Extracellular Matrix News

GIVEAWAY! 😍🎉 Don't miss your chance to win a pair of @STEMCELLTech science socks! 🧦 To enter, sign up to receive the latest research highlights in your field delivered to your inbox with STEMCELL Science News. 💌 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4sFyUzh

A new @CR_AACR study from researchers at Peking University identifies LRRC15+ cancer-associated #fibroblasts as a tumor-promoting cell population in #LungCancer and highlights it as a promising therapeutic target to enhance anti-tumor immunity. 🧾 Read the study: bit.ly/4uP6Biz

In this on-demand webinar from @STEMCELLTech, hear from Dr. Yingjie Bian from @umichmedicine highlight his @Nature publication on nutrient competition in the tumor microenvironment and what mechanism cancer methionine consumption acts as. 🔬 #immunology bit.ly/3Zh6peR

Researchers at Southwest Minzu University have developed a 3D-printed #MicroneedlePatch that delivers plant-derived vesicles and vitamin A to reduce inflammation, promote tissue repair, and enable scarless #WoundHealing. 🩹 Learn more: bit.ly/4n9vAuc

A new #review from researchers at Fudan University discusses how #cytokines drive communication between cancer-associated fibroblasts, tumor cells, and immune cells, making them promising but complex targets for precision #CancerTherapies. 🔬 Read the study: bit.ly/4ezYWA1

ECM2026 is bringing together experts across disciplines to explore the extracellular matrix (ECM) as a driver of disease and a source of new treatment opportunities. Join ECM2026 in Copenhagen for fresh ideas, bright science, and next-generation therapies. ecm-congress.org

Researchers at @EwhaWomansUniv have developed a potent and selective #AutotaxinInhibitor, 14e, that shows strong antifibrotic activity and promising therapeutic potential in preclinical models of #PulmonaryFibrosis. Learn more: bit.ly/4nkwPH6

In a new study, researchers led by Dr. Pamela Den Besten at @UCSF have shown that CFTR is essential for proper #enamel maturation by regulating pH balance, ameloblast function, and matrix remodeling during #tooth development. 🦷 Read the study: bit.ly/42Ni8mN

Researchers at @_BIST demonstrated that the formation of fibrillar adhesions locks the nucleus in a mechanically deformed conformation, setting the mechano-response timescale to that of fibrillar adhesion remodeling. @NatureMaterials | go.nature.com/4uxafxj

Given that epithelial cells directly encounter inhaled silica particles and express NLRP3, scientists with Dr. Maggie Lam at @Hudson_Research investigated the functional contribution of epithelial Nlrp3 to silicosis pathogenesis. 🔗 bit.ly/4epMXF1

🥼 Scientists explore how cytokines function as upstream signals that guide CAF activation and lineage commitment, as well as downstream effectors secreted by CAFs to promote tumor cell malignancy and reprogram the tumor microenvironment. 👉 bit.ly/4ezYWA1

💉 Researchers developed a 3D-printed tower-shaped microneedle system loaded with vitamin A-containing Bletilla striata vesicles for functionally staged effects supported by release kinetics in scarless wound healing. 🔗 bit.ly/4n9vAuc

New research from the lab of Dr. Claire Dubois at the Université de Sherbrooke - with first author Alexis Perreault - reveals a new patient-derived model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma. By using an innovative "ex ovo" assay that preserves a tumor's native fibrosis and stromal features, the team demonstrated that targeting collagen content can significantly enhance therapeutic response. Read the full study in @SciReports: go.nature.com/42bAn4S

Can #GastricCancer metastasis be intercepted before it even begins? New research from Dr. Maorun Zhang and team at Zhengzhou University reveals that metastatic potential is "pre-programmed" within primary tumors. The team used single-cell and spatial mapping to identify a specialized niche of ACTA2+ fibroblasts that use COL9A1-SDC4 signaling to maintain metastasis-initiating cells, offering a new target to stop multi-organ spread. Read the full study: bit.ly/4mWKhAQ

New research led by Dr. Michael Stürzl and first author Richard Demmler reveals a hidden network of stable and plastic fibroblasts in #ColorectalCancer. By identifying novel markers like ITGA3 and ADH1B, the team mapped how these cells transition—showing that while some identities are fixed, others can be reshaped by TGF-β and TNF-α. Explore the full fibroblast map in @OncogeneJournal: go.nature.com/3QTMMb7 #ExtracellMatrix #Fibroblasts

How can we detect fibrogenic remodeling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) earlier? 🫁 Research led by Dr. Chenggong Yu and first author Qingwen Xu at @NJU_China introduces a novel CT imaging nanoprobe that targets MMP-2. By utilizing gold nanoparticles functionalized with MMP-2-cleavable peptides, the team successfully visualized early-stage fibrosis in vivo, offering a promising non-invasive diagnostic tool. Read more in @BiomaterSci: bit.ly/4cT8d3x

#IschemicStroke is a detrimental CNS disorder with high morbidity and disability rates. 🧠 Researchers have shown that hematopoietic cell kinase-driven immune responses in the brain ECM contribute to ischemic stroke injury. Learn more: bit.ly/4edvsrl

🫁 Researchers demonstrated unequivocally that a therapeutic approach for pulmonary arterial hypertension that combines nitric oxide donors for vasodilation with extracellular matrix inhibitors to suppress vascular remodeling represents a promising treatment. 🔗 bit.ly/3P22AIi

💓 Researchers investigated the role and targetability of vascular adhesion protein 1 in cardiac fibrosis. Transcriptomic screening identified VAP1 as a direct target for megakaryocytic leukemia 1, a master regulator of tissue fibrosis. 🔗 go.nature.com/41NRCJj

📖 Scientists with Sneha Pramod at @MSKCancerCenter review the current understanding of CAFs as heterogeneous, instructive regulators of tumor microenvironments across anatomic sites and highlight key challenges for the future. @NatureCancer | go.nature.com/3QfTzvJ