UAS-GFP ovary. Credit: Journal of Cell Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202507096"> UAS-GFP ovary. Credit: Journal of Cell Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202507096" width="800" height="397"> Egg chambers from c306-Gal4>UAS-GFP ovary. Credit: Journal of Cell Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202507096 One of the biggest challenges in cancer research is understanding why some tumor cells become especially aggressive, invasive and resistant to treatment. Scientists have increasingly linked these dangerous traits to polyploid cancer cells—cells with extra sets of chromosomes—but exactly how those extra chromosomes help tumors spread has remained unclear. Stress response fuels tumor spread A new study from Tulane University offers a possible answer. Researchers found that when animal cells gain extra chromosomes, they activate a cellular stress response that makes the cells more mobile and more likely to engulf neighboring cells.…