- Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a method to quantify tumor-specific total mRNA levels from patient tumor samples. The researchers used this method on tumors from more than 6,500 patients across 15 cancer types and found that higher mRNA levels in cancer cells were correlated with an increased risk of disease progression and poor survival. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology.
- The researchers at Johns Hopkins University investigated age-related mechanisms in melanoma metastasizing. While age-related changes suppress the growth of melanoma cells in primary tumors, this new study established aging as the factor that increased the spread of cancer cells to distant organs. This multicenter study was published in Nature.
- Although cancer cells can have thousands of mutations in their DNA, only some drive cancer progression. Scientists from MIT created a computer model that can quickly scan the genome of cancer cells and identify mutations that occur most frequently and thus potentially are responsible for driving tumor growth. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology.
- A researcher from the University of Texas synthesized a new molecule (ERX-41) that had proved, in in-vitro and animal experiments, to be effective against a broad spectrum of hard-to-treat cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, pancreatic and ovarian cancers, and glioblastoma. The study was published in Nature Cancer.
- Cancer vaccines are on the rise as a cancer treatment modality. They work by inducing an immune response, but tumors often resist this response via an immune escape mechanism. A group of researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and other institutions created a new cancer vaccine targeting this mechanism and increasing immune antibody levels. The vaccine was studied on animals, and human trials are expected to come next. The study was published in Nature.