Cancer cells excel at evading detection, but subtle chemical differences set them apart from healthy cells. Now, a team of scientists from Wageningen University & Research and Van Andel Institute has identified a way to exploit this distinction. Using a variant of CRISPR, a modern tool for editing DNA, they distinguished tumor DNA from healthy DNA and selectively cut only the former. The study, published today in Nature, is an early but promising step toward a cancer therapy that targets and destroys tumor cells with high precision.

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London have identified an overworked cog in the cellular machinery of tumour cells that could be targeted by new treatment options for an aggressive class of cancers. The team found that blocking this system with known drugs selectively killed these cancers – those linked to mutations in a set of genes known as RAS – and caused mouse tumours to shrink, suggesting a new strategy for tackling cancers that often resist treatment.

Duracyte is a biotechnology company developing implantable “living pharmacy” devices designed to continuously produce therapeutic proteins inside the body. The company plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial this year evaluating patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Duracyte is the third company launched by RBL LLC, following Sentinel BioTherapeutics and SteerBio, reinforcing Houston’s growing role as a biotechnology innovation hub.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing 8A (LRRC8A) is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane protein that functions as the essential component of volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs). These channels are integral to maintaining osmotic balance, metabolite transport, and intercellular communication, thereby ensuring ion homeostasis and facilitating cellular responses to hypotonic stress, oxidative damage, and mechanical cues.

CrossBridge Bio, a biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates based on discoveries by researchers at UTHealth Houston, is taking a major step toward clinical translation after being acquired by Eli Lilly.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with limited therapeutic options and poor long-term survival. Increasing evidence highlights the regulatory complexity of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in HCC progression, yet the mechanistic interplay between these molecules remains incompletely understood

A new study co-led by an Oregon Health & Science University researcher describes a breakthrough in microscopy tools that could dramatically expand how cancer biology labs study the inner workings of living cells.