Overview

• Researchers at Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and the University of Glasgow found that reprogrammed immune cells release uracil to prime distant organs for secondary tumor growth.
• In mouse models, inhibiting uridine phosphorylase-1 (UPP1) prevented scaffold formation and restored immune cells’ ability to eliminate migrating cancer cells.
• Ongoing studies are measuring blood uracil levels as a non-invasive biomarker to detect early metastatic activity before secondary tumors emerge.
• The team is exploring how UPP1 alters immune cell behavior and conducting drug screens to identify inhibitors that could translate into anti-metastatic therapies.
• Published in EMBO Reports and funded by leading UK cancer charities, the research shifts the focus toward preventing breast cancer spread rather than treating established metastases.