Relestina Simon Lopes

Circulating cell-free chromatin particles trigger a biphasic STING signaling program linking cell death to DNA damage and sterile inflammation, contributing to aging, cancer, and inflammatory diseases.

The paper shows that apoptosis releases non-coding DNA (ncDNA) containing horizontally transferred DNA-protein complexes from various species, revealing human evolutionary heritage in ncDNA.

The paper shows that cell-free chromatin particles from cancer patients can transform mouse fibroblasts into cancer stem cells capable of forming tumors and expressing germline markers.

The paper shows that cell-free chromatin particles cause genomic DNA damage in an ROS-independent manner, suggesting new therapeutic targets for aging and degenerative diseases.