News and Events

Clinical trial researching T-cell therapy for gastrointestinal cancer

A clinical trial led by Nicholas D. Klemen, M.D., Physician-Scientist Early Investigator in the Surgery Branch, is researching T-cell therapy for gastrointestinal cancer.

In people with VHL disease, HIF protein complexes accumulate and promote tumor growth. By binding to HIF-2α (green portion of the HIF protein complex), belzutifan (purple hexagon) inhibits HIF’s tumor-promoting activity.

Belzutifan works steadily in people with VHL-associated tumors

In a recent clinical trial, belzutifan shows long-lasting benefits for patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease.

Phylogenetic tree of 94 viral strains corresponding to 153 viral peptides that are beneficial virus-related antigens. Colors in the circles indicate different virus classifications at the species (inner circle) and genus (outer circle) level.

Protein found on the common cold virus can activate anti-cancer immune response

Researchers found a viral protein that can activate certain immune cells to produce robust anti-cancer responses against liver cancer.

Doctor speaking with patient. Image credit: Canva

Clinical trial researching radiation for brain cancer

A clinical trial led by Peter Mathen, M.D., Staff Clinician in the Radiation Oncology Branch, is researching a safe schedule for using radiation for adults with glioblastoma.

New Milestones publication now available

Every year, CCR makes remarkable contributions to the understanding, detection, treatment and prevention of cancer. This digital-only issue of our annual publication, Milestones, features 13 of our top scientific advances from the previous year. These discoveries fall everywhere on the spectrum from basic science to clinical research, ranging from a deeper understanding of the gut-liver axis and how bacteria move, to results and stories from three promising clinical trials. Our researchers have developed AI models to predict when tumors will respond to treatments, built scaffolds of biomaterials to assist with drug delivery, investigated how mitochondria function in healthy and diseased liver cells, and more.

Ruth Nussinov elected to the National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences elected Ruth Nussinov, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, as a member of their organization. She is being recognized for her groundbreaking achievements as a computational structural biologist.

Offering “life-sustaining” treatment without compromising quality of life

When Alison James received her diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, she was alarmed by the side effects associated with the standard of care. She traveled to the NIH Clinical Center for a CCR clinical trial that offered treatment with less impact to her quality of life.

Celebrating CCR Careers: Steven Z. Pavletic, M.D., Ph.D.

Steven Z. Pavletic, M.D., Ph.D., is a renowned expert in chronic graft-versus-host disease, a serious late complication that can happen after allogeneic bone marrow transplants. After serving at the NCI for over 20 years, he is now announcing his retirement.

Stock image depicting a CAR T cell (blue) attacking a cancer cell (orange). Image: iStock

T-cell receptors can help CAR T cells steer clear of healthy tissue while they attack tumors

Adding a specific T-cell receptor to CAR T cells may reduce side effects of immunotherapies designed to target solid tumors.

CD45R-stained IHC image depicting B cells within a tertiary lymphoid structure in a triple-treated cholangiocarcinoma tumor

Study uncovers mechanism behind effectiveness of three-drug combination in patients with a rare bile duct cancer

Combining anti-VEGF therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors stimulated the production of B cells to fight cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer.

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