When presented with cancer cells, our cytogeneticists often see tiny chromosomal structures known as double minutes. What are these, how are they formed, and what is their importance?
Macrophages are key immune cells that constantly identify and remove emerging cancers. Unfortunately, some cancer cells slip under the macrophage radar. When these immuno-escaped cancer cells develop the ability to control macrophages, cancers can become enabled to metastasise. However, this reliance on macrophages could provide therapeutic opportunities.
Often overlooked, matrix stiffness is hugely important to the behaviour of cells. A recent study of prostate cancer cells using gels of varying stiffness reveals mechanistic insights.
Complex models of the bone marrow tissue, capable of replicating functional niches that maintain multipotent haemopoietic stem cells, are on the horizon. These models will enable more realistic and informative in-vitro studies of drugs for haematological diseases as well as assessing the myelotoxicty of treatments targeted at other tissues.
