Cancer cells steal mitochondria from nerve cells fueling their spread

Cancer neuroscience is a relatively new field and explores how nerves that supply or 'innervate' our organs to help them function properly can significantly contribute to the disease mechanisms of cancers in those organs. A recent study published in Nature, led by Assistant Prof. Simon Grelet and Prof. Gustavo Ayala at the University of South Alabama, has significantly expanded our understanding of how nerve cells (neurons) contribute to these processes. In their exciting study, Hoover et al. show that cancer cells can siphon mitochondria from adjacent neurons by forming tube-like connections called tunnelling nanotubules between themselves and neurons. They essentially steal the energy-making parts of the neurons and use the extra energy to increase their ability to 'metastasize', that is, to move to different parts of the body. This is a significant finding because once cancer spreads and forms new tumors in other organs, it becomes much harder to treat successfully. Therefore, developing therapies that stop this mitochondrial neuron-cancer cell transfer may prevent cancer spread and improve treatment outcomes for patients.

Study: Hoover, G., Gilbert, S., Curley, O. et al. Nerve-to-cancer transfer of mitochondria during cancer metastasis. Nature (2025).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09176-8