{"id":325,"date":"2018-06-18T10:52:05","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T10:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=325"},"modified":"2018-06-18T10:52:05","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T10:52:05","slug":"discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists studying skin and breast cancer in genetically modified mice have spotted hybrid cancer cells that combine the properties of different cell types, a discovery that could help understand how cancer spreads in the body and provide a new target for treatment.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n

It is the latest insight in a fast-moving research area that is revealing tumours to be diverse and versatile, and suggests that cancer cells change their form in order to acquire the optimum invasive characteristics needed to spread.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not all tumour cells are alike,\u2019 said Professor C\u00e9dric Blanpain, a stem cell and developmental biologist at the Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. \u2018Some cells proliferate, other cells have different shapes, some die, some invade the tissue, and so it\u2019s important to understand what creates this heterogeneity, what are the functions of the different tumour states.\u2019<\/p>\n

Most solid tumours are epithelial tumours \u2013 they grow from the lining of different structures in the body. They stick to each other and cannot migrate. But, as we know, cancers can spread. One way for this to happen is for epithelial cells to transform into another type of cell known as a mesenchymal cell, which is long and thin and can move around. When doctors identify these mesenchymal cells in a patient it means the cancer may be spreading, which means a poorer prognosis.<\/p>\n

Prof. Blanpain\u2019s team, led by Dr Ievgenia Pastushenko, examined this transformation in detail and found that rather than switching from epithelial to mesenchymal all at once, the cells go through a series of hybrid states, including two hybrids that turn out to be particularly well-equipped for metastasis, or spreading.<\/p>\n

\u2018We thought it would be a binary process in which either you are epithelial or you are mesenchymal,\u2019 said Prof. Blanpain. \u2018But it\u2019s much more than that.\u2019<\/p>\n

Local conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The team also unpicked the local conditions that cause these changes to happen, such as the microenvironment surrounding each cell and the genes involved in regulating what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

Professor Matthew Smalley, director of the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute at Cardiff University, UK, who was not involved in the research, says the discovery of the super-invasive hybrid cells demonstrates just how plastic some cancer cells can be.<\/p>\n

\u2018It suggests to me that they are poised to exploit the biology of either of those two states depending on the environment in which they are more likely to end up,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019ve got that inherent ability in them that enables them to cope with all sorts of pressures.\u2019<\/p>\n

He cautioned that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) often cannot be detected in human cancers. But this might be because so few cells undergo it, or because it occurs only as a tumour progresses \u2013 or perhaps because we cannot yet easily recognise the hybrid states.<\/p>\n

What weapons could clinicians deploy against such a subtle foe? Prof. Blanpain\u2019s team has shown that at each stage of the transition, the hybrid cells display different combinations of receptors on their surfaces.<\/p>\n

Eventually, it might be possible to use a drug that is specifically programmed to target the most dangerous hybrid cells.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are trying to recycle existing drugs to block the metastatic process,\u2019 said Prof. Blanpain.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Prof
Prof C\u00e9dric Blanpain studies the different forms and shapes cancer cells can take to better understand how they spread. Image credt – Fondation ULB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

More immediately, clinicians could obtain information about the presence of different hybrid cells in a particular patient. Then, clinicians would at least know how likely the cancer was to metastasise, and alter treatment accordingly.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, cells that undergo EMT are extremely resistant to chemo and radiotherapy, according to Prof. Blanpain.<\/p>\n

However, he thinks it might be possible to nudge the hybrid and mesenchymal cells backwards towards their more epithelial state, which would render them more responsive to therapy.<\/p>\n

Cancer stem cells<\/strong><\/p>\n

These recent discoveries are part of the growing field of cancer stem cell biology. Cancer stem cells are similar to ordinary stem cells, in that they can multiply and can also turn into a range of specialised cells. In normal circumstances, stem cells are useful for regenerating tissue, for example. But cancer stem cells maintain the growth of a tumour instead.<\/p>\n

Cancer stem cells may explain the mystery of why some cancers can return after seemingly having been extinguished by chemotherapy or other treatments. They may remain dormant when the rest of the tumour is under attack, emerging later to return to their work.<\/p>\n

Suggestions of their existence first came in studies of blood cancer in the late 1990s which found that only a small subgroup of cancer cells could propagate the tumour in mice.<\/p>\n

