012-Neurons Drive Cancer Spread Via Mitochondrial Transfer

The paper discusses cancer neuroscience, an emerging field exploring the interplay between neurons and cancer cells. It highlights how neurons can support cancer initiation, growth, migration, and even therapy resistance. A significant discovery, detailed by Hoover et al., reveals that neurons transfer mitochondria to cancer cells, a process that was previously thought to occur in the opposite direction. This mitochondrial transfer metabolically reprograms cancer cells, boosting their energy production, enhancing their "stemness" or self-renewal capabilities, and crucially, increasing their ability to spread throughout the body, making this interaction a potential target for future cancer treatments.

References:

• Hoover G, Gilbert S, Curley O, et al. Nerve-to-cancer transfer of mitochondria during cancer metastasis[J]. Nature, 2025: 1-11.