A secreted fibroblast factor, the ECM, and metabolism are linked in a report describing a novel role for the ECM protein collagen (COL) 11A1.The CAFs secrete COL11A1 that binds to the cancer cells through a discoidin receptor, which leads to upregulation of fatty acid oxidation, enabling the cancer cells to withstand carboplatin treatment [36]. Here, COL11A1 is linked to cancer.