Such cells have now been found in brain, skin and intestinal cancers. Scientists have been working on therapies to target cancer stem cells themselves, but as the plasticity of tumours becomes more apparent, they are concluding that they need a simultaneous attack on both the tumour cells and the cancer stem cells that may lie behind it, says Prof. Smalley. Otherwise, tumour cells might switch back into cancer stem cells and become new production factories.<\/p>\n

\u2018My real hope is that we\u2019ll start to be able to identify cancer stem cells in patients being treated and be able to test our therapies and reduce the burden of metastases,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

One possibility might be to harness the body\u2019s own immune system, which is so adept at seeking out and destroying small numbers of rogue elements in the body. Cancer immunotherapy is already a developed discipline and could be combined with cancer stem cell research, he suggests.<\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scientists studying skin and breast cancer in genetically modified mice have spotted hybrid cancer cells that combine the properties of different cell types, a discovery that could help understand how cancer spreads in the body and provide a new target for treatment. It is the latest insight in a fast-moving research area that is revealing … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":316,"featured_media":326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[94,95,79,24,162],"class_list":["post-325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-medicine","tag-research","tag-science","tag-stem-cells"],"yoast_head":"\nDiscovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scientists studying skin and breast cancer in genetically modified mice have spotted hybrid cancer cells that combine the properties of different cell types, a discovery that could help understand how cancer spreads in the body and provide a new target for treatment. It is the latest insight in a fast-moving research area that is revealing ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-18T10:52:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2457\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1711\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aisling Irwin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aisling Irwin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Aisling Irwin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e83541e32d03643ff153c4edd112d573\"},\"headline\":\"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-18T10:52:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":953,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cancer\",\"medicine\",\"research\",\"science\",\"stem cells\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/\",\"name\":\"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-18T10:52:05+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg\",\"width\":2457,\"height\":1711,\"caption\":\"Studies show that hybrid cancer cells (in yellow) combine properties of different cells which can make them more invasive. Image credit - Prof. C\u00e9dric Blanpain, Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/325\\\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e83541e32d03643ff153c4edd112d573\",\"name\":\"Aisling Irwin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3c0f9a126ff416fd189b170e7d82ca3350e022ae3dd403001a11b09cb5de3a4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3c0f9a126ff416fd189b170e7d82ca3350e022ae3dd403001a11b09cb5de3a4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3c0f9a126ff416fd189b170e7d82ca3350e022ae3dd403001a11b09cb5de3a4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Aisling Irwin\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/aislingirwin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads","og_description":"Scientists studying skin and breast cancer in genetically modified mice have spotted hybrid cancer cells that combine the properties of different cell types, a discovery that could help understand how cancer spreads in the body and provide a new target for treatment. It is the latest insight in a fast-moving research area that is revealing ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_published_time":"2018-06-18T10:52:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2457,"height":1711,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Aisling Irwin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Aisling Irwin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/"},"author":{"name":"Aisling Irwin","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/e83541e32d03643ff153c4edd112d573"},"headline":"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads","datePublished":"2018-06-18T10:52:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/"},"wordCount":953,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg","keywords":["cancer","medicine","research","science","stem cells"],"articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/","name":"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg","datePublished":"2018-06-18T10:52:05+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg","width":2457,"height":1711,"caption":"Studies show that hybrid cancer cells (in yellow) combine properties of different cells which can make them more invasive. Image credit - Prof. C\u00e9dric Blanpain, Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/325\/discovery-of-hybrid-cancer-cells-reveals-how-disease-spreads\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Discovery of hybrid cancer cells reveals how disease spreads"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/e83541e32d03643ff153c4edd112d573","name":"Aisling Irwin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c0f9a126ff416fd189b170e7d82ca3350e022ae3dd403001a11b09cb5de3a4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c0f9a126ff416fd189b170e7d82ca3350e022ae3dd403001a11b09cb5de3a4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c0f9a126ff416fd189b170e7d82ca3350e022ae3dd403001a11b09cb5de3a4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Aisling Irwin"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/aislingirwin\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/hybrid_cancer_cells_crp.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-5f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2471,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2471\/colorectal-cancer-patients-may-benefit-from-breakthrough-eu-research\/","url_meta":{"origin":325,"position":0},"title":"Colorectal cancer patients may benefit from breakthrough EU research","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists in Spain have developed a potentially life-saving strategy against a disease that spreads from the gut to other vital organs. By\u00a0\u00a0ANTHONY KING Cancer of the colon and rectum is a pernicious killer. A colorectal tumour, for example, can be removed completely from a patient but then pop up elsewhere\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/24.