Very grateful for this fantastic N&V from @olzmannlab.bsky.social and Cynthia Harris highlighting our recent work (Mario Palma and colleagues) and complementary work from the great Papagiannakopoulos Lab! 🤩 Check it out!

James Olzmann@olzmannlab.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Happy to see our News & Views is out! We highlight two landmark papers demonstrating the potential for therapeutic targeting of FSP1 and #ferroptosis in in vivo cancer models. Beautiful work from @ubellackerlab.bsky.social, Thales Papagiannakopoulos, and colleagues. 🥳 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

new out in Nature, targeting FSP1 to trigger ferroptosis www.nature.com/articles/s41... www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Targeting FSP1 triggers ferroptosis in lung cancer - Nature

The ferroptosis suppressor protein FSP1 has a critical role in ferroptosis protection of tumours across multiple in vivo models and is linked to worse prognosis in human lung adenocarcinoma, suggestin...

nature.com

Please read more about this publication in this article in the Harvard Newsletter: Triggering cell death in metastatic melanoma may pave the way for new cancer treatments

Triggering cell death in metastatic melanoma may pave the way for new cancer treatments | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

A Harvard Chan School study offers new ways to understand cancer and its vulnerabilities, and suggests that certain protein inhibitors could potentially be effective treatments for the disease.

hsph.harvard.edu

Melanoma cells that spread to lymph nodes depend on FSP1 to survive, revealing a new metabolic vulnerability. New study in Nature by @mariopalma.bsky.social @ubellackerlab.bsky.social and colleagues shows that blocking FSP1 triggers ferroptosis and suppresses tumor growth in lymph node metastases.

Lymph node environment drives FSP1 targetability in metastasizing melanoma - Nature

Targeting FSP1 in lymph nodes has considerable potential for blocking melanoma progression.

nature.com

Excited to share my postdoctoral work, out today in Nature! www.nature.com/articles/s41... We discovered that melanoma cells in lymph nodes gain a targetable FSP1 dependency that limits melanoma progression.

Lymph node environment drives FSP1 targetability in metastasizing melanoma - Nature

Targeting FSP1 in lymph nodes has considerable potential for blocking melanoma progression.

nature.com

Excited to share our work @nature.com! Postdoc @mariopalma.bsky.social, with major contributions from @retickerflynn.bsky.social and collaborators, discovered melanoma cells in lymph nodes gain a targetable FSP1 dependency that limits progression. #TeamFSP1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Excited to share our study out in @natcellbio.nature.com! Led by @mikelangelipid.bsky.social, we identify the first #LipidDroplet lipid quality control pathway: LD-localized FSP1 protects stored lipids from oxidative damage and prevents LD-initiated #ferroptosis. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

FSP1-mediated lipid droplet quality control prevents neutral lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis - Nature Cell Biology

Lange et al. identify a lipid droplet quality control pathway in which FSP1 safeguards stored neutral lipids from lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing the induction of ferroptosis.

nature.com

Excited to share my postdoc work @olzmannlab.bsky.social! We found lipid droplets, the cell’s lipid storage depots, are subject to oxidative damage and are protected by FSP1. Loss of FSP1 triggers droplet peroxidation and cell death, revealing a new layer of lipid quality control! shorturl.at/B5XYD

FSP1-mediated lipid droplet quality control prevents neutral lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis - Nature Cell Biology

Lange et al. identify a lipid droplet quality control pathway in which FSP1 safeguards stored neutral lipids from lipid peroxidation, thereby preventing the induction of ferroptosis.

nature.com

Hot off the presses! Was an honor to team up with Scott Dixon @stanforduniversity.bsky.social on this Nature Cancer review. We reflect on hurdles that have slowed translation of ferroptosis-directed therapies and share ideas on what it will take to bring these therapies to the clinic. rdcu.be/eBbqV

Prospects for ferroptosis therapies in cancer

Nature Cancer - Ubellacker and Dixon summarize the latest discoveries on ferroptosis in cancer, covering the molecular and cellular pathways underlying sensitivity and resistance to this type of...

rdcu.be

Harvard Molecular Metabolism@met-hsph.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Ferroptosis-targeting therapies in cancer have yet to make it to the clinic. New review published today in Nature Cancer by @ubellackerlab.bsky.social and Scott Dixon of Stanford share hurdles and ideas for future strategies to bring these therapies closer to the clinic. Check it out rdcu.be/eBbqV

Fantastic lymph node protocols from @retickerflynn.bsky.social Lab, Cort Breuer, and team. Check it out!

Nathan Reticker-Flynn@retickerflynn.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Interested in studying lymph node metastasis? Check out our protocol by Cort Breuer out today in @natprot.nature.com bsky.app/profile/nat...

Interested in studying lymph node metastasis? Check out our protocol by Cort Breuer out today in @natprot.nature.com bsky.app/profile/nat...

