Metabolic vulnerability identified in small cell lung cancer

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Researchers at the University of Cologne found that small cell lung cancer cells depend on cysteine but respond differently when deprived of it. Some undergo ferroptosis, while others die through apoptosis, revealing a potential metabolic vulnerability in the cancer.

Researchers at the University of Cologne have demonstrated that, while various cellular states of small cell lung cancer are equally dependent on the amino acid cysteine, they react differently when deprived of it. While some cancer cells subsequently die via ferroptosis—a form of cell death in which harmful oxidized fats accumulate in the cell membranes—others undergo apoptosis, a controlled, programmed form of cell death.