Akt protein kinase pathway regulates key step in the initiation of cilia formation
CCR investigators have discovered that activating the Akt protein kinase pathway stabilizes the binding of the WDR44 protein to the Rab11 protein. This prevents Rab11 from binding to the Rabin8 protein, thereby blocking cilia formation. When Akt is inactive, though, Rab11 instead is bound by FIP3, enhancing its binding to Rabin8, which helps initiate cilia formation. Since abnormalities in cilia formation are associated with a number of types of cancer, these findings point to several potential targets for cancer therapy. Read more...
Nataliya Buxbaum wins Magnetic Moments video competition
May 22, 2019
Nataliya P. Buxbaum, M.D., Assistant Clinical Investigator in the Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, was named the overall winner of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine’s Magnetic Moments Competition. The competition is designed for investigators to use video to describe their MRI-related research for a general audience. Dr. Buxbaum’s video describes her research using tracers to better and more safely image tumors. Read more...
Clinical study follows men with specific genetic changes to determine their risk for developing prostate cancer
May 16, 2019
Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common malignancy in American men. There is increasing evidence that there may be a link between PC and men who have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer. As researchers have learned more about the role of genetics in PC, they have taken a new approach to screening for the disease—targeting men whose genetic profiles put them at risk for developing PC. Read more...
Clinical trial to determine whether antibiotics can boost immune response in treating liver cancer
May 14, 2019
A new clinical trial at the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research is set to explore if eliminating certain bacteria in the gut will boost the immune system response in patients who have hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases.
Julius Strauss discusses promising immunotherapy drug for patients with HPV-related cancers
May 13, 2019
Julius Strauss, M.D., Assistant Research Physician in the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, discussed a promising immunotherapy drug for patients with HPV-related cancers in a recent NCI Cancer Currents blog post. According to results from a phase 1 clinical trial, 33 percent of the 36 patients on the trial with HPV-positive tumors responded to the drug, and four of the responses lasted longer than 18 months. “This drug is a promising agent for patients with HPV-related cancers and may potentially benefit these patients more than traditional checkpoint therapies,” said Dr. Strauss. Read more...
Brid Ryan cohosts NCI Minority Health Month Facebook Live
May 13, 2019
The National Cancer Institute hosted a Facebook Live entitled, “A Dialogue on Cancer Disparities, Prevention, and Research.”The event featured Brid M. Ryan, Ph.D., M.P.H., Investigator in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, as well as Worta McCaskill-Stevens, M.D., M.S., from the Division of Cancer Prevention, and Christina Dieli-Conwright, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of Southern California. They discussed cancer disparities and the work being done to help reduce them. Read more...
A patient’s 10-year journey to moxetumomab for hairy cell leukemia
May 8, 2019
Randy, a father, husband, engineering quality consultant and lifelong “Motor City” resident, was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia in 1998 at the age of 41. After participation in a clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center, his body has shown a complete response to the drug moxetumomab pasudotox, which was developed at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research. Read more...
Cyclophosphamide works in an unexpected way to curb graft-vs-host disease in mice
May 7, 2019
For years it has been assumed that cyclophosphamide helps reduce the severity of graft-versus-host disease by eliminating alloreactive T cells, but new evidence reveals a different reason. Read more...
Marston Linehan receives 2019 Urology Care Foundation Distinguished Mentor award
May 7, 2019
Marston Linehan, M.D., Chief of the Urologic Oncology Branch, has received the 2019 Urology Care Foundation Distinguished Mentor award. The award recognizes Dr. Linehan’s outstanding track record of fostering the next generation of urologic researchers by providing excellent training and guidance to early-career investigators. Read more...
iCURE helps a first-generation American reach her goal
May 6, 2019
Anaisa Quintanilla-Arteaga’s ultimate goal is to be the Latina scientist she wishes she had seen when she was younger, and “hopefully help younger generations of Latinas realize that they belong and can thrive in STEM, too.” An iCURE fellowship is helping her achieve that dream. Read more...
Majority of patients with advanced multiple myeloma respond to CAR T-cell therapy targeting an anti-B-cell maturation antigen in a phase I trial
May 2, 2019
A phase I clinical trial of 33 patients infused with a CAR T-cell therapy using T cells genetically engineered to express an anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) CAR showed that 85 percent of patients had the burden of their advanced multiple myeloma cut by half or more. Read more...