News and Events

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 fall everywhere on the spectrum from basic science to clinical research, ranging from a change in our understanding of how cells replicate and divide to the first FDA-approved treatment for a rare cancer based on the results of an NCI trial. Our researchers have developed a novel drug delivery system inspired by bacterial spores, identified prognostic gene signatures for patients with different cancers and gathered data over 30 years to show that an immunotherapy essentially cures a rare precancerous disease.

New research on liver cell diversity could help scientists understand tumor complexity

Hepatocytes, the main cell type in the liver, differ in function according to their location in the liver. A new study shows that mitochondrial responses to nutrients drive this diversity — a finding that could help researchers better understand tumor cell heterogeneity.

Clinical trial researching therapy for esophageal cancers

A clinical trial led by David S. Schrump, M.D., MBA., FACS, Chief and Senior Investigator in the Thoracic Surgery Branch, is researching a combination vaccine and drug therapy for esophageal cancers.

New biomaterial enhances cancer vaccine effectiveness to help eliminate cancer in mice

Scientists have created a new type of cancer vaccine approach that uses a biomaterial that attracts immune cells and localizes the delivery of the vaccines. In mice, the biomaterial combined with a cancer vaccine was able to cure 50 to 75% of their tumors.

Steven Rosenberg receives AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has awarded Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch, the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research. He is being recognized for his paramount contributions to cancer research and patient care, most notably his pioneering research in establishing cancer immunotherapy as a major treatment strategy for many cancer types. He will receive the award at the 2024 AACR Annual Meeting.

Clinical trial researching BRCA1-Associated Protein-1 mutations

A clinical trial led by David S. Schrump, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, Chief and Senior Investigator in the Thoracic Surgery Branch, is researching a combination drug therapy for BRCA1-Associated Protein-1 mutations.

Clinical trial researching therapy for B-cell lymphoma

A clinical trial led by Kathryn A. Lurain, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Research Physician in the HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, is researching a drug for B-cell lymphoma.

Celebrating CCR Careers: Jonathan R. Keller, Ph.D.

Jonathan R. Keller, Ph.D., an experimental hematologist who discovered interleukin-3 (IL-3) and explored the factors that give rise to leukemia, announces his retirement.

India’s First Homegrown CAR T-Cell Therapy Has Roots in NCI Collaboration

In October 2023, India’s counterpart to the US Food and Drug Administration, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, approved NexCAR19, an effective, low-cost CAR-T cell therapy. The development of the therapy was made possible by a years-long collaborative journey between the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai with NCI researchers at the NIH Clinical Center. As India’s first approved CAR-T cell therapy, the treatment will be manufactured in Mumbai and is affordable for many.

Clinical trial researching therapy for RUNX1 mutations

A clinical trial led by Lea C. Cunningham, M.D., Associate Research Physician in the Immune Deficiency Cellular Therapy Program, is researching a drug for RUNX1 mutations.

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