Here are a few highlights of cancer research news that have recently caught my attention:

• Researchers at the NIH have developed an enhanced version of a cryo-electron microscope (also known as cryo-EM) that allows scientists to image a relatively small protein at high resolution. Cyro-EM could become a useful tool in drug development. You can read more about their findings in the journal Science.

• The authors of a statistical study in The BMJ found that routine vaccination of boys against human papillomavirus (HPV) could bring worthwhile benefits for some male populations.

• New findings from a clinical trial sponsored by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) offers the clearest picture yet of the prevalence in the U.S. population of mutations in two genes associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. For further details, see ClinicalTrials.gov

• A recent study on the evolving information needs and information seeking behaviors of cancer survivors was conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School for Communication. Their findings revealed that judging by the nature and topics of their information seeking, cancer patients’ information needs appear to differ depending on the type of cancer they have and where they are in their survivorship. More on this study can be found on the department’s site.

• Raising awareness of mouth and throat cancers for black men in some of Florida’s poorest communities has helped increase screening and survival rates. Results of these findings have been published in the Journal of Public Health.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed “reference materials” that could be used by laboratories to determine whether their machines and software were properly analyzing a person’s genetic blueprint, or genome. The material is available for sale on the agency’s site.

Please feel free to contact Marisol Hernandez to share any comments.