The distinct population of endothelial cells that line blood vessels in the insulin-producing “islets” of the human pancreas have been notoriously difficult to study, but Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have now succeeded in comprehensively detailing the unique characteristics of these cells.

The resulting atlas advances basic research on the biology of the pancreas and could lead to new treatment strategies for diabetes and other pancreatic diseases.

In the study, published in Nature Communications, the researchers devised a set of methods for rapidly isolating and profiling endothelial cells called ISECs (islet-specific endothelial cells) from donor pancreases.

Vimentin is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein normally expressed in cells that develop into connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymphatic tissue (mesenchymal cells). Despite being widely studied, its role in tumor growth and progression remains unexplored.

A team of researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered how a small change in the vimentin protein can make breast cancer more aggressive. The work is published in the journal eLife.

By modifying a specific amino acid cysteine to serine residue at position 328 in vimentin, they discovered that this mutation disrupted the protein’s interaction with the cell’s structural network. Remarkably, the mutated vimentin induced aggressive cancer-like behavior in breast cancer cells, including faster cell growth, migration, and invasion accompanied by reduced cell adhesion.

Careful selection of Cas13 variants and delivery methods minimizes collateral RNA degradation.

A joint research team from the LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) and the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong has uncovered an unexpected interaction between chemotherapeutic agents and a crucial efficacy marker.

The heart drug digoxin could potentially be combined with existing cancer therapies to prevent the spread of tumors, an early trial suggests. But questions remain.