Scientists have discovered that injured cells can literally “vomit” their internal machinery to accelerate healing, but this revolutionary process may also inadvertently fuel cancer development.
Story Highlights
- Researchers discovered “cathartocytosis” – a process where injured cells rapidly eject internal components to become stem cell-like
- This cellular “vomiting” bypasses slower traditional healing methods, offering potential for revolutionary medical treatments
- The same process that accelerates healing may promote chronic inflammation and increase cancer risk
- Published findings challenge decades of assumptions about how cellular repair mechanisms function
Groundbreaking Discovery Reveals Cellular “Shortcut” to Healing
Washington University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine researchers have identified cathartocytosis, a previously unknown cellular process where injured cells rapidly expel large portions of their internal machinery through membrane-bound cavities. This “cellular vomiting” allows cells to quickly transform into a stem cell-like state, dramatically accelerating tissue regeneration. The discovery fundamentally challenges traditional understanding that cellular repair depends solely on slow, internal lysosome-mediated processes.
Cells “vomit” waste in a hidden healing shortcut that could also fuel cancer https://t.co/BF2uSsEbB2
— Zicutake USA Comment (@Zicutake) August 30, 2025
Revolutionary Mechanism Bypasses Traditional Cellular Repair
Dr. Jeffrey Brown, the study’s first author, describes cathartocytosis as “a quick way of getting rid of that machinery so it can rapidly become a small, primitive cell capable of proliferating and repairing the injury.” Unlike conventional cellular cleanup that relies on lysosomes digesting damaged components internally, this newly discovered process externally ejects cellular waste. The researchers observed this mechanism specifically in mouse gastric epithelial cells during stomach injury recovery.
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Healing Innovation Carries Concerning Cancer Risk
While cathartocytosis offers promising therapeutic potential, senior researcher Dr. Jason Mills warns that paligenosis is “a risky process, especially now that we’ve identified the potentially inflammatory downsizing of cathartocytosis within it.” The rapid cellular transformation process may promote chronic inflammation when dysregulated or repeated excessively. This inflammatory response could create conditions favorable to cancer development, turning a healing mechanism into a potential disease accelerator.
Medical Applications Face Safety Concerns
The discovery opens possibilities for regenerative medicine treatments that could harness cathartocytosis to enhance healing from injuries, inflammatory diseases, and degenerative conditions. However, the dual nature of this process demands extreme caution before clinical applications. Researchers emphasize that manipulating such a disruptive cellular mechanism requires thorough understanding of its risks, particularly regarding cancer promotion and uncontrolled inflammation.
Published in Cell Reports, this research represents years of investigation into paligenosis, the broader process by which mature cells revert to stem cell-like states. The identification of cathartocytosis as a distinct component within paligenosis provides crucial insights into cellular reprogramming mechanisms, though questions remain about its prevalence in tissues beyond the stomach and its full implications for human health.
Sources:
Cells eject waste to aid healing, mouse study finds – Bioengineer.org
Study reveals new cellular cleansing process enhances healing in injured cells but carries cancer risks – SSB Crack
Cells ‘vomit’ waste in a hidden healing shortcut that could also fuel cancer – ScienceDaily
Cells ‘vomit’ waste to speed up healing in our body – Earth.com
Cathartocytosis drives rapid cellular reprogramming in injured tissues – PubMed
