Our Discoveries

New insights into mechanisms key to maintaining KRAS-mutant cancer cell survival

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.

Two new compounds target a cancer-promoting RNA transcript

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.

Clinical trial finds combination therapy effective for some biliary cancer patients

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.

Second-generation maturation inhibitors show promise for HIV treatment

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.

Sophisticated technology reveals gene expression in real time

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.

Protein mutations lead to human disease by altering a cancer-promoting pathway

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.

New therapies tested in mice provide a one-two punch for treating liver cancer

Biopharmaceutical agents that combine the precision of cancer-specific antibodies and the potency of drugs toxic to harmful cells are increasingly being used to treat cancer. A team in CCR has identified two such agents for liver cancer, which were both found to reduce tumor size and prolong survival in mice.

Study reveals function of protein crucial to survival of Staph infections

A team led by Kumaran Ramamurthi, Ph.D.,Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, has identified why the GpsB protein is essential for the survival of Staphylococcus aureus, a leading source of infection in cancer patients in hospital settings. These findings, published in eLife, point to GpsB as a possible antibiotic target.

illustration of a collapsed replication fork

Study reveals regions where harmful DNA breaks are most likely to occur

Center for Cancer Research investigators have discovered that double-strand DNA breaks—the most dangerous form of DNA damage, which can lead to cancer—tend to occur during DNA replication at regions known as poly(dA:dT) tracts. Their findings represent a first step toward investigating ways to prevent these harmful DNA breaks.

Committing to cell division may be clue to cancer cell growth

In a new study in Nature, CCR researchers describe, for the first time, how a cell commits to dividing during the cell cycle. Since cancer cells divide when they should not, targeting this pathway might stop their inappropriate growth.

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