tumour cells and the formation of neuron–glioma synapses, thereby promoting tumour proliferation and progression.
- Kathryn R. Taylor
- , Tara Barron
- & Michelle Monje
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Article |
Disruption of sugar nucleotide clearance is a therapeutic vulnerability of cancer cells
An enzyme called UXS1 that converts one sugar nucleotide to another is needed more in some cancer cells than in normal cells, providing a potential weakness that can be exploited therapeutically.
- Mihir B. Doshi
- , Namgyu Lee
- & Dohoon Kim
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Clinical Briefing |
An engineered virus shows potential as an immune therapy in glioblastoma
Therapies for aggressive, recurrent glioblastomas are sorely needed but frequently fail in trials. A first-in-human trial of CAN-3110, an engineered herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), shows that it is safe and seems to extend survival and stimulate immune responses — particularly in people with antibodies to HSV1.
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Article
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Clinical trial links oncolytic immunoactivation to survival in glioblastoma
Treatment with the oncolytic herpes virus CAN-3110 is associated with improved survival responses in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, particularly in individuals who are seropositive for HSV1.
- Alexander L. Ling
- , Isaac H. Solomon
- & E. Antonio Chiocca
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News & Views |
AI rapidly diagnoses brain tumours during surgery
A machine-learning method to assess DNA can accurately classify brain tumours in real time. This rapid analysis might help surgeons to identify the tumour type when operating and to adjust their surgical strategy accordingly.
- Lissa C. Baird
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Article
| Open Access
Targeting myeloid chemotaxis to reverse prostate cancer therapy resistance
A translational study demonstrates the role of myeloid inflammatory cells in driving disease progression and treatment resistance in prostate cancer and shows that these cells can be targeted therapeutically.
- Christina Guo
- , Adam Sharp
- & Johann S. de Bono
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Article
| Open Access
Ultra-fast deep-learned CNS tumour classification during surgery
Sturgeon is a pretrained neural network that uses incremental results from nanopore sequencing to rapidly classify central nervous system tumours and can be used to aid critical decision-making during surgery.
- C. Vermeulen
- , M. Pagès-Gallego
- & J. de Ridder
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Article
| Open Access
The PTPN2/PTPN1 inhibitor ABBV-CLS-484 unleashes potent anti-tumour immunity
An orally bioavailable small-molecule active-site inhibitor of the phosphatases PTPN2 and PTPN1, ABBV-CLS-484, demonstrates immunotherapeutic efficacy in mouse models of cancer resistant to PD-1 blockade.
- Christina K. Baumgartner
- , Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- & Robert T. Manguso
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Research Briefing |
Sympathetic nerves suppress T-cell responses in infection and in cancer
T cells that are chronically stimulated in viral infection or cancer enter a dysfunctional state known as T-cell exhaustion. Sympathetic nerves in tissues and tumours drive T-cell exhaustion through the action of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline on the β1-adrenergic receptors of T cells, with implications for cancer treatment.
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Nature Podcast |
Why does cancer spread to the spine? Newly discovered stem cells might be the key
A stem cell vital for vertebral growth also drives spine metastases, and the use of MDMA in the treatment of PTSD.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Shamini Bundell
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Article |
Reductive carboxylation epigenetically instructs T cell differentiation
Reductive carboxylation of glutamine by isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) has a role in determining the fate of T cells, and inhibiting this enzyme promotes the differentiation of memory T cells.
- Alison Jaccard
- , Tania Wyss
- & Mathias Wenes
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News |
Super-precise CRISPR tool enters US clinical trials for the first time
Base editing, which makes specific changes to a cell’s genome, is put to the test in CAR-T-cell treatments for leukaemia.
- Heidi Ledford
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News & Views |
Stem cells provide clues to why vertebrae attract tumour cells
Tumour cells tend to migrate to the vertebrae rather than to long bones, but the mechanism underlying this has been unclear. It emerges that the stem cells from which vertebrae are derived make a factor that attracts tumour cells.
- Geert Carmeliet
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News |
Breast cancer often spreads to the spine — newfound stem cell can explain why
A stem cell that contributes to vertebra formation also encourages the growth of tumours that move to the backbone from elsewhere.
- Saima Sidik
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Article |
A vertebral skeletal stem cell lineage driving metastasis
Vertebral osteoblasts in mouse and human are formed from a precursor skeletal stem cell population that is distinct from long bone skeletal stem cells in function, location and transcriptional programme.
- Jun Sun
- , Lingling Hu
- & Matthew B. Greenblatt
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Nature Index |
Can cancer research shift its focus?
Misdirected funds could be undermining efforts to improve patient outcomes in regions that need it most.
- Bec Crew
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Nature Video |
How to supercharge T cells against cancer
For over a decade immunologist Lionel Apetoh has been working on how to improve T cells' cancer fighting abilities.
- Nick Petrić Howe
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Nature Index |
Global leaders in science’s battle against cancer
A look at the key research institutions, funders and collaborations that are driving the field forward.
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Nature Index |
African scientists call for research equity as a cancer crisis looms
Rising death rates are defying global trends but the continent’s researchers are keen to lead the fightback.
- Linda Nordling
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Nature Index |
Ukraine seeks to resume its role in cancer clinical trials
The country was making a key contribution before Russia’s invasion.
- Rachel Nuwer
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Nature Index |
The gross imbalances of cancer research must be addressed
A zealous focus on discovery should not come at the expense of improving basic intervention.
- Richard Sullivan
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Nature Index |
A guide to the Nature Index
A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality that is available free online at natureindex.com.
