Opposing oncogenic and tumor-suppressive forces establish a progenitor-like state that builds a self-reinforcing niche to drive benign-to-malignant transition in pancreatic cancer models. Disruption of p53 activity or KRAS inhibits malignancy by collapsing the niche.

Nature, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10377-y

A human spatial atlas of gene expression in liver based on live donors shows marked porto–central zonation of hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells, and transcriptomic changes in early steatosis.

Synergizing with senescence-inducing therapies, uPAR CAR T cells eradicate primary and metastatic solid tumors with minimal myelodepletion by targeting both tumor cells and the stroma in preclinical models.

MicrobeAtlas (www.microbeatlas.org) is an integrated, reference-based resource for truly planet-wide microbiomics, analyzing hundreds of thousands of microbial lineages across diverse environments, conditions, and technologies.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 25 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04299-5

Results of the phase 2 POLAR trial show that biomarker-guided treatment in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer based on homologous repair deficiency leads to encouraging clinical response rates in immune cell-infiltrated tumors.

Nature, Published online: 06 March 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-00526-8

Disaggregating data by sex is a powerful way to help develop better diagnostics and treatments for women — but researchers say it’s not used enough.