We Thought This Cell Death Phenomenon Was Irreversible, But We Were Wrong - ScienceAlert

Pyroptosis, a type of programmed cell death related to infection and an inflammation response, can actually be stopped and managed, according to new research – whereas it was previously thought that the process was irreversible once it gets going.

"Our optogenetic gasdermin allowed us to skip over the unpredictable pathogen behavior and the variable cellular response because it mimics at the molecular level what happens in the cell once pyroptosis is initiated," says Mo.

An improved knowledge of how cell death works – and pyroptosis is one of the major types – could lead to improved treatments as well, if we're able to find ways of controlling which cells are getting killed off and when.