News and Events
Celebrating CCR Careers: James B. Mitchell, Ph.D.
James (Jim) B. Mitchell, Ph.D., is a radiation biologist whose research focuses on evaluation of agents in combination with radiation that either enhance tumor sensitivity or protect normal tissues. After nearly 50 years at the NCI, Mitchell has announced his retirement.
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Steven A. Rosenberg named 2021 Dan David Prize laureate
Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch, is a recipient of the internationally renowned Dan David Prize, which honors individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions that expand knowledge of the past, enrich society in the present and promise to improve the future. Rosenberg is recognized in the “future” category for his contributions to molecular medicine, including his landmark discoveries leading to the first cancer immunotherapies and for his ongoing efforts to develop immunotherapy for solid tumors. He is one of three “future” category prize recipients and will be honored May 9, 2021, during a virtual ceremony.
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Brigitte C. Widemann selected as a 2021 Sammies finalist
Brigitte C. Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, has been selected as one of 29 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal (Sammies) finalists. These finalists are outstanding federal employees who serve the public good and are addressing many of our country’s greatest challenges. Widemann is nominated in the Science and Environment category for her pioneering clinical studies that led to Food and Drug Administration approval of selumetinib as the first treatment for children with neurofibromatosis type 1 who have symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas.
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Clinical trial evaluates COVID-19 vaccine in adults in treatment for cancer
Adults with hematologic malignancies or solid tumors may be eligible to participate in a new clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center. Elad Sharon, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute, is leading a study to assess the effects of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) in adults undergoing treatment for various types of cancer.
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Personalized approach to prostate cancer diagnosis could mean less invasive biopsies
Systematic and MRI-guided biopsies can each find cancers that the other technique can miss — but not everyone needs both. According to a new analysis, magnetic resonance imaging can be used to determine which biopsy approach is appropriate for an individual.
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Vinay K. Pathak receives Cozzarelli Prize
Researchers led by Vinay K. Pathak, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the HIV Dynamics and Replication Program, received the 2020 Cozzarelli Prize in the Biomedical Sciences class for their PNAS publication “HIV-1 uncoats in the nucleus near sites of integration.” The Cozzarelli Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences.
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New fluorescent probes developed that can help clinicians pinpoint cancer metastases
New chemical compounds developed by CCR researchers and clinicians are safe and highly effective in fluorescently highlighting microscopic metastases. The new compounds could have great utility in complex living systems based on experiments done in mouse models of metastatic human ovarian cancer.
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Stem cell transplant after CAR T-cell therapy effective for young leukemia patients
In a clinical trial, CCR physician-scientists found that long-term survival for young patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was significantly better for those who received CD19-CAR T-cell therapy followed by a stem cell transplant. As a result of these findings, use of stem cell transplant is now recommended following CAR T-cell therapy.
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FDA approves BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma
The Food and Drug Administration approved idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) for people with multiple myeloma that has not responded to or has returned after at least four different prior cancer treatments. The approval is based, in part, on earlier clinical work led by James N. Kochenderfer, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Surgery Branch.
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In Memoriam: George Vande Woude, Ph.D. (1935-2021)
The CCR community mourns the recent death of longtime National Cancer Institute colleague, George Vande Woude, Ph.D. He was an expert in molecular oncology and discovered the human MET oncogene.
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New tool predicts which treatments may work best in cancer patients
A new precision oncology software tool, called SELECT, analyzes tumor transcriptomics data to predict which therapies are most beneficial for an individual patient. When applied to data from over 30 different clinical trials, SELECT was predictive of patient responses to targeted and immune therapies in about 80 percent of the trial datasets.
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