Insider Brief
Columbia researchers found that cancer cells may resemble quantum systems by occupying a limited number of stable biological states despite their many possible mutations.
Researchers identified six recurring cell states in pancreatic cancer and seven in diffuse midline glioma, a rare pediatric brain cancer.
The findings suggest that drug combinations targeting every cancer-cell state could work across many patients, although the approach still requires clinical testing.
Cancer cells may behave in a way that resembles one of the defining rules of quantum physics, occupying only a limited number of stable states rather than an unlimited range of biological forms, according to Columbia University researchers.
