Clinical trial of multi-vaccine regimen targets advanced cancer
The goal of a cancer vaccine is to teach the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. A new clinical trial is a first-in-human combination to study the effects of giving three cancer vaccines at once. The vaccines target three proteins, CEA, MUC1 and brachyury, found in many types of cancer cells. Read more...
New trial evaluates investigational drug for endometrial and breast cancers
Apr 24, 2018
A new clinical trial is testing ONC201, an investigational drug that in laboratory studies has been shown to kill breast and endometrial cancer cells most likely by destroying mitochondria within the tumor cells. Mitochondria are the “powerhouse” of the cell, and blocking its activity may kill tumor cells and shrink tumors in human patients. Read more...
FDA grants orphan drug status to selumetinib for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) treatment
Apr 23, 2018
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted orphan drug status in February to selumetinib for use in patients with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), who often develop tumors of the peripheral nervous system. Receiving orphan drug designation is a helpful step for selumetinib. Read more...
A physician faces her own ovarian cancer
Apr 23, 2018
Drs. Tracie Miller and Steve Lipshultz have spent their careers caring for pediatric patients and conducting research at well-known medical institutions across the country. In some ways, those years of providing patient care and conducting medical research prepared the couple for Tracie’s ovarian cancer diagnosis, and in other ways, it didn’t. Read more...
Combination immunotherapy clinical trial for prostate cancer patients with rise in PSA
Apr 20, 2018
A new study that is now open is testing combination immunotherapy for men with prostate cancer that are experiencing a rise in PSA after surgery or radiation. Read more...
Activated platelets can promote tumor cell invasion into healthy tissue
Apr 19, 2018
Pre-clinical studies conducted by CCR investigators and colleagues show that platelets, tiny cells that promote blood clotting, when activated by the CD97 protein on the surface of tumor cells, enable the tumor cells to invade healthy tissue and then metastasize. The study, published April 17, 2018, in Cell Reports, was led by Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D., Chief, Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis. Read more...
New CCR publication, Landmarks, is now available
Apr 19, 2018
The Center for Cancer Research has been at the forefront of cancer research for decades. Spanning the spectrum from basic research to advances in clinical care, including the development of new cancer drugs and innovative vaccines, Landmarks highlights the remarkable discoveries that have occurred at CCR over the years. Read more...
Focusing on function to mine cancer genome data
Apr 17, 2018
CCR scientists have devised a strategy to sift through the tens of thousands of mutations in cancer genome data to find mutations that actually drive the disease. They have used the method to discover that the JNK signaling pathway, which in different contexts can either spur cancerous growth or rein it in, acts as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancers. Read more...
Study led by Louis Staudt revises molecular classification for most common type of lymphoma
Apr 13, 2018
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of lymphoma. Though potentially curable, treatment does not eliminate the disease for all patients. A new study led by Louis Staudt, M.D., Co-Chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, identified genetic subtypes of DLBCL that could help explain why some patients respond to treatment whereas others do not. Read more...
Phase I clinical trial will test multi-targeted immunotherapy in common childhood cancer
Apr 10, 2018
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy targeting the protein CD19 has shown promise in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CD22-CAR T-cell therapy has yielded similarly encouraging results, but many patients relapse after either therapy. In an upcoming phase I clinical trial, Center for Cancer Research investigators will test a new strategy—treating patients with a CAR T-cell therapy that targets CD19 and CD22 simultaneously. Read more...
Imaging technique predicts efficacy of targeting prostate tumor metabolism in mice
Apr 10, 2018
Disrupting glycolysis, a metabolic process tumors often rely on to feed their growth by partially breaking down sugars and not requiring oxygen, has emerged as a promising approach to treating metastatic prostate cancer in a study by Center for Cancer Research investigators. Read more...