News and Events

Cancer cells that die via apoptosis (larger dark purple structures) expel their nuclear contents (orange and yellow stringy structures) to spur metastasis and growth of living cancer cells (smaller light blue structures). Image credit: Yang Lab

Signals released from dying cancer cells accelerate metastatic tumor growth

The final act of a dying cancer cell may be to spur the growth of other cancer cells.

A high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) image showing multiple conformations of identical RNA sequences. Image credit: Wang Lab

Researchers discover the multiple shapes of RNA, a boon for drug design

Using atomic force microscopy, CCR researchers directly observed individual RNA structures in cell-like conditions. They found that one primary RNA sequence can fold into many different conformations, which has important implications for the fundamental understanding of RNA and RNA-targeted drug design.

New Milestones publication now available

Every year, CCR makes remarkable contributions to the understanding, detection, treatment and prevention of cancer. This issue of our annual publication, Milestones, features 10 of our top scientific advances from the past year. These discoveries include advances in precision medicine — such as the identification of biomarkers that predict a patient’s response to immunotherapy or lead to health disparities — as well as research on a widely applicable cancer vaccine that could be employed in low-resource settings. Promising research on T cells provides insights into their resilience, behavior and tumor-reactivity with an eye toward developing better immunotherapies, and technological advances provide close-ups of key components of tumor growth and metastasis.

Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive form of cancer which is difficult to treat. Image credit: iStock

A rare look into what makes mesothelioma aggressive, and potentially treatable

Scientists have a limited understanding of mesothelioma and how to treat it effectively, but that’s beginning to change. In a novel study, CCR researchers identified a 48-gene signature associated with a worse prognosis – but also identified a subset of patients who respond to certain immunotherapy and chemotherapy drugs.

Howard A. Young, Ph.D., Elected as 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Howard A. Young, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, has been elected as a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This honor recognizes fellows for their achievements across disciplines from research, teaching, and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.

In Memoriam: John J. DiGiovanna

The CCR community is deeply saddened by the passing of John J. DiGiovanna, M.D., Senior Research Physician in the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics.

In Memoriam: James M. Phang, M.D.

CCR mourns the recent passing of James M. Phang, M.D., former Senior Investigator in the Basic Research Laboratory.

Lung cancer cells fluorescently labeled for MYC (red), MYCL (green) and chromosomes (blue) to identify MYC- and MYCL-positive ecDNA in the cells.

Extrachromosomal DNA promotes aggressiveness of small cell lung cancer

Cancers harboring small particles of DNA that exist outside of chromosomes, called extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), are associated with aggressive tumor growth, drug resistance, and shorter patient survival. New research shows that ecDNAs in small cell lung cancer contribute to variability between cancer cells, allowing them to rapidly evolve and leading to these undesirable outcomes.

Immunohistochemical staining of a human brain metastasis.

First clinical trial testing a prevention for breast cancer metastasis to the brain yields encouraging results

When breast cancer metastasizes to the brain, new tumors usually develop even after treatment. But recurrence was low among women who received low-dose temozolomide with T-DM1 in a phase I clinical trial.

4th NCI Symposium on Cancer Health Disparities - Registration Deadline March 28, 2023!

Dates: April 4-5, 2023
Location: Building 35, Rooms 610/620/630/640, NIH

Cancer health disparities affect millions of people across the United States and globally. Disparities in cancer burden are evident by geography, race/ethnicity, genetic ancestry, immigrant status, culture, gender, sexual orientation (LGBTQ+), and socioeconomic class, among other factors. Cancer disparities are not only due to barriers in access to health care, but also due to cultural barriers, structural racism and environmental disadvantage, ancestry-related risk factors, persistent co-morbidities, and chronic stress exposure because of discrimination and social isolation. The challenge of reducing and eliminating health disparities and achieving equity has been largely attributed to the complex interactions among these various determinants.

The symposium will highlight a range of topics to address the systemic barriers and racism that lead to health disparities and showcase ongoing research being done in the social, clinical, epidemiologic, and basic science disciplines. We seek to feature challenges and solutions, and the programs that were developed to address cancer health disparities from researchers in the field and within the intramural NCI program.

Registration is required to attend the symposium.

For conference-related questions, please contact ccrconferences@mail.nih.gov

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