Researchers have uncovered a key cellular communication network that drives resistance to gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer. By integrating bulk, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics with experimental validation, the study identifies crosstalk between PRRX2-positive epithelial cells and SPP1-positive macrophages as a central mechanism promoting tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis. The findings highlight new biomarkers and suggest potential combination treatment strategies to overcome chemotherapy resistance.

ROS serve as crucial mediators of redox homeostasis, playing decisive roles in diverse pathological processes. While inorganic sonosensitizers for SDT represent significant advances in ROS-based therapeutics, developing US-responsive sonosensitizers with optimal biocompatibility, and initiating innovative treatment strategies remains a substantial translational challenge. In this work, researchers demonstrate that FeOOH nanorods function as exceptional tribocatalysts capable of efficiently converting vibrational mechanical energy into therapeutic effects through sono-tribocatalytic activation.