Our Discoveries

Irinotecan shrinks DNA-repair-deficient breast cancers in patient-derived mouse models

Laboratory studies uncover genetic features that make some triple-negative breast cancers vulnerable to an overlooked treatment option.

New study overturns conventional understanding of how HIV infection occurs

Researchers have succeeded in imaging where and when the protective coating that surrounds HIV is disassembled, a critical step in the viral replication process. Their observations show that the virus keeps its protective coating after entering the nucleus of a cell and then begins replicating, which is counter to what most scientists have thought for decades.

Potent new LDHI inhibitor disrupts tumor growth in mice

Researchers have identified a potent LDH inhibitor, which can disrupt the energy production of tumors in mice. After exposure to the LDH inhibitor, the cancers cells began to rely on a different form of energy production, which could also be disrupted by using a second drug. Combining the two drugs had a potent anti-cancer effect.

Molecular transporter that helps to assemble the machinery for cellular power generation

Researchers identify protein essential for assembling cells’ energy-producing machine

CCR researchers have discovered that the protein Bcs1 acts as the element that facilitates the transport of iron-sulfur protein, or ISP, across the inner membranes of mitochondria, the cell’s power plant. ISP is needed for the assembly of Complex III, a key element of the respiratory chain, which ensures that nutrients are converted to ATP, energy that cells need.

New tool catalogs thousands of previously unknown viruses

In the quest to study two cancer-causing viruses, a team of researchers has uncovered a wealth of previously unknown viruses, some with very unusual properties. The work could one day help identify viruses associated with cancer and other disease.

T-cell stimulation could be used to target cancers with common TP53 gene mutations

Researchers in the Center for Cancer Research have found that circulating lymphocytes can be stimulated in the laboratory to generate cells that can recognize TP53 gene mutations. Mutations to the TP53 gene are found in about 40 percent of all cancers, making this process a potentially significant step forward in fighting many types of cancer.

New technology elucidates how metabolites interact with proteins to drive cancer

Acyl-coenzyme As (CoAs) are a group of small molecule metabolites that are the building blocks and chemical energy source for all living organisms. Recent evidence indicates that metabolites such as acyl-CoAs can also interact with proteins to drive the development of cancer.

Side effects of CAR T-cell therapy are dramatically reduced with new receptor

A new immunotherapy for lymphoma has been found to cause lower levels of neurologic toxicity than other T-cell therapies for lymphoma. The findings come from the first clinical test of a CAR T-cell therapy using a new anti-cancer T-cell receptor developed in the Center for Cancer Research.

Genomic profiles of lung cancer differ based on ancestry

An analysis of tumors from people with non-small cell lung cancer by researchers at the Center for Cancer Research revealed differences in genomic instability and homologous recombination deficiency in tumors from people with African ancestry compared to those with European ancestry. These findings highlight ancestry-related differences in tumor biology and may help improve our understanding of the higher incidence of cancer burden and high mortality observed in African Americans.

Protein affecting cell division hints at a way to overcome drug resistance

Researchers have uncovered the way in which a protein, called CLR4, helps complete the cell division process. The mechanism could potentially be harnessed to overcome resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel.

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