MMP24 is a membrane-bound matrix metalloproteinase with pleiotropic roles in neural regulation and cancer biology. As a metalloendopeptidase, MMP24 mediates cleavage of N-cadherin (CDH2), regulating neuro-immune interactions and neural stem cell quiescence in the adult subependymal zone [UniProt]. The enzyme participates in peripheral thermal nociception and inflammatory hyperalgesia through mast cell-neurite interactions [UniProt]. In cancer pathogenesis, MMP24 represents a critical effector of tumor progression. YAP-mediated MMP24 upregulation occurs in response to extracellular matrix stiffening during tumor progression, promoting cancer cell invasiveness 1. Loss of the transcriptional repressor REST leads to MMP24 overexpression in breast cancer, driving invasion and metastasis 2. In lung cancer, inactivation of the metastasis suppressor CIC relieves repression of ETV4, which upregulates MMP24 expression—a mechanism necessary and sufficient for metastatic dissemination 3. MMP24 expression patterns correlate with cancer stage; lower expression in breast cancer associates with worse survival, while higher tissue expression in non-small cell lung cancer indicates advanced disease 14. Therapeutically, MMP24 downregulation via miR-1343-3p upregulation inhibits gastric cancer proliferation and induces apoptosis 5. Notably, MMP24 expression changes during cancer treatment, normalizing after effective therapy, suggesting potential prognostic utility 4.