This study shows cyclin B3-CDK1/2 drives mitotic progression and fidelity in cancer cells, with overexpression accelerating mitosis and depletion disrupting it in multiple cancer models.

bioRxiv · Sep 28, 2026 · PreprintCancer Biology

USP7 inhibition perturbs proteostasis and tumorigenesis in triple negative breast cancer

Ahhyun Kim, Priya Gopalakrishnan, Marina Suarez-Pizarro, Claire C. Chen, Xianxi Wang, Sydney M. McCoy, Nikita Umesh, Angie L. Mordant, Natalie K. Barker, Laura E. Herring, Rasha T. Kakati, Philip M. Spanheimer, Michael J. Emanuele, Claudia A. Benavente

This study shows USP7 inhibition disrupts proteostasis and tumor growth in triple negative breast cancer by stabilizing E3 ubiquitin ligases and affecting DNA repair pathways.

npj Breast Cancer · May 23, 2026Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

UHRF1 is critical for tumor-promoting inflammation and tumorigenesis in retinoblastoma

Yijun Gu, Marina Suarez-Pizarro, Claire C. Chen, Jie Wu, Loredana Zocchi, Susie Suh, Parker J. Smith, Sylvia M. Cruz, Roberto Tinoco, Claudia A. Benavente

This study shows that UHRF1 is essential for retinoblastoma progression by promoting oncogenic transcription, chromatin accessibility, and immune microenvironment shaping, but not tumor initiation.

bioRxiv · Mar 2, 2025 · PreprintCancer Biology

Single cell transcriptomics of human epidermis reveals basal stem cell transition states

Shuxiong Wang, Michael L. Drummond, Christian Fernando Guerrero‐Juarez, Eric Tarapore, Adam L. MacLean, Adam R. Stabell, Stephanie Wu, Guadalupe Gutierrez, Bao T. That, Claudia A. Benavente, Qing Hua Nie, Scott X. Atwood

The paper uses single-cell RNA sequencing to identify spatially distinct basal stem cell populations in human epidermis and shows their role in maintaining epidermal homeostasis through signaling and differentiation.

Nature Communications · Aug 25, 2020Peer-reviewedSystems Biology