NIDCR News 2020

An NIDCR-supported study uncovered a new role for nerves in oral cancer progression. Tumors send messages that transform neurons into cancer-promoting agents; targeting this crosstalk could lead to more effective cancer treatments.

Whether it’s saliva, insulin, or sweat, we rely on our secretions. It matters that just the right amounts of just the right proteins go where they should. Secretory failures lead to diseases, including dry mouth disorders.

NIDCR scientists’ discovery of a new type of cellular machinery may shed light on how organs such as salivary glands form during development and how they’re sometimes breached by cancer in adulthood.