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...
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...
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...
Clinical trial finds combination therapy effective for some biliary cancer patients
Jan 28, 2019
Completion of a phase I/II clinical trial found that two of 20 patients with biliary tract cancer disease experienced a partial response to treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor tremelimumab combined with microwave ablation therapy. Further studies are needed to understand why just a few patients responded well to this combination treatment. Read more...
Second-generation maturation inhibitors show promise for HIV treatment
Jan 22, 2019
CCR researchers have improved upon bevirimat, a first-generation maturation inhibitor developed to treat HIV-1, the primary cause of AIDS. After pinpointing HIV-1 strains not effectively blocked by bevirimat during clinical trials, researchers developed second-generation inhibitors based on knowledge about the sequences of those resistant strains. The new inhibitors turned out to be more potent and active than bevirimat. Read more...
Sophisticated technology reveals gene expression in real time
Dec 13, 2018
CCR researchers made use of CRISPR-Cas9 and other technology to reveal gene expression in real time, demonstrating that RNA synthesis is highly variable due to long intervals between RNA production. The research supports the emerging awareness about the dynamic nature of gene expression and the tremendous variability among genes. Read more...
Researchers create record-sized, integrated cellular cancer database
Dec 12, 2018
Investigators in CCR have consolidated and expanded some of the world’s largest cancer databases to create an integrated, comprehensive cellular databank. The publicly available tool, called CellMinerCDB, can be used to explore in unprecedented detail the relationship between drugs, mutations, copy number, methylation and gene and protein expression. Read more...
Protein mutations lead to human disease by altering a cancer-promoting pathway
Dec 7, 2018
Working in collaboration with a team of other scientists, CCR researchers identified the role that the LZTR1 protein plays in disrupting the RAS pathway. It interferes with signaling, largely by dysregulating ubiquitination, a process defined as the attachment of a small protein called ubiquitin to a protein that is degraded by an enzyme. Read more...