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/24.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/24.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/24.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":385,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/385\/activating-a-liquid-with-plasma-gives-it-anti-cancer-properties\/","url_meta":{"origin":325,"position":1},"title":"Activating a liquid with plasma gives it anti-cancer properties","author":"Julianna Photopoulos","date":"July 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Lab-based results showing that cold plasma can stop the growth of cancer cells have sparked hope that it could one day be used to treat the disease in humans \u2013 but scientists first need to understand why it has the effect it does. Plasma is an ionised gas \u2013 a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Liquids activated by plasma have similar anti-cancer properties as cold plasma, researchers have found.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/plasmawater_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/plasmawater_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/plasmawater_crp.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/plasmawater_crp.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/plasmawater_crp.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/plasmawater_crp.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1076,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1076\/nobel-prize-winner-oxygen-regulation-discoveries-are-starting-to-lead-to-new-anaemia-cancer-drugs\/","url_meta":{"origin":325,"position":2},"title":"Nobel prize winner: Oxygen regulation discoveries are starting to lead to new anaemia, cancer drugs","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"December 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Vittoria D'Alessio Drugs that activate or block the body\u2019s oxygen-sensing machinery to treat conditions such as anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease and cancer are being made possible because we now understand the way that cells respond to oxygen deprivation, according to Sir Peter Ratcliffe, one of three\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Basic research into hypoxia is helping to find mechanisms that would starve cancer of the oxygen it needs to grow. Image credit - Nephron, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Papillary_renal_cell_carcinoma_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Papillary_renal_cell_carcinoma_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Papillary_renal_cell_carcinoma_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Papillary_renal_cell_carcinoma_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Papillary_renal_cell_carcinoma_1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Papillary_renal_cell_carcinoma_1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2234,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2234\/breast-cancer-an-aggressive-variant-triggers-a-hunt-for-cures\/","url_meta":{"origin":325,"position":3},"title":"Breast cancer: an aggressive variant triggers a hunt for cures","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"December 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Triple negative breast cancer is a hard-to-treat form that accounts for 15% of all cases, with recovery hopes emerging from chemotherapy drugs that stimulate the immune system and others that cause tumour cells to implode. By\u00a0\u00a0VITTORIA D\u2019ALESSIO Breast cancer is the most common type in women and, in Europe alone,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/12\/9angiola-harry--scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/12\/9angiola-harry--scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/12\/9angiola-harry--scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/12\/9angiola-harry--scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/12\/9angiola-harry--scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/12\/9angiola-harry--scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":671,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/671\/in-a-picture-hunting-down-guerrilla-tumour-cells-prof-rolf-bjerkvig\/","url_meta":{"origin":325,"position":4},"title":"In a picture: Hunting down guerrilla tumour cells \u2013 Prof. Rolf Bjerkvig","author":"Joanna Roberts","date":"February 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Professor Rolf Bjerkvig, a specialist in brain cancer research,\u00a0tells us why\u00a0guerrilla cells make\u00a0the disease so hard to treat. Brain tumours are hard to treat completely with surgery because they leave behind cells that invade the brain. In this video, which covers 72 hours, you can see cells breaking off from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Brain tumours contain many different types of cells, here stained different colours, which makes them complex to treat.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/vlcsnap-2019-02-04-10h27m45s762.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/vlcsnap-2019-02-04-10h27m45s762.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/vlcsnap-2019-02-04-10h27m45s762.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/vlcsnap-2019-02-04-10h27m45s762.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/vlcsnap-2019-02-04-10h27m45s762.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1045,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1045\/nanovehicles-that-mimic-nature-could-deliver-treatments-of-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":325,"position":5},"title":"Nanovehicles that mimic nature could deliver treatments of the future","author":"Richard Gray","date":"November 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Tiny vehicles up to 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair that are cloaked in biological camouflage could provide new ways of treating cancer with fewer side-effects. Over billions of years nature has perfected ingenious ways for biological cells to move around their environment and harmlessly transport\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"This micro-swimmer encased in a soft hydrogel-like material has fins that are mobile and can expand and contract when stimulated. Such structures could in the future be used to deliver treatments inside the human body. Image credit - Dr Florea (TBC)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/11\/Image2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/11\/Image2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/11\/Image2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/11\/Image2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/316"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}