Is anyone familiar with this particular subject, the journal, the authors, or their institutions? From a skim, it sounds like solid, sober basic science:

> SDR42E1 modulates vitamin D absorption and cancer pathogenesis: insights from an in vitro model

[If you're unfamiliar - "in vitro" basically means they're doing research with cells in test tubes - so no live animals, and no human subjects. And "SDR42E1" is a particular gene.]

> Nagham Nafiz Hendi,&#x;Nagham Nafiz Hendi1,2†Georges Nemer,&#x;Georges Nemer2,3†

    1Faculty of Pharmacy, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
    2Division of Genomics and Translational Biomedicine, College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
    3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

> Introduction: Vitamin D is a pleiotropic hormone essential for bone health and overall physiological function. Despite its significance, vitamin D deficiency remains widespread and is often influenced by genetic factors.

> Methods: This study investigates the role of SDR42E1, a gene encoding a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase enzyme, in vitamin D regulation and sterol metabolism. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing, we generated an SDR42E1 knock-in model in HCT116 colorectal cells, which exhibit high endogenous SDR42E1 expression, harboring a nonsense variant associated with vitamin D deficiency.

> Results: [...]

> Conclusion: These findings establish SDR42E1 as a key modulator of vitamin D-related pathways and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for addressing vitamin D deficiency and associated pathologies, including cancer.