A team of Weill Cornell Medicine investigators is working to cross-train the next generation of cancer researchers in cancer biology and the use of artificial intelligence tools for research.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is seen in many cardiac disorders. Understanding mitochondrial quality control (MQC) can help reduce dysfunction and improve outcomes for patients. Researchers have examined key regulatory proteins involved in MQC and how their functions are altered by the cellular microenvironment of the heart muscle. They also describe some promising new therapies that target the molecular components of MQC and restore proper mitochondrial function to damaged heart tissue.

Vaccines rely on adjuvants to enhance immune protection, but these often cause reactogenicity, such as swelling or fever. Challenging the long-held assumption that these effects are inseparable, researchers from Japan have shown that vaccine efficacy and reactogenicity are driven by distinct immune pathways. Their findings reveal specific roles for IL-1α and IL-1β in controlling these responses, opening new possibilities for designing vaccines that maintain strong immunity while minimizing adverse effects.

Recently, a significant study conducted collaboratively by multiple hospitals in Shanghai was published in the prestigious journal SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences. This work uncovers for the first time that ovarian cancer drives tumor growth and metastasis by secreting IL-1β-enriched extracellular vesicles (EVs), which activate the NF-κB signaling pathway in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), thereby inducing adipose tissue senescence and associated metabolic disorders. The team has identified two targeted intervention strategies: the senolytic combination of dasatinib and quercetin, or the natural NF-κB inhibitor resveratrol. Both approaches markedly eliminate senescent ADSCs, ameliorate metabolic abnormalities, and suppress ovarian cancer progression. This study provides novel insights into treating ovarian cancer by modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and targeting senescent cells, and underscores the translational potential of natural compounds including quercetin and resveratrol in clinical applications.