September 8, 2026
A new study co-led by MB&B’s own Lilian Kabeche, PhD, with Claudio Alarcón, PhD (Pharmacology), reveals that METTL3—an enzyme best known for tagging RNA—doubles as a key regulator of cell division. The team found that CDK1 activates METTL3 as cells enter mitosis, clearing mRNA from chromosomes so DNA can condense and segregate correctly. Disrupting this switch causes chromosome mis-segregation and aneuploidy—a hallmark of cancer linked to poor prognosis and drug resistance. Since METTL3 inhibitors already exist, the findings point to potential combination therapies for cancer treatment. Read the full story here, and check out the paper in Molecular Cell.