Here, Editor-in-Chief Michelle Itano (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA) shares her final journal highlights of the year, explaining the significance and key findings of three articles published between October and December. Standardizing caloric restriction for preclinical cancer research Cancer treatment often doesn’t consider a patient’s metabolic function, which can have a significant effect on treatment response. Although caloric restriction has shown potential to improve treatment response via metabolic pathways, there is a translational gap caused by the lack of standardized caloric restriction protocols in preclinical cancer studies. Previous studies have implemented caloric reductions ranging from 25–40% below normal feeding levels, but the methods used to achieve these reductions vary significantly. These inconsistencies in caloric restriction research demonstrate the need for a standardized caloric restriction protocol to ensure reproducibility and improve the reliability of preclinical findings, ultimately strengthening the case for clinical translation. To address this gap, the authors propose a reproducible method that combines intake measurement with gradual weaning and real-time monitoring, features rarely seen in prior models. The authors found that their refinements to existing methods improved reproducibility and reduced physiological stress, resulting in an approach that preserves scientific rigor while maintaining animal welfare standards. Their approach also avoids the negative effects typically associated with caloric restriction diets, ultimately improving preclinical cancer treatment research. Read the full article here Streamlining single-cell spatial transcriptomics for human kidney tissue Single-cell spatial transcriptomics is a key method that allows researchers to map tissue architecture in detail while maintaining information…
