CAR T-Cell therapy can lead to long-lasting remissions in patients with lymphoma
Posted: Aug 17, 2017
More than three years after treatment, some clinical trial participants who received CAR T-cell therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma remain in remission. These results are reported in a paper in Molecular Therapy by James Kochenderfer, M.D., of CCR's Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch. “This raises the possibility that CAR T cells can be curative for diffuse large B cell lymphoma,” Kochenderfer says.
CCR scientists gain new understanding of cellular mechanisms during infection
Posted: Aug 14, 2017
A new study published August 10, 2017, in Molecular Cell reveals how changes in the architecture of the nucleus can enable B lymphocytes to spring to action during an immune system attack and help fight infection. The discovery could lead scientists to a better understanding of how some tumor cells, especially blood cancer cells, make similar transitions from a dormant to an active state. Read more. . .
Keeping genome organized creates opportunities for damage
Posted: Aug 7, 2017
Packing an entire genome inside the cramped quarters of a cell nucleus can put chromosomes at risk for damage, according to new research led by André Nussenzweig, Ph.D., Chief of CCR’s Laboratory of Genomic Integrity. The findings, reported July 20, 2017, in Cell, suggest that DNA breaks are routinely introduced and then repaired as a cell folds and organizes its genome, and that when repair processes fail, these breaks can give rise to chromosomal abnormalities characteristic of cancer cells.
New study identifies essential genes for cancer immunotherapy
Posted: Aug 7, 2017
Nicholas Restifo, M.D., Senior Investigator in CCR’s Surgery Branch, published a new study in Nature on August 7, 2017, and was featured in an NCI Press Release. This new study identifies genes that are necessary in cancer cells for immunotherapy to work, addressing the problem of why some tumors don’t respond to immunotherapy or respond initially but then stop as tumor cells develop resistance to immunotherapy.
Dr. Restifo said in the press release, “There is a great deal of interest in cancer immunotherapy, especially for patients who have metastatic cancer. The response to immunotherapy can be fantastic, but understanding why some patients don’t respond will help us improve treatments for more patients.”
A protein in neuroblastoma could be a target of immunotoxins or immunotherapy
Posted: Jul 27, 2017
A cell surface protein, glycoprotein glypican-2 (GPC2), has been found to be an effective therapeutic target in cell cultures and mouse models that mimic childhood neuroblastoma. The CCR scientists who made this discovery, reported July 24, 2017, in PNAS, have also produced immunotoxins and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, a type of immunotherapy, that have shown promise against this solid tumor. Read more...
Dysregulated RNA-binding proteins may skew tumor cells’ RNA levels and spur their growth
Posted: Jul 24, 2017
A new analysis of liver cancers has found widespread disruptions in RNA-binding proteins and tied one such protein to cancer progression. Learn more...
Study characterizes long non-coding RNA’s response to DNA damage in colon cancer cells
Posted: Jul 18, 2017
Researchers led by Ashish Lal, Ph.D., Investigator in the Genetics Branch, have shown that when the DNA in human colon cancer cells is damaged, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulates the expression of genes that halt growth, which allows the cells to repair the damage and promote survival. Their findings suggest an important pro-survival function of a lncRNA in cancer cells. Read more...
Bacterial communities living on the skin of eczema patients vary with disease severity
Posted: Jul 5, 2017
A new study published in Science Translational Medicine reveals that strains of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can dominate the skin of patients with eczema. This discovery could bring clinicians one step closer to understanding possible targets for treatment. Learn more...
Molecular profiles suggest two types of liver cancer should be treated as one
Posted: Jun 26, 2017
A comprehensive molecular analysis of two types of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), has identified common molecular subtypes that can be found among patients with either disease. Although HCC and ICC are considered separate diseases, the finding suggests that a unified clinical approach could benefit patients with both types of liver cancer. Read more...
Researchers unmask secret to long-lasting effects of botulinum neurotoxin A in motor neurons
Posted: Jun 16, 2017
A team of scientists led by the Center for Cancer Research's Allan M. Weissman, M.D., and Yien Che Tsai, Ph.D., has discovered a molecular mechanism that explains the extreme toxicity of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A), the most potent BoNT strain. The discovery, published June 5 in PNAS, also identifies a molecular target that the researchers hope will eventually lead to improved therapies to treat exposure and severely undermine the potential use of BoNTs as bioweapons. Read more...