New findings show how damaged cells survive the cell cycle
Jan 13, 2021
As cells divide and replicate, important safety checkpoints are in place to ensure that most faulty cells with damaged DNA do not survive the cell cycle. In a new twist, CCR researchers discovered how some damaged cells use molecular inertia to drive past these safety checkpoints and continue through the cell cycle. Read more...
New insights into what fuels an aggressive form of kidney disease
Jan 5, 2021
Researchers have uncovered a key mechanism behind an aggressive form of kidney cancer, whereby cells lacking an important enzyme are unable to replicate and maintain healthy mitochondrial DNA. This results in more genetic abnormalities in the cells, fueling the growth and spread of cancer. Read more...
New connection between gut microbes and liver cancer uncovered in mice
Dec 15, 2020
Researchers have uncovered a mechanism by which gut microbes can influence the immune response against nearby liver tumors in mice. The new findings could potentially explain why some people with liver or gut diseases, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis and colitis, tend to be more susceptible to cholangiocarcinoma. Read more...
Analysis of T cells from melanoma patients uncovers characteristics leading to cancer regression
Dec 10, 2020
CCR researchers used state-ot-the-art analytic techniques to determine characteristics of cells used in effective adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) in patients with advanced melanoma. This new information opens the door to manufacturing these cells in the laboratory and using them in immunotherapy for common cancers, including liver, breast, prostate, and colon cancer. Read more...
Embryonic stem cells have their own strategy for protecting chromosome ends
Nov 25, 2020
According to new research from CCR scientists, embryonic stem cells have a unique way of protecting their telomeres, the structures at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with every cell division. Understanding it could help explain how some cancer cells circumvent the growth limits imposed by the natural shortening of telomeres that occurs as we age. Read more...
Japan approves photoimmunotherapy for head and neck cancer
Nov 4, 2020
Promising clinical trials have led to the regulatory approval of the Bioblade® Laser System and Akalux® IV Infusion 250mg in Japan. This device and drug combination was developed under an investigational treatment platform based on a cancer therapy called photoimmunotherapy. Read more...
Phase 1 CAR T-cell therapy leads to years-long remissions in relapsed B-cell lymphoma patients
Oct 13, 2020
In a Journal of Clinical Oncology article, results of a phase 1 trial by CCR investigators show that CAR T-cell therapy can result in long-lasting remissions in patients with certain relapsed B-cell lymphomas. Many who had life expectancies of only six months or less during the clinical trial of the therapy, which spanned from 2009 to 2015, remain in complete remission. Read more...
Innovative imaging tools reveal how neutrophils fight inflammation in mice
Sep 9, 2020
CCR researchers used state-of-the-art imaging techniques to observe, in real time, the path neutrophils take as they move toward a site of inflammation in a mouse model. The images showed the neutrophils leaving the blood vessels and engaging with bacteria that had been introduced into the mouse’s footpad. These observations led to the team’s discovery that the leukocyte LTB4 directs the recruitment, engagement, and penetration of neutrophils into inflamed tissues. Read more...
FDA grants rare pediatric disease designation for experimental immunotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Sep 3, 2020
A cell-based immunotherapy that is currently being evaluated at the NIH Clinical Center for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been designated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a drug for a rare pediatric disease. Designation could encourage development of this novel therapy for children with relapsed or refractory ALL. Read more...
In mice, new therapeutic strategy enhances the effects of immunotherapy in high ASS1-expressing cancers
Aug 31, 2020
Many prevalent cancers (e.g., lung, breast and colon) exhibit abnormally high expression of the enzyme ASS1. This results in greater production of genetic material incorporating purines, consequently making these tumors more resistant to immunotherapy. The researchers showed that drugs blocking purine production in these tumors enhance their response to immunotherapy. Read more...