Cells that cheat Death: New clue to why some cancers return

Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science have uncovered a cellular mechanism that could deepen understanding of tissue regeneration while offering clues to why some cancers return after treatment. Published in Nature Communications, the study identified a population of cells that begins the process of programmed cell death but survives to help rebuild severely damaged tissue. Named DARE cells, they multiplied rapidly and replenished nearly half of the damaged tissue within 48 hours in experiments involving fruit fly larvae. The discovery sheds light on compensatory proliferation, a biological process in which surviving cells multiply to replace those lost through injury. However, the same survival mechanism could potentially enable cancer cells to withstand treatment. Apoptosis, commonly known as programmed cell death, helps the body eliminate damaged, ageing and unwanted cells. Caspases, a group of enzymes, initiate and execute the process. Research led by Prof.