News and Events

Neurofibromatosis type 1 patient attends Camp Fantastic for the first time

Thirteen-year-old Dom was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1 at birth. Because of Dom’s diagnosis, he hasn’t always had the opportunity to do the things the average teenager does, but his first year at Camp Fantastic changed that. Camp Fantastic, an annual week-long camp for pediatric cancer patients and survivors, gave Dom the opportunity to try lots of new things and some familiar ones in a setting of support, safety and friendship.

FDA grants breakthrough therapy designation for new CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

In August 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted breakthrough therapy designation to an experimental immunotherapy being developed in the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. The designation will advance CCR’s development and testing of an immunotherapy for children and young adults whose B-cell ALL is resistant to CD19-targeted immunotherapies.

Contour maps created from glucose and lactate signals

Researchers develop a new imaging technique to measure cancer metabolism

CCR researchers have developed a new technique to show metabolism from MRI images by reducing the amount of noise in those images, resulting in significantly improved quality. This breakthrough enables researchers to see biochemical processes, paving the way for a deeper understanding of tumors and potentially improved diagnosis and treatment.

Human breast tumor cells arrested in the blood vessels of zebrafish larvae

Tumor cells in transparent fish reveal physical and molecular factors that determine metastasis sites

CCR researchers used zebrafish to discover that particular sites colonized by migrating tumor cells are determined by both the physical architecture of tissue and the cells’ molecular compatibility with their microenvironment.

FDA grants breakthrough therapy designation of new TIL therapy for advanced cervical cancer

In May 2019, the FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation to a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy technology known as LN-145 to treat advanced cervical cancer based on data presented by CCR collaborator Iovance Biotherapeutics.

B cells imaged using super-resolution microscopy

In patients with severe chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B cells get stuck in hyperactive mode

Analyzing how cancer cells respond to stress signals could help clinicians assess the severity of disease in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to new research from the Center for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Landmark discovery: H2AX as a sensor of DNA damage

William Bonner’s curiosity about histones led to the discovery that the protein H2AX is altered in response to harmful DNA damage called a double-strand break. This powerful tool has led to breakthroughs in both basic and clinical cancer research.

New mechanism for regulating differentiation discovered in human embryonic stem cells

Researchers in the Center for Cancer Research have discovered a new mechanism involving a nuclease complex called the RNA exosome that represses differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. This represents the first time this mechanism has been studied in these cells.

Gene-regulating microRNAs gain control over hundreds of new genes with common sequence modification

MicroRNAs have an enormous influence over what happens inside cells. By blocking the activity of specific sets of genes, they help control virtually every known biological pathway and process. Disruptions in microRNAs have been linked to many diseases, and understanding how these molecules function, which genes they control and how they themselves are regulated are high priorities in cancer research.

Gastrointestinal tumors harbor T cells that recognize patients’ unique tumor antigens

CCR scientists, led by Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., have determined that many common gastrointestinal tumors bear mutations capable of eliciting an immune response, suggesting that immunotherapy could be an effective way to treat these common cancers.

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