Quiescent or Senescent? Cancer Center Research Helps Identify Cancer That is More Likely to Recur

Jessica Helzer — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:27:53 +0000

Quiescent or Senescent? Cancer Center Research Helps Identify Cancer That is More Likely to Recur Jessica Helzer Mon, 02/16/2026 - 06:27

Associate professor Sabrina Spencer, PhD, and PhD candidate Brianna Fernandez led the study published in Nature Communications.

In a study that could have implications for more effective cancer therapies and preventing cancer recurrence, University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center member Sabrina Spencer, PhD, working with graduate student Brianna Fernandez, used single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the cell-cycle state of cells following chemotherapy.

Specifically, the researchers were looking to characterize cells in one of two arrested states: quiescence, a reversible state of cell-cycle arrest, and senescence, an irreversible state of cell-cycle arrest. Their research was published in January 2026 in the journal Nature Communications.

The Department of Biochemistry at 91��ý looks forward to the ongoing Spencer/Fernandez research and what the duo will continue to discover.

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Associate professor Sabrina Spencer, PhD, and PhD candidate Brianna Fernandez

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