News and Events

Unlocking the key to HIV persistence

Even though antiretroviral therapies have allowed many people to live long lives, ridding the body of HIV completely has been an elusive goal ever since the discovery in the 1980s that HIV causes AIDS. New research from the Center for Cancer Research shows that proviral DNA sequences and their integration at specific sites could provide clues for researchers developing drugs to eradicate AIDS.

Clinical trial evaluates T-cell therapy for advanced mesothelin-expressing cancers

Some cancer cells express a higher-than-normal amount of mesothelin, which makes them more likely to multiply and spread to other parts of the body. Raffit Hassan, M.D., of the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, is leading a trial that tests T-cell immunotherapy for patients with cancer of the lung and its lining, ovarian cancer and bile duct cancer that express high levels of mesothelin.

Mitochondrial shape in pancreatic cancer

Computational analysis leads to potential new drug combination for pancreatic cancer

A computer analysis has been able to predict that low levels of asparagine, an amino acid required for protein synthesis, combined with the shutdown of a stress response pathway can lead to reductions in the fitness of a tumor. These combined findings could potentially lead to new combination therapies to treat aggressive tumors, such as those found in pancreatic cancers.

Clinical trial will test radiotracer imaging for high-risk localized prostate cancer

Many men with prostate cancer are diagnosed at an early stage of the disease when the cancer is confined to the prostate. However, about 20 percent are diagnosed with high-risk disease, which tends to spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. William Dahut, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, is leading a study using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with radioactive material to try and identify places in the body where prostate cancer has spread.

Fusing a ring system onto an existing chromophore

New video: Discovering new far-red fluorescent probes

Fluorescent probes are workhorse molecules used by biologists to illuminate the inner workings of cancer cells. By lighting up cell components of interest, researchers can then observe cells in action through high-powered microscopes. This new video explains a novel class of far-red fluorescent probes synthesized by Martin Schnermann, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in CCR’s Chemical Biology Laboratory, and his team.

Clinical trial tests combination therapy for relapsed hairy cell leukemia

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare and slow-growing leukemia in which bone marrow overproduces abnormal B lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Under a microscope, these malignant cells appear to be covered with tiny hair-like projections. In this study, patients will receive an immunotoxin called moxetumomab pasudotox to study its effect on relapsed HCL.

Elaine Jaffe named an NIH Distinguished Investigator

Elaine Jaffe, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Pathology, has been selected as an NIH Distinguished Investigator, a prestigious title reserved for tenured intramural senior investigators who are at the highest level in their fields. Dr. Jaffe has conducted pioneering studies related to the classification of malignant lymphomas and has led an international effort for consensus among clinicians and pathologists.

Clinical trial will test new treatment to improve survival rates for patients with operable gastrointestinal tumors

A clinical phase II trial at the NIH Clinical Center will test the effectiveness of a monoclonal antibody used immediately before and after surgery for patients with primary pancreatic and bile duct cancer and those who have liver metastasis from colorectal cancer. The trial is investigating whether this treatment can prevent the disease from coming back after surgery.

Clinical trial studies antibiotic therapy for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, a rare liver cancer

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC) is a rare liver cancer that usually grows in teens and young adults. Unresectable FLC usually does not improve with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Tim F. Greten, M.D., Deputy Chief of the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, is leading a study that tests the theory that certain bacteria in the gut may influence the development of FLC.

James Kochenderfer receives 2019 FNIH Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists

James Kochenderfer, M.D., Investigator in the Surgery Branch, has received the 2019 Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists. The award recognizes the outstanding contributions of early career clinician-scientists whose work has the potential to or has led to innovations in patient care. Dr. Kochenderfer was selected as the 2019 recipient for developing immunotherapies that leverage chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to treat blood cancers, including lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

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