NCKAP1 (NCK-associated protein 1) is a cytoskeletal regulatory protein that functions as a core component of the WAVE complex, which regulates actin filament reorganization and lamellipodia formation through interaction with the Arp2/3 complex in a RAC1-dependent manner. In neurons, NCKAP1 is essential for neuronal differentiation and migration during cortical development, with high expression in excitatory neurons and radial glia during prenatal and postnatal periods 1. Disruptive NCKAP1 variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by autism spectrum disorder, language and motor delays, and intellectual disability 1. The gene was first identified as markedly depressed in Alzheimer disease brains, with antisense oligonucleotides inducing neuronal apoptosis 2. More recently, NCKAP1 variants have been associated with intellectual disability and epilepsy with absence seizures 3 4. Beyond neurodevelopment, NCKAP1 functions as a tumor suppressor in renal carcinoma. Low NCKAP1 expression correlates with poor prognosis and advanced cancer stage, while NCKAP1 overexpression reduces cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration through modulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway 5 6. Additionally, NCKAP1 depletion partially rescues glioblastoma cells from disulfidptosis induced by thioredoxin reductase 1 inhibition 7.