Kirsten D. Mertz

Charting the liver and lung metastatic niche in breast cancer

The paper identifies differences in liver and lung metastatic niches in breast cancer, showing liver promotes metastasis while lungs inhibit it, and highlights BMP2-producing endothelial cells in the liver as key players.

Persistent Staphylococcus aureus in human musculoskeletal tissues despite targeted antibiotic therapy

This study shows S. aureus persists in musculoskeletal tissues despite antibiotic therapy, with residual bacteria capable of causing relapse.

ECM-free patient-derived organoids preserve diverse prostate cancer lineages and uncover in vitro-enriched cell types

This study develops an ECM-free culture system for prostate cancer organoids, revealing diverse tumor lineages and identifying in vitro-enriched cell types through single-cell RNA sequencing.

CD39 defines a cytotoxic tumor-associated NK cell state responsive to NKG2A blockade in lung cancer

The paper identifies CD39+ tumor-associated NK cells as a cytotoxic effector state in NSCLC responsive to NKG2A blockade through multiomic analysis.