New strategy for treating brain tumors with mutations in metabolic enzymes
Cancers with mutations in key metabolic enzymes disrupt oxygen metabolism and cause a buildup of reactive oxygen species in mice. This mutation is found in about 80 percent of grade II/III gliomas, or brain tumors, in humans. By inhibiting the action of a protein that allows cancer cells to survive, investigators have potentially found a new strategy for treating cancers with these mutations. Read more...
Recap: Grand Rounds with Felicia Knaul, Ph.D.
Feb 19, 2019
Nearly 200 CCR staff attended a special Grand Rounds lecture this month featuring Felicia Knaul, Ph.D., an expert in palliative care. Dr. Knaul, a professor at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and Director of the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, discussed the unequal access to pain and palliative care around the world, particularly related to morphine for pain relief, and the critical importance of educating providers.The lecture, held February 1, was sponsored by CCR’s Women Scientist Advisors (WSAs). Read more...
Researchers identify a key molecule that enhances T cell-based immunotherapy
Feb 19, 2019
The transcription factor c-Myb plays a critical role in regulating T cell stemness. Researchers showed that increasing expression of this transcription factor in T cells launches a powerful, long-lasting antitumor response in mice. Read more...
Steve Rosenberg receives Szent-Györgi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research
Feb 12, 2019
Steve Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch, has received the 2019 Szent-Györgi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research. The award recognizes indivuduals with a seminal discovery or a body of work that has resulted in or led toward notable contributions to cancer prevention, diagnosis or treatment, and the discovery has had a lasting impact on the cancer field with a high direct impact of saving lives. Read more...
Drug successfully treats WHIM syndrome
Feb 12, 2019
Researchers have discovered which genus of human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for warts found in patients with WHIM syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease, and determined the drug plerixafor could successfully treat those patients. Read more...
Gene mutations in Burkitt lymphoma hint at more effective treatment
Feb 7, 2019
Some cases of Burkitt lymphoma have long been thought to be caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. New research is revealing potential genetic mechanisms for how the virus could contribute to the disease. Read more...
CCR staff receive NCI-NIA and Curie-NCI awards
Feb 6, 2019
Congratulations to the CCR staff who have been awarded the NCI-NIA Joint Fellowship and the funding opportunity offered through the NCI-NIH and PIC3i Curie. Read more...
New map of protein interactions hints at the underlying mechanisms of hereditary kidney cancer
Feb 6, 2019
A hereditary form of kidney cancer is characterized by high levels of the metabolite fumarate but how the compound fuels cancer remains a mystery. CCR researchers have mapped the proteins that fumarate interacts with, revealing new links between metabolism and malignancy. Read more...
New insights into mechanisms key to maintaining KRAS-mutant cancer cell survival
Feb 6, 2019
CCR researchers tested nearly 500 different combinations of multi-gene targeting strategies to study the mechanisms that favor the survival of KRAS-mutant colorectal and pancreatic cancer cells over normal cells. This study reveals the previously underappreciated complexity of the signaling network of the KRAS oncogene. Although work remains to be done, the research does suggest potential target combinations for more effective therapeutic interventions. Read more...
Eric Freed elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology
Feb 4, 2019
Eric Freed, Ph.D., Director of the HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, has been elected as a 2019 fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, an honorific leadership group with the American Society for Microbiology. Fellows are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Read more...
Two new compounds target a cancer-promoting RNA transcript
Jan 29, 2019
MALAT1 is a noncoding RNA associated with aggressive lung cancer and poor survival for patients with various tumor types. The identification of two new molecules that disable this RNA hints at new therapeutic avenues. Read more...