- In collaboration with other researchers, researchers at the National Institutes of Health discovered an entirely new ways RAS genes, which are “the second most frequently mutated genes in cancer”, drive cancer growth. The knowledge of RAS genes’ role in cancer was well established, but discovering how RAS genes trigger a chain “of events involving the transport of specific proteins in the nucleus” is an entirely new turn. The discovery can pave the way for new drug combinations to treat RAS-promoted cancers more effectively. The study was published in Nature Cancer.
- Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) conducted the phase I clinical trial of an investigational vaccine for the prevention of triple-negative breast cancer recurrence. This small clinical trial of a new type of vaccine, known as a neoantigen DNA vaccine, demonstrated promising, better-than-expected, results for patients with this aggressive, hard-to-treat, type of breast cancer. The study was published in Genome Medicine.
- Another research that has implications for triple-negative breast cancer, among other cancer types, is conducted at Johns Hopkins University. This research is related to cancer cells that, after leaving the hypoxic (i.