Our Discoveries

New way to address chemoresistance linked to the protein SLFN11

CCR researchers have discovered two complementary roles for the protein Schlafen-11 (SLFN11) in determining patient response to chemotherapy. These findings have implications for how to overcome this resistance and provide new treatment options for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and many other cancers.

Genetics, not just smoking, influence small cell lung cancer risk

People with mutations in DNA repair genes may be more likely than others to develop small cell lung cancer. Identifying these mutations in patients could help guide treatment decisions.

DNA damage during a critical phase in the cell cycle called G1

New findings show how damaged cells survive the cell cycle

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.

New insights into what fuels an aggressive form of kidney disease

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.

New connection between gut microbes and liver cancer uncovered in mice

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.

Analysis of T cells from melanoma patients uncovers characteristics leading to cancer regression

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.

Embryonic stem cells have their own strategy for protecting chromosome ends

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.

Japan approves photoimmunotherapy for head and neck cancer

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.

Lymphoma mass before and after treatment

Phase I CAR T-cell therapy leads to years-long remissions in relapsed B-cell lymphoma patients

In a Journal of Clinical Oncology article, results of a phase I 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.

Innovative imaging tools reveal how neutrophils fight inflammation in mice

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.

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