How cancer cells makes healthy cells work for them

Cancer cells manipulate neighbouring cells for their own purposes. A research team at the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich has discovered that they can reprogram neighbouring cells to help the tumour grow. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "The cancer cells actually utilise a mechanism that is advantageous for injuries for their own purposes. This allows them to grow into a malignant tumour," explained study leader Sabine Werner in a press release issued by ETH Zurich on Friday. Skin cancer cells pass on their "energy power plants" – the mitochondria – to healthy cells. These then begin to produce more energy and growth substances that allow the tumour to grow faster. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature Cancer. + When diagnosing a disease does more harm than good It was already known that cells can exchange mitochondria via such connections. However, this mechanism is normally used for healing. For example, it has been ...