Cells adjusting stress response could help beat cancer

Cells don’t just follow a set process when stressed—they adjust their response based on the type and severity of the threat.

A new study from Case Western Reserve University, published in Nature on March 26, introduces the “split-integrated stress response” or s-ISR, showing that cells handle stress more flexibly than scientists thought.

It was found that when stressed, cells stop normal functions to repair damage. If stress is too intense, they self-destruct.

Researchers studied a brain disease called Vanishing White Matter Disease and found that some cells struggle even with mild stress. 

This discovery could help explain why diseases like ALS get worse and may lead to better cancer treatments by targeting how cancer cells survive under stress.