Thugs in the Cellular Neighborhood – Life Sciences | Weizmann Wonder Wander

Bullying, unfortunately, can be contagious. This applies not only at school or on the playground but also in the cellular neighborhood. That’s why in a new study, a team of researchers headed by Dr. Ruth Scherz-Shouval of the Weizmann Institute of Science focused not only on the cancer cells’ “bullying” behavior but also on its deleterious effects on the cells in the tumor’s surrounding microenvironment. These nonmalignant cells can help the body fight cancer, but sometimes they actually undermine this fight, becoming collaborators of the cancer cells. In the study, the…