Clinical trials evaluate T-cell transfer therapy for cancers with a mutated KRAS gene
KRAS mutations are present in up to a quarter of all human cancers, and eligible patients in a new clinical trial will undergo gene transfer therapy that uses their own blood cells. Investigators want to see if anti-KRAS T cells can make tumors shrink and whether this therapy has tolerable side effects. Read more...
A novel mRNA modification may impact the human genetic code
Nov 15, 2018
Researchers have identified a novel modification in human messenger RNA (mRNA) that dramatically impacts gene expression. NAT10, an enzyme, was found to be responsible for the modification, which itself has been implicated in cancer and aging. This is one of the first examples of a unique chemical modification to mRNA (a key factor in deciphering the genetic code) that causes an increase in protein production. Read more...
Clinical trial tests customized treatment for ovarian cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma
Nov 15, 2018
Ovarian cancer includes cancer of the ovaries, fallopian tubes or abdominal lining (peritoneum). Peritoneal mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the peritoneum and is caused by ingesting asbestos fibers. In a new clinical trial, a drug derived from the patient’s own white blood cells will be customized and infused back into the patient’s body to try and combat cancer cells. Read more...
Steven Rosenberg featured in The Wall Street Journal
Nov 14, 2018
Steve Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch, was featured in an article in The Wall Street Journal discussing immunotherapy. The article primarily focuses on the history and future of immunotherapy and discusses Dr. Rosenberg’s role in the discovery and pursuit of immunotherapy as a cancer treatment. Read more...
Study provides evidence for theory on tumor evolution and its relationship to clinical outcomes
Nov 14, 2018
A team of researchers from NCI’s Cancer Data Science Lab and the NIH National Center for Biotechnology Information have provided evidence for a long-held theory about tumor evolution: The balance between mutation load and selection changes below and above a critical point. This finding marks the first time that evidence for this theory emerged from actual tumor samples. Read more...
Clinical trial tests combination therapy for malignant mesothelioma
Nov 13, 2018
Mesothelioma develops in the thin layer of tissue lining the chest or abdomen, often following exposure to airborne asbestos particles. In this study, patients will receive a combination of a targeted immunotherapy and an immunotherapy agent that blocks a protein pathway that allows cancer cells to hide from the immune system. Investigators aim to see how well patients with mesothelioma respond to this treatment. Read more...
Renewed research focus on the human T-cell leukemia virus
Nov 9, 2018
Human T-cell leukemia virus-1(HTLV-1) is the only known retrovirus to directly cause cancer in humans. Infection with this retrovirus affects millions of people worldwide, but currently there is neither a targeted antiretroviral therapy nor a vaccine available. “The discovery of novel preventive or therapeutic remedies for this retrovirus could relieve not only the suffering of HTLV-1 infected individuals but also augment understanding of other chronic infections with cancer viruses,” says Genoveffa Franchini, M. D., Senior Investigator in the CCR Vaccine Branch who has conducted pioneering work on the retrovirus. Read more...
Using near-infrared light to kill cancer cells in mice
Nov 9, 2018
A novel technique that uses near-infrared light to kill cancer cells is very efficient, but the reasons have remained a mystery. A new study reveals that infrared light changes the structure of an immunotherapy agent that can be embedded in the cancer cell’s membrane. This transformation causes the cell to rupture, leading to cell death. Read more...
Anti-diabetes drug impact on gut bacteria may offer clues to treating some metabolic diseases
Nov 5, 2018
A research team in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research in collaboration with investigators at Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC), Beijing, has found a pathway by which the anti-diabetes drug metformin could affect bacteria in the gut and how that pathway could be supplemented to benefit patients. Read more...
New therapies tested in mice provide a one-two punch for treating liver cancer
Nov 5, 2018
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. Read more...
NICHD press release features new paper from CCR investigator Vanja Lazarevic
Nov 2, 2018
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recently issued a press release on a new collaborative paper with Vanja Lazarevic, Ph.D., Investigator in the Experimental Immunology Branch, and others from institutes across NIH. The paper, “Regulation of myelin structure and conduction velocity by perinodal astrocytes,” suggests that astrocytes play an important role in how the brain processes information. Read more...