Cross-cohort multi-omics analysis identifies novel clusters driven by EMT signatures in colorectal cancer.

Summary: Colon cancer is tricky to treat because every tumor is unique. To understand this better, scientists looked closely at over 164,000 individual cells from 70 colon cancer samples. They found a specific group of cells that helps the cancer spread and makes it very hard to treat. Patients with this type of cancer had a lower chance of surviving five years. The researchers discovered that a specific gene called HOXC6 acts like an engine driving this dangerous cancer type. Excitingly, they found that an existing drug, abemaciclib, can block this gene. In lab tests and animal models, the drug successfully shrank the tumors and stopped the cancer from spreading. This discovery could lead to better, more targeted treatments for colon cancer patients in the future.