Clinical trial evaluates blood stem cell transplantation for patients with T-cell disorders
T cells, a type of white blood cell, develop from stem cells, mature in the thymus gland and play a key role in human immunity by protecting the body from infection. They may also help to fight cancer. People whose T cells fail to properly develop or function can develop imbalances in the immune system that lead to cancer, autoimmune disease and other problems. Jennifer Kanakry, M.D., of the Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch is leading a study that transplants allogeneic blood-forming stem cells from healthy donors into patients with T-cell disorders. Read more...
Blocking MEK signaling pathway could inhibit rhabdomyosarcoma growth
Jul 18, 2018
New CCR research shows that a form of a cancer that occurs mainly in children, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, which is driven by mutations to the RAS gene, may be susceptible to inhibition by drugs that target a pathway in which MEK protein signaling, triggered by RAS, plays an important role. This new mechanistic understanding of a complex biological process led investigators to test a drug, trametinib, in mice implanted with the cancer. Their findings show that trametinib might be a good agent to test in clinical trials for this disease. Read more...
Clinical trial studies benefit of targeted drug for malignant mesothelioma
Jul 11, 2018
Malignant mesothelioma is cancer that begins in a layer of specialized cells called the mesothelium that line the outer surface of most internal organs. A team led by Raffit Hassan, M.D., of the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch aims to see if the drug olaparib causes mesothelial tumors to shrink in patients with mutated BAP-1 or other DNA damage-repair genes and in patients with no mutations in these genes. Read more...
Jing Wu appointed as an NIH Lasker Scholar
Jul 10, 2018
Jing Wu, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as an NIH Lasker Scholar tenure track investigator in the Neuro-Oncology Branch. Dr. Wu is interested in translational research in neuro-oncology focusing on developing preclinical testing and hypothesis-based clinical trials of glioma treatments.
Kandice Tanner selected as Scialog Fellow
Jul 9, 2018
Kandice Tanner, Ph.D., Investigator in the Laboratory of Cell Biology, has been selected as a Scialog Fellow of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Scialog Fellows collaborate in high-risk discovery research on untested ideas over multi-year initiatives and communicate progress at annual conferences. The program aims to advance human knowledge by empowering a national community of early career scientists with many promising years of research ahead of them. Dr. Tanner will participate on the Scialog initative, “Chemical Machinery of the Cell.” Read more...
Norman Coleman receives 2018 Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care
Jun 29, 2018
Norman Coleman, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Radiation Oncology Branch, has been named a recipient of the 2018 Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS). According to NCCS, the annual award recognizes individuals, organizations or other entities who demonstrate innovation in improving cancer care for patients. The 2018 recipients will be recognized at the Stovall Award Reception on November 14 in Washington, D.C. Read more...
Steven Pavletic elected as corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences
Jun 28, 2018
Steven Pavletic, M.D., Senior Clinician in the Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, has been elected as a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Dr. Pavletic was honored during a ceremony on June 14 at the Palace of the Academy in Zagreb, Croatia. Read more...
CAR T-cell therapy proves effective against multiple myeloma
Jun 27, 2018
A first-in-human clinical trial of multiple myeloma-targeted CAR T cells produced remissions in patients with advanced disease who had received numerous prior treatments. Read more...
Protein complex could be key to drug responsiveness in lymphoma patients
Jun 26, 2018
Continuing a decades-long refinement in understanding how and why a drug is more effective in some patients with lymphoma than others has led to the discovery of a complex of proteins that affects drug responsiveness. Read more...
CCR: A history of advancing the field of immunology
Jun 26, 2018
The Center for Cancer Research has been at the forefront in the field of immunology and immunotherapy for decades. Our scientists have made seminal findings that have opened doors to new research areas and treatment approaches for cancer patients. Use this timeline to explore our rich history at the cutting edge of research towards understanding the immune system and harnessing its power to treat cancer. Read more...
Clinical trial tests combinations of immunotherapy drugs for prostate cancer
Jun 20, 2018
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a disease that has spread beyond the prostate and no longer responds to hormone therapy. James Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch is leading a study of combination immunotherapy where patients will be treated with two, three or four drugs that affect the immune system in different ways to determine the safety of various combinations and whether they can make tumors shrink. Read more...