Scientists at Texas A&M Health have uncovered how a rare and aggressive childhood kidney cancer, translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC), hijacks RNA to fuel its growth—and how to stop it.
Published in Nature Communications, the study shows that instead of serving as a simple messenger, RNA acts as a builder, assembling “droplet hubs” inside cancer cells. These hubs become control centers that switch on tumor-promoting genes. The cancer, driven by TFE3 gene fusions, uses these RNA-built structures to accelerate its spread.
To counter this, researchers designed a molecular “off switch,” a nanobody-based tool that dissolves the droplets on command, halting tumor growth in both lab cells and mouse models.
“This gives us a completely new way to target cancers like tRCC,” said lead author Dr. Yun Huang. The breakthrough could pave the way for precision treatments against other pediatric cancers driven by similar fusion proteins.
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