tumour cells

Overview

Tumour cells are malignant cells that arise through oncogenic transformation and acquire the capacity for uncontrolled proliferation, survival under stress, invasion, and, in many cancers, dissemination to distant sites. In biomedical research, the term is often used broadly to refer to cancer cells within a primary tumour or metastatic lesion, including heterogeneous malignant subpopulations that interact with stromal and immune components of the tumour microenvironment.

From a therapeutic perspective, tumour cells are a central target in oncology because many treatment strategies aim to selectively damage or eliminate them while sparing normal tissues. Recent work has focused on exploiting tumour-cell vulnerabilities such as altered metabolism, oxidative stress handling, surface antigen expression, and susceptibility to immune-mediated killing. These studies also emphasize that tumour cells do not act in isolation: their behavior is shaped by cancer-associated fibroblasts, macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, and signaling axes such as PD-1/PD-L1, STAT1, JAK2/STAT3, and Nrf2/GPX4.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications have focused on tumour cells as direct targets for multimodal therapeutic strategies designed to improve selectivity, intracellular delivery, and treatment synergy. Several studies used nanoplatforms to enhance tumour-cell killing through coordinated physical and chemical mechanisms, including photodynamic-thermodynamic therapy with indocyanine green and Cu(II)-based coordination polymer nanoparticles, microwave sensitization with nitric oxide-releasing biomimetic nanoparticles, and bimetallic MOF nanozymes that promoted apoptosis and ferroptosis. Across these reports, tumour cells were exposed to combinations of reactive oxygen species, hydroxyl radical generation, glutathione depletion, and thermal or oxidative injury, with the aim of overcoming the limitations of single-modality treatment.

A recurring theme was improving tumour-cell targeting and intracellular accumulation. One study developed magnetic, enzyme-driven maleoyl-chitosan nanogels for melanoma therapy, reporting enhanced mobility, tissue penetration, and strong cytotoxicity against cancer cells while reducing toxicity to fibroblasts. Another engineered magnetic extracellular vesicle-liposome hybrids, showing that magnetic guidance increased uptake by cancer cells while preserving vesicle markers and integrity. In a separate approach, activated platelet-based lysosome-targeting chimeras were designed to adhere to the tumour cytomembrane, internalize into cells, and drive lysosomal degradation of targeted proteins such as Programmed Death-Ligand 1, demonstrating efficient degradation in vitro and in vivo.

Other studies investigated tumour-cell responses within the tumour microenvironment and immune context. Electroactive bacteria-activated nanozymes were used to retain within tumours, convert tumour lactate, and amplify chemodynamic therapy by generating cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals and reducing oxidative stress resistance through downregulation of Nrf2. A related microwave ablation sensitizer combined cancer cell-cancer-associated fibroblast membrane targeting with nitric oxide delivery to enhance heat and mass transfer, disrupt fibroblast-mediated immunosuppression, and induce tumour-cell apoptosis and immunogenic cell death. In addition, a uPAR-directed CAR T cell strategy showed that tumour cells in solid tumours could be eliminated together with their stromal support, producing durable regressions and metastasis eradication across diverse models.

Broader mechanistic and systems-level work also addressed tumour-cell regulation. Microbiota-derived metabolites were described as modulators of anti-tumour immunity that can directly target tumour cells and influence immunotherapy response. A mathematical model of IL-6-mediated interactions between natural killer cells and tumour cells suggested that, under fixed exercise volume, increased exercise frequency may reduce tumour suppression efficacy. Collectively, these publications highlight tumour cells as targets for therapies that combine targeted delivery, catalytic stress amplification, immune modulation, and microenvironment remodeling.

Key Publications

NEWJun Photoelectric Therapy Needle-Combined ICG-Cu(II)-AIBI Infinite Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles for Free Radical Spatiotemporal-Matched Photodynamic-Thermodynamic Tumor Synergistic Therapy. (ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2026, PMID 42295973): "The PTN enables precise codelivery of laser irradiation and electric current to the tumor core, achieving spatial overlap of photodynamic and electrothermal activation and free radical generation."
Jun Engineered maleoyl-chitosan grafted with oligopeptides nanogels with dual-mode mobility toward melanoma therapy. (International journal of biological macromolecules, 2026, PMID 42229647): "DTIC-loaded nanogels demonstrated strong cytotoxicity against cancer cells while reducing toxicity to fibroblasts."
Jun In Situ Electroactive Bacteria-Activated Nanozyme for Amplifying Chemodynamic Therapy of Solid Tumors. (Nano letters, 2026, PMID 42170851): "...to catalyze the intratumoral H2O2 into cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals and kill tumor cells."
Jun "Artificial platelet injection system": a plug-and-play platelet-based lysosome-targeting chimera for targeted protein degradation. (Bioactive materials, 2026, PMID 42100675): "Isolated activated platelets have been found to target and be engulfed by tumor cells, raising the possibility of being harnessed for intracellular payload injection."
May Merging Biological and Synthetic Nanoplatforms: Magnetic Engineering of Extracellular Vesicles via Liposome Fusion. (Nano letters, 2026, PMID 42053349): "Functionally, magnetic guidance enhances hybrid uptake by cancer cells, combining biological tropism with external targeting."
May How exercise scheduling affects IL-6-mediated tumor suppression: a fixed exercise volume perspective. (Physical biology, 2026, PMID 42049052): "Using a mathematical model of IL-6-mediated interactions between natural killer cells and tumor cells, here we explore how different combinations of exercise and rest intervals-while maintaining a constant overall exercise volume-affect tumor suppression."
Apr Microbiota-derived metabolites as modulators of cancer immunotherapy response. (Nature communications, 2026, PMID 42014741): "These microbiota-derived metabolites can modulate both the innate and adaptive immune system, as well as directly target tumour cells, thereby regulating anti-tumour immunity and response to immunotherapy."
Jun Targeted microwave sensitizers reprogram cancer-associated fibroblasts via nitric oxide delivery to potentiate hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. (Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society, 2026, PMID 41936879): "...thereby facilitating the complete eradication of tumor cells."
May A convergent uPAR-positive tumor ecosystem creates broad vulnerability to CAR T cell therapy. (Cell, 2026, PMID 41916312): "Human uPAR CAR T cells eliminate tumor cells and their stromal support, induce durable regressions across diverse models, eradicate systemic metastases, and are potentiated by senescence-inducing therapies."
Feb A multifunctional bimetallic MOF nanozyme orchestrating ferroptosis-apoptosis synergy for enhanced gastric tumor immunotherapy. (Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2026, PMID 41763117): "which alleviated hypoxia and induced apoptosis and ferroptosis in the tumor cells."