News Health & Medicine

Cancer uses mitochondria to reprogram neighboring cells

Powerhouses of cancer cells infiltrate fibroblasts, fueling growth and altering gene activity

Cancer cells connect to neighboring cells via a skinny green tube.

Mitochondria (red) travel from cancer cells (left side of image) down a threadlike tube (center) to connective tissue cells called fibroblasts (right side of image).

Michael Cangkrama, Sabine Werner

By Meghan Rosen

Cancer cells can brainwash their neighbors.

Like the CIA deploying secret agents to turn an enemy, tumors use a similar strategy to manipulate nearby cells.