Feeling the tension: Engineered stem cells convert tumor stiffness into a drug target.

Jiang, Peihang; Cheng, Ke · Cell Stem Cell · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Radiopharmaceutical theranostics remains constrained by tumors lacking a validated molecular target. Yang et al.<sup>1</sup> engineer mesenchymal stem cells that sense tumor stiffness and respond by manufacturing a synthetic target in situ, making PET imaging and radionuclide therapy possible with existing clinical radioligands in tumors that were previously untargetable.

Medical subject headings