Two independent preclinical advances map therapeutic routes through regulated cell-death pathways. A Nature Communications study identified Cathepsin L as a dual target that suppresses tumor growth while preserving muscle mass and immune function, proposing a single-node intervention for cancer-associated cachexia and tumor progression. Separately, researchers reported sibiriline, a small molecule that simultaneously inhibits necroptosis and ferroptosis—two distinct forms of regulated cell death implicated in neurodegeneration, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and inflammatory tissue damage. Sibiriline showed efficacy in cellular and animal models where dual-pathway inhibition prevented tissue loss. Clarification: Necroptosis is a programmed necrotic cell-death pathway; ferroptosis is iron-dependent lipid peroxidation-driven death. Targeting these pathways may protect tissues during inflammation while altering tumor-immune dynamics.