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    Stem cells : nature.com subject feeds

    A fistful of iron: ferritin as a vulnerability point of the brain cancers

    April 03, 2026
    All Feeds / Stem cells : nature.com subject feeds / A fistful of iron: ferritin as a vulnerability point of the brain cancers
    April 03, 2026 Stem cells : nature.com subject feeds
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    Subjects

    • Cancer stem cells
    • CNS cancer

    Abstract

    Iron metabolism is increasingly recognized as a key player in the development and progression of various cancers. Iron is required for vital cellular processes such as energy production; however, it can also interact with reactive oxygen species to cause cellular toxicity. Consequently, a host of proteins coordinate iron homeostasis, and ferritin stands out as a promising therapeutic target due to its pivotal role in buffering cellular iron levels. This review explores the relevance of ferritin in brain cancers, shedding light on how it influences the biology of both tumor cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs), a population of tumor cells that is notable in their resistance to conventional treatment strategies. Ferritin plays a critical role in protecting against oxidative stress and boosting resistance to ferroptosis, a form of cell death often evaded by CSCs. Development of cutting-edge strategies designed to target ferritin, including ferritinophagy-inducing compounds and novel redox-based therapies that can capitalize on the iron dependency of CSCs is discussed in context. We propose that the iron addiction of brain cancer cells provides a specific susceptibility, whereby removing their iron buffering mechanism via targeting of ferritin can result in favorable treatment outcomes, including the induction of iron-dependent cell death. Future studies on the modulation of ferritin offer a ground-breaking therapeutic strategy to undermine CSC-driven tumor growth, overcome resistance to conventional therapies, and ultimately improve treatment outcomes for patients battling brain cancers.

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    Acknowledgements

    This work was fully supported by the Government of Monaco, including a PhD thesis (FS).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Medical Biology Department, Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), 98000 Monaco, Monaco

      Fabien Segui, Milica Vucetic & Vincent Picco

    2. Biology Department, School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), Camosun College, Victoria, BC, Canada

      Scott Kenneth Parks

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    Contributions

    Conception and design: M. Vucetic, V. Picco, and F. Segui. Writing, review, and/or revision of the manuscript: M. Vucetic, V. Picco, F. Segui, and S.K. Parks. Study supervision: M. Vucetic and V. Picco.

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    Segui, F., Parks, S.K., Vucetic, M. et al. A fistful of iron: ferritin as a vulnerability point of the brain cancers. Cell Death Dis (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-026-08564-w

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    • Received: 31 July 2025

    • Revised: 26 January 2026

    • Accepted: 06 March 2026

    • Published: 03 April 2026

    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-026-08564-w

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