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Nature Index |
Four ways research aims to outwit cancer’s evasion tactics
From AI-enabled drug discovery to therapeutic vaccines, science is opening up fresh angles of attack against the disease.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Article |
CD300ld on neutrophils is required for tumour-driven immune suppression
A CRISPR–Cas9 screen in a tumour mouse model identifies CD300ld as a tumour receptor on polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells and in vivo experiments indicate that it is a promising target for cancer immunotherapy.
- Chaoxiong Wang
- , Xichen Zheng
- & Min Luo
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Article
| Open Access
Spatial predictors of immunotherapy response in triple-negative breast cancer
Imaging mass cytometry is used to map the multicellular dynamics of immune checkpoint blockade-treated triple-negative breast cancer, finding that key proliferative fractions and cell–cell interactions drive response, and immunotherapy distinctively remodels tumour structure.
- Xiao Qian Wang
- , Esther Danenberg
- & H. Raza Ali
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Article
| Open Access
Polθ is phosphorylated by PLK1 to repair double-strand breaks in mitosis
In mitosis, genome integrity is maintained by DNA polymerase theta-dependent repair of DNA double-strand breaks, which is regulated by Polo-like kinase 1 activity.
- Camille Gelot
- , Marton Tibor Kovacs
- & Raphael Ceccaldi
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Article |
CRISPR screens decode cancer cell pathways that trigger γδ T cell detection
A combination of genome-wide CRISPR screens in target cancer cells identifies pathways that regulate γδ T cell killing and BTN3A cell surface expression.
- Murad R. Mamedov
- , Shane Vedova
- & Alexander Marson
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Article
| Open Access
Epitope editing enables targeted immunotherapy of acute myeloid leukaemia
Epitope engineering of donor haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells endows haematopoietic lineages with selective resistance to CAR T cells or monoclonal antibodies, without affecting protein function or regulation, enabling the targeting of genes that are essential for leukaemia survival and reducing the risk of tumour immune escape.
- Gabriele Casirati
- , Andrea Cosentino
- & Pietro Genovese
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Article |
Metabolic programs of T cell tissue residency empower tumour immunity
A study describes the metabolic adaptations supporting differentiation, survival and function of tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells and how to leverage them to enhance immunity against pathogens and tumours.
- Miguel Reina-Campos
- , Maximilian Heeg
- & Ananda W. Goldrath
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Article
| Open Access
Non-cell-autonomous cancer progression from chromosomal instability
Chromosomal instability in cancer is linked to endoplasmic reticulum stress signalling, immune suppression and metastasis, which is mediated by the cGAS–STING pathway, suppression of which can reduce metastasis.
- Jun Li
- , Melissa J. Hubisz
- & Samuel F. Bakhoum
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News & Views |
Calligraphy tool offers clues to the origin of pancreatic cancer
Understanding the processes that lead to tumour formation in the pancreas might help in efforts to develop therapies. A new bioinformatics tool called Calligraphy analyses cell–cell signalling to provide fresh insights into how tumours arise.
- Filip Bednar
- & Marina Pasca di Magliano
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Article
| Open Access
Long-molecule scars of backup DNA repair in BRCA1- and BRCA2-deficient cancers
Linked-read whole-genome sequencing reveals patterns of structural DNA variants that are specific to homologous recombination deficiency and can be used to distinguish between BRCA1- and BRCA2-deficient phenotypes.
- Jeremy Setton
- , Kevin Hadi
- & Marcin Imieliński
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Article |
Interferon-ε is a tumour suppressor and restricts ovarian cancer
Interferon-ε is a tumour suppressor expressed in the epithelial cell of origin of ovarian cancer, which it restricts by direct action on tumour cells and especially by activation of anti-tumour immunity.
- Zoe R. C. Marks
- , Nicole K. Campbell
- & Paul J. Hertzog
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News Feature |
How a controversial US drug policy could be harming cancer patients worldwide
The FDA’s accelerated-approval process was designed to help people access life-saving drugs. But gaps in communication could mean that people are undergoing treatments known to be ineffective.
- Jyoti Madhusoodanan
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News |
How the ‘groundbreaking’ Henrietta Lacks settlement could change research
Thermo Fisher Scientific and Lacks’s family reach a deal over the unethical use of her cells.
- Anil Oza
- & Mariana Lenharo
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Matters Arising |
Revisiting the intrinsic mycobiome in pancreatic cancer
- Ashley A. Fletcher
- , Matthew S. Kelly
- & Peter J. Allen
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Article |
Pharmacological targeting of netrin-1 inhibits EMT in cancer
Netrin-1 is upregulated in cancer models that undergo spontaneous epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and its targeting blocks the progression of tumour cells to a late mesenchymal state, suggesting possible therapeutic applications.
- Justine Lengrand
- , Ievgenia Pastushenko
- & Cédric Blanpain
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Clinical Briefing |
Blockade of netrin-1 is a promising strategy against endometrial cancer
The protein netrin-1 is involved in embryonic development and is upregulated in various cancers, including endometrial cancer. In mouse models and a first-in-human trial, blocking netrin-1 with a humanized monoclonal antibody, NP137, prevents a cellular change called the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and inhibits tumour growth.
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Revisiting the intrinsic mycobiome in pancreatic cancer
- Fangxi Xu
- , Deepak Saxena
- & George Miller
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Article
| Open Access
Netrin-1 blockade inhibits tumour growth and EMT features in endometrial cancer
We describe netrin-1 upregulation in a majority of human endometrial carcinomas and demonstrate that netrin-1 blockade, using the anti-netrin-1 antibody NP137, is effective both in a mouse model and in patients with endometrial carcinomas.
- Philippe A. Cassier
- , Raul Navaridas
- & Patrick Mehlen
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