Scientists at MIT have reported new evidence that the makeup of a cell’s membrane can directly influence cancer growth, adding weight to the idea that lipids do more than provide structural support. In a study published in eLife and reported on 17 April 2026, the team found that changing membrane composition can alter the activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR, a protein linked to cell proliferation.
The researchers said that when negatively charged lipids rise well above normal levels, EGFR can become locked in an active state even without its usual signal. According to the report, most healthy membranes contain about 15 percent negatively charged lipids, and membranes in the 15 to 30 percent range behaved normally. But when that level reached 60 percent, the receptor stayed switched on and continuously triggered growth signaling.
That finding matters because EGFR is known to be overexpressed in some cancers, including lung cancer and glioblastoma. The study suggests that the membrane environment itself may help explain why certain cancer cells become highly proliferative and divide uncontrollably. The authors also reported that higher cholesterol made the membrane more rigid and reduced EGFR signaling, pointing to a second possible way membrane chemistry could shape cell behavior.
Why membrane lipids may matter more than previously thought
To test the receptor’s behavior, the MIT team used nanodiscs, which mimic cell membranes and allow scientists to study membrane proteins in a controlled setting. They paired this with single molecule FRET, a technique that tracks changes in the shape of proteins by measuring the distance between fluorescent labels. Using these methods, the researchers were able to observe how EGFR shifts between inactive and active forms under different membrane conditions.
Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, the senior author of the study, said the work challenges the long-standing view that membranes serve mainly as scaffolds. The findings, she said, raise the possibility of new treatment strategies that would neutralize the membrane’s negative charge and potentially reduce EGFR-driven signaling. The study’s lead author was Shwetha Srinivasan, with additional authors from MIT, and the work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and MIT’s Department of Chemistry.
Potential implications for future cancer therapies
While the research is still at an early stage, it points to a broader shift in how scientists may think about cancer biology. Rather than focusing only on receptors and mutations, the study highlights the surrounding membrane as an active part of the signaling system. That could open a path toward therapies aimed at the lipid environment of tumor cells, rather than the receptor alone.
The work appeared in eLife on 17 April 2026 and was based on research from MIT chemists. For now, the findings offer a fresh explanation for how cancer cells may sustain growth signals, and why membrane composition could become a useful target in future drug development. Source article
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