This study, by Nicola Aceto's team in Zurich, illustrates a great approach to better understand the role of metastasis in cancer-related death. Compared to individual circulating tumor cells (CTCs), CTC clusters demonstrate higher metastatic potential and thus significant impact on cancer progression. In this publication, the effect of Na+/K+ ATPase digoxin was evaluated in a proof-of-concept study in women with metastatic breast cancer. Results showed CTC cluster size reduction, while CTC transcriptome profiling revealed downregulation of specific genes upon treatment with digoxin. 

Learn more about the Illumina portfolio for analyzing liquid biopsy samples.

This publication represents an enormous collaborative effort to generate an integrated multi-organ human vascular cell atlas. From 19 organs and tissues, the research teams were able to identify 42 vascular populations with shared and tissue-specific features. The research teams created a comprehensive open-access vascular cell atlas to serve as a valuable resource for understanding vascular cell diversity, functional roles, and implications in diseases which can inform future studies and therapeutic targeting in various vascular-related disorders.

Watch Ana-Maria Cujba (Wellcome Sanger Institute) presentation on Human Cell Atlas.

Researchers from University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, together with their collaborators, investigated the potential of using comprehensive host-microbe multiomic analyses from mucosal biopsies to predict relapse in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). By integrating various omics data from host (transcriptomics and methylation analysis) and gut microbiome (16S profiling and gene expression patterns), they aimed to identify biomarkers or signatures that may enhance personalized treatment strategies and improve disease management for IBD patients.

Learn about Illumina Infinium® HumanMethylation EPIC array.