News and Events

Celebrating CCR Careers: Ira Pastan, M.D.

Ira Pastan, M.D., who pioneered receptor biology in animal cells and mentored several generations of scientists, announces his retirement from the NCI.

Microscopy image of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Condition of patients’ immune cells can affect how they respond to immunotherapy

Researchers found that T cells in patients whose cancers did not respond to CD22 CAR T-cell therapy showed markers of cellular exhaustion and were in a later stage of development.

S. Cenk Sahinalp elected to 2025 class of ISCB Fellows

S. Cenk Sahinalp, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Cancer Data Science Laboratory, was elected to the 2025 class of International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) Fellows. The program recognizes individuals who have played a pivotal role in advancing bioinformatics and computational biology. Sahinalp is being honored for his work as a leader in algorithmic methods for cancer genomics, structural variation and tumor evolution.

Combination immunotherapy shrank a variety of metastatic solid cancers

Results of a clinical trial led by Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Chief and Senior Investigator in the Surgery Branch, showed that a new form of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy dramatically improved the treatment’s effectiveness in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancers. The findings, published April 1, 2025, in Nature Medicine, offer hope that this personalized immunotherapy regime could be used to treat a variety of solid tumors, which has so far eluded researchers developing cell-based therapies.

Celebrating CCR Careers: Len Neckers, Ph.D.

For over 40 years, Len Neckers, Ph.D., worked to develop molecularly targeted therapeutic approaches to modulate cancer cell growth and survival. He retired from CCR in November 2024.

Sheue-yann Cheng, Ph.D., Anish Thomas, MBBS, M.D., and Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D.

CCR researchers nominated to 2024 class of AAAS Fellows

Sheue-yann Cheng, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Anish Thomas, MBBS, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch, and Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., Acting Co-Chief and Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, were elected as 2024 Fellows to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Since 1874, the AAAS has elected scientists, engineers and innovators as Fellows for their achievements across many disciplines. Election as a Fellow honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues.

Clinical trial researching drug therapy for neuroendocrine tumors

A clinical trial led by Frank I. Lin, M.D., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar in the Molecular Imaging Branch, is researching a drug therapy for adults with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors and pheochromocytoma/paragangliomas.

Clinical trial researching immunotherapy for metastatic cancers

A clinical trial led by James L. Gulley., M.D., Ph.D., Co-Director and Senior Investigator in the Center for Immuno-Oncology, is researching immunotherapy for adults with locally advanced or metastatic cancers.

Elaine Jaffe and Ira Pastan elected as 2025 Fellows of the AACR Academy

Elaine S. Jaffe, M.D., NIH Distinguished Investigator in the Laboratory of Pathology, and Ira Pastan, M.D., Chief Emeritus of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, were elected in the 2025 class of Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy. The mission of the Academy is to recognize and honor extraordinary scientists whose groundbreaking contributions have driven significant innovation and progress in the fight against cancer. Jaffe is being recognized for her revolutionary research efforts in hematopathology and transforming diagnostic standards and care for lymphoma and leukemia; Pastan is being recognized for his visionary contributions to cancer therapy and the field of receptor biology.

Kumaran Ramamurthi elected to the American Academy of Microbiology

The American Academy of Microbiology elected Kumaran S. Ramamurthi, Ph.D., Deputy Chief and Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, as a 2025 fellow. Election to the Academy is a highly selective process based on records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced the field of microbiology.

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