Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Filtered by: Cell & Molecular Biology
Gasdermin E mediating lysosome-pore formation curbs pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma via IFN-γ/IFN-β/TGF-β cocktail mRNA-LNP
Our study is the first to identify GSDME-mediated, lysosome-dependent cell death, revealing a novel lysosome-targeted killing mechanism co-regulated by three cytokines. Combined with the LNP system for PDAC targeting provide a new therapeutic direction.
Published in Cellular & Molecular Immunology
Stem cells in organogenesis and regeneration
Stem cells drive organogenesis and regeneration by supplying specialized cells for development, tissue maintenance, and repair. This overview highlights major stem cell types, their sources, and key stages of organ formation governed by stem cell activity.
How an ancient autophagy pathway shaped glycogen-based energy strategies in animals
By integrating molecular evolution with autophagy function, our Communications Biology study reveals how protein structural evolution shapes clade-specific diversification in glycogen utilization, offering new mechanistic insight into the evolutionary dynamics of energy metabolism.
Making cells bigger to see what was previously invisible
How signals move inside living cells has been hard to see because cells are small and signals propagate fast. We enlarged Dictyostelium cells by blocking division without harming function, enabling direct visualization of front–rear cAMP and calcium signal flow in single living cells.
Single cell proteomics of human neutrophils in glioblastoma
Neutrophils infiltrate glioblastomas with the capacity to engage pro/anti tumoural responses. Here we developed single cell proteomic workflows to stratify neutrophil heterogeneity by function. This work provides a platform to study neutrophil proteomes with single cell resolution in glioblastoma.
Host Cell Metabolism Goes Viral: Unveiling How HEV Hijacks Your Cells
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute and chronic hepatitis, with severity depending on the viral genotype. HEV-1 infection can be particularly severe during pregnancy, whereas HEV-3 is typically mild, except in elderly or immunocompromised individuals.
Why We Wrote About Chronic Stress, Mitochondria, and Bioenergetic Debt
Aging research has long acknowledged that chronic stress, mitochondria, and telomeres are tightly linked, yet it remains unclear why these systems fail together in humans—and why this failure begins so early, before overt disease or irreversible damage. This question motivated our review.
Advances in microbial enzyme technology for food processing strategies and applications
In this Behind the Paper post, I’d like to share the story behind the science—the challenges we faced, why this work matters, how it might shape future food systems, and a few personal reflections from the research journey.