Newsletters

[Cell] Using preclinical models of autoimmune type 1 diabetes and chronic infection, scientists discovered that a small subset of TCF1hi T cells express the transcription factor LEF1. LEF1+ TCF1hi T cells define a true self-renewing stem T cell pool.

[Oncogene] Researchers reported three key innovations: the discovery of a novel oncogenic circRNA, circPARPBP, as a driver of chemoresistance; the elucidation of its mechanism through the recruitment of the SRCAP complex to activate CCL20 transcription and cancer stemness; and the demonstration that the natural compound isoliquiritigenin suppresses this axis to overcome chemoresistance.

[Journal of Biomedical Science] Scientists showed the potential of apMNKQ2, a DNA aptamer targeting MNK1, to therapeutically target CSCs and reduce pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumor burden in patient-derived xenografts.

[Stem Cell Research & Therapy] The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the current evidence elucidating the role of specific miRNAs in governing the cisplatin response of CSCs.

[Scientific Reports] Investigators explored the role of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 25 (USP25) in breast cancer metastasis and stemness. Knockdown of USP25 suppressed the in vitro and in vivo growth of breast cancer cells and increased cell apoptosis.

[Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation] Three young clinicians with novel ideas about cancer treatment have been named the 2026 recipients of the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award. This award provides physicians who have completed clinical specialty fellowship training with the opportunity to become leaders in translational and clinical research.

[Cell Reports] Researchers showed that the histone methyltransferase disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L) shapes chromatin accessibility of glioblastoma stem cell enhancer elements to reversibly regulate fate- and growth-related transcriptional programs.

[University of Arkansas at Little Rock] Dr. Brian Walker, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has received a $72,000 grant through the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) to support research aimed at developing new compounds with the potential to fight cancer.

[Gut Microbes] Researchers hypothesized that the emergence of invasive pathobionts and dysbiosis of epithelial microbiota contribute to increased cancer stemness.

[Acta Pharmacologica Sinica] A growing body of evidence has confirmed the critical role of CSCs in tumor progression, drug resistance, and recurrence, which lays a solid foundation for the development of potential therapeutic targets and intervention strategies.

[Journal of Translational Medicine] miR-204 was identified as a crucial miRNA, upregulated in normal stem cells but significantly downregulated in CSCs and multiple human cancers, including gastric cancer.

[Nature Communications] Scientists identified a distinct subset of MSCs expressing integrin α8 within the bone marrow endosteum. These cells exhibited distinct MSC properties and higher hematopoietic supportive activity than other MSC subsets.