Recently, the research team led by Professor Liu Kangdong and Professor Dong Zigang from Henan Medical School of Zhengzhou University achieved a breakthrough in studying the molecular mechanisms of esophageal cancer. The study identified a novel mitochondrial oxidoreductase, RTN4IP1, which plays a role in esophageal carcinogenesis by regulating amino acid transporters to promote tumor cell uptake of amino acids. This discovery suggests that RTN4IP1 could serve as a potential therapeutic target for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.