A surprising look at the mechanics of metastasis
Source: HARVARD T.H. CHAN, February 2024
February 7, 2024—Scientists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are peering deep inside lymph nodes to learn more about how cancer cells spread—and whether we may someday be able to halt metastasis through dietary modifications.
Jessalyn Ubellacker, assistant professor of molecular metabolism, has previously shown that when melanoma cells migrate to lymph nodes, they pick up a coating of protective fats that lets them avoid damage and slip easily through the bloodstream, enabling metastasis. Now, she’s taking a closer look at that process, investigating what happens to metabolite and lipid levels in the lymph nodes of patients with cancer.
“What are the specific changes cancer cells undergo in the lymph nodes, and can they enable us to predict whether a cancer will be more or less aggressive? Or more or less responsive to treatment?” she said.