Hello Nature readers,
This week, we learn about a new form of cell death that could be exploited in cancer treatments, discover that tighter binding isn’t always ideal for antibodies and hear that people who worked at nuclear-missile facilities have been dying from cancer at a suspiciously early age.

A looser grip makes some antibodies stronger

Immunomodulatory antibodies can be more effective at stimulating the immune system to fight cancer if they bind less tightly. This is a surprising finding because natural antibodies that neutralize infections always have a strong grip on pathogens. Researchers investigated three receptors that are often targeted by cancer immunotherapies and found that loosely binding antibodies were more effective at influencing the behaviour of immune cells. The finding overturns thinking that antibodies should always be engineered to have a tight grip on their targets.

A new form of cell death

A never-before-seen type of cell death called ‘disulfidptosis’ could be exploited to kill resistant cancers. Researchers triggered this type of cell death by starving cancer cells of glucose, which led to a build-up of disulfide molecules that caused the cytoskeleton to collapse. There are several other forms of cell death, but apoptosis is the target of most cancer treatments.

‘Where’ matters as much as ‘what’

The way in which antigens are arranged on nanoparticles affects whether a cancer vaccine triggers an immune response or not. When two classes of antigens were planted on the same spherical nanoparticles, they produced a 30% increase in T-cell activation compared with a nanoparticle with one antigen. “For [cancer] vaccine efficacy, antigen placement may be as critical as antigen choice,” the researchers behind the study write.

Fewer mutations in children than adults

Paediatric tumours have a smaller number of mutations than adult cancers. A whole-genome analysis of 27 paediatric-cancer subtypes found that they contained fewer single-base substitutions and small insertions and deletions than did adult cancers. Understanding the mutational signatures of childhood cancer could help researchers to develop cancer biomarkers.

Put down the bacon

Eating lots of ultra-processed foods — such as junk food, fizzy drinks, frozen meals and packaged cold meats — increases your risk of dying from cancer. A UK study of more than 197,000 people showed that a 10% increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods led to a 2% increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 6% increased risk of dying from cancer. Ultra-processed foods typically contain artificial flavours, salt, sweeteners, fat and preservatives to make them longer lasting, more affordable and tastier. These foods are often marketed as healthy — but they are far from it.

The nuclear-missile personnel with cancer

The US Congress is investigating a concerning number of cancer diagnoses among people who worked at nuclear-missile launch control centres over the past 50 years. Among the cases being investigated is that of Mark Holmes, a former air force officer who died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020, at the age of 37, after working as a ‘missileer’. “He was so healthy,” says his wife, Jenny Holmes. “He was fit. He exercised, ate healthily. He never had any concerns at all.”