This study identifies senescent fibroblasts in lung cancer stroma that alter tumor metabolism and plasticity, and shows that targeting these cells with XL888 reduces tumor burden.

Cell stem cell · Nov 3, 2025Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Fibroblast orchestration of inflammaging via NF-kB activation

Nancy C. Allen, Christian Ringler, Jin Young Lee, Nabora S. Reyes, Ritusree Biswas, Sofia E. Caryotakis, Mélia Magnen, Pedro Ruivo, Vincent C. Auyeung, Mark R. Looney, Averil I. Ma, Ari B. Molofsky, Tien Peng

This study shows that aged fibroblasts activate NF-kB, leading to immune changes like exhausted T cells, autoimmunity, and cancer, increasing susceptibility to age-related diseases.

bioRxiv · Oct 1, 2025 · PreprintImmunology

Identification of Meibomian gland stem cell populations and mechanisms of aging

Xuming Zhu, Mingang Xu, Céline Portal, Yvonne G. Lin, Alyssa Ferdinand, Tien Peng, Edward E. Morrisey, Andrzej Antoni Dlugosz, Joseph M. Castellano, Vivian Lee, John T. Seykora, Sunny Y. Wong, Carlo Iomini, Sarah E. Millar

The paper identifies Meibomian gland stem cell populations and mechanisms of aging using mouse models and finds Hh signaling regulates stem cell proliferation, with decreased Hh and EGF signaling in aged glands.

Nature Communications · Feb 15, 2025Peer-reviewedCell Biology

Comprehensive characterization of the transcriptional response to COVID-19 in multiple organs reveals shared signatures across tissues

Alejandro A. Granados, Simon Bucher, Aditi Agrawal, Hanbing Song, Ann T. Chen, Tien Peng, Norma F Neff, Angela Oliveira Pisco, Franklin W. Huang, Bruce Wang

The paper characterizes the transcriptional response to COVID-19 across multiple organs using single-nuclei RNA sequencing, identifying shared transcriptional signatures in endothelial cells and macrophages.

eLife · Aug 7, 2023Peer-reviewedGenomics