New Article! Spontaneous and experimental models of lymph node metastasis

Spontaneous and experimental models of lymph node metastasis

Nature Protocols, Published online: 13 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41596-025-01200-5We provide two procedures to cover distinct approaches for the initiation of lymph node metastases in mice: one for studying the metastatic cascade in tumorigenic cells and the other for studying the effect of metastatic formations in the host.

bit.ly

Riboflavin metabolism shapes FSP1-driven ferroptosis resistance https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.05.668651v1

Vitamin B2 metabolism promotes FSP1 stability to prevent ferroptosis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.05.668752v1

Join me in Boston October 6th for a 1-day conference on #mappingbiology to transform #cancertherapeutics. Register by September 25th to benefit from the complimentary (free) admission! Topics, speakers, and talk opportunities here: abcam.me/mappingbiolo... @abcamofficial.bsky.social

1/Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are used in preclinical testing of cancer therapies, including metabolic therapies. We determined which metabolic properties are retained, and which are lost, when melanomas from patients are implanted and passaged as PDXs in mice. www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Conservation and divergence of metabolic phenotypes between patient tumours and matched xenografts - Nature Metabolism

Rao and Cai et al. perform a detailed metabolic comparison between primary tumours from patients and their matching xenografts, which identify conserved as well as divergent metabolic patterns.

nature.com

Huge thank you to @olzmannlab.bsky.social and Scott Dixon for a phenomenal 1st FASEB Ferroptosis conference! I’m grateful to be part of such a collaborative community and it was especially great to meet all the brilliant trainees whose insights are clearly shaping the exciting future of the field! 🎉

James Olzmann@olzmannlab.bsky.social · last yr.

The first FASEB Ferroptosis conference! ✔️ Thank you to my co-organizer Scott Dixon, our sponsors, and the whole #Ferroptosis community for showing up and making this such a wonderful meeting! 🤩 ❤️

New preprint w/ the Dupage lab led by @jgcastillo.bsky.social! FSP1 KO in Tregs / Tcells promotes tumor suppression, highlighting the therapeutic value potential of FSP1 inhibition. New paradigm for targeting ferroptosis in immune system (not just in cancer cells). 🤩 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Selective disruption of lipid peroxide homeostasis in intratumoral regulatory T cells by targeting FSP1 enhances cancer immunity

A burgeoning approach to treat cancer is the pharmacological induction of ferroptotic cell death of tumor cells. However, the impact of disrupting anti-ferroptotic pathways in the broader tumor microe...

biorxiv.org

It’s over 100°F in Boston, and though both the weather and funding climates are intense, we took a well-deserved ice cream break to celebrate the progress, and the incredible people past and present, behind it all. Happy 3rd birthday, ULab! 🎉

Thrilled this paper is out! We solved the first cocrystal structure of FSP1 with an inhibitor (FSEN1), providing mechanistic insight & a foundation for medchem. Led by Amalia Megarioti & Sitao Zhang. A terrific collaboration with Da Jia. Brief Skytorial! 1/9

Cocrystal structure reveals the mechanism of FSP1 inhibition by FSEN1 | PNAS

FSP1 is an FAD-dependent oxidoreductase that uses NAD(P)H to regenerate the reduced forms of lipophilic quinone antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q10 ...

pnas.org

Join us next Monday: June 2, 3-4PM off the Harvard Longwood Quad for two great cell death discussions on ferroptosis in breast cancer metastasis from @mariesabatier.bsky.social (Ubellacker Lab) and on thiol-reductive stress from Maolin Ge (Bar-Peled Lab)!

Ubellacker Lab@ubellackerlab.bsky.social · last yr.

Join us June 2, 3-4PM off the Harvard Longwood Quad for two great cell death discussions on ferroptosis in breast cancer metastasis from @mariesabatier.bsky.social (Ubellacker Lab) and on thiol-reductive stress from Maolin Ge (Bar-Peled Lab)

Harvard Chan scientists participate in a rigorous application process for federal grants to conduct their vital health research. The government has now terminated nearly every single one of those grants.

Indeed, our Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute, which funded all research personnel and activities in my modest-sized lab of 5 has been unceremoniously terminated.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health@hsph.harvard.edu · last yr.

Harvard Chan scientists participate in a rigorous application process for federal grants to conduct their vital health research. The government has now terminated nearly every single one of those grants.

Way-to-go Alanis Carmona and Lewis Hendrianto for your incredible posters today at the Landry Cancer Biology Consortium, and shout-out to Alanis on your Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Foundation Rising Young Scientist Award!

Join us June 2, 3-4PM off the Harvard Longwood Quad for two great cell death discussions on ferroptosis in breast cancer metastasis from @mariesabatier.bsky.social (Ubellacker Lab) and on thiol-reductive stress from Maolin Ge (Bar-Peled Lab)

Fantastic visit yesterday from the great Scott Dixon as part of our Cutter Distinguished Lecture on Molecular Metabolism series. An honor to host such an outstanding scientist and mentor to so many in the cell death field!

Excited to see our N&V w/ @mikelangelipid.bsky.social published in Nature, highlighting new work from Raphael Rodriguez and team. A heterofunctional molecule that activates lysosomal iron triggers lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in therapy-resistant cancer cells. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Lipid-degrading small molecule kills cancer cells by ferroptosis

A molecule designed to activate iron locked up in organelles called lysosomes and thereby induce cell death might offer a way to tackle treatment-resistant cancer.

nature.com

and the News & Views www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Lipid-degrading small molecule kills cancer cells by ferroptosis

A molecule designed to activate iron locked up in organelles called lysosomes and thereby induce cell death might offer a way to tackle treatment-resistant cancer.

nature.com

Our team (hsph.harvard.edu/research/ube...) is excited to have contributed to the intranodal in vivo testing of the remarkable new compound, Fentomycin-1. Congrats to team Rodriguez et al. for the implications of this work in targeting ferroptosis in cancer. Check it out here!

Barbara Marte@barbmarte.bsky.social · last yr.

new out in Nature, very cool story www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A reminder that for next month’s BCDI in place of our regular discussion, we encourage you to attend the Cutter Distinguished Lecture @met-hsph.bsky.social by the great Scott Dixon! See you there: Monday May 12, 2025, Kresge Building at HSPH, G1 auditorium, 12:00-1:00pm