Cuproptosis: an emerging member of the immunogenic cell death family

Abstract

Cell death was long considered the terminal consequence of cellular stress or damage, and distinct cell death modalities were classified according to their molecular execution mechanisms rather than their immunological impact [ 1 , 2 ]. This reductionist view has progressively been abandoned. Indeed, cell death is not merely a passive endpoint but can actively shape immune responses and thereby determine the therapeutic success of anticancer interventions. This concept led to the definition of immunogenic cell death (ICD), a process in which dying cancer cells release damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that alert and activate the immune system, effectively turning dying tumor cells into an endogenous vaccine [ 3 ]. Hence, elucidating the molecular determinants that confer immunogenicity upon dying cells has emerged as a major challenge in cancer biology and immunotherapy [ 4 , 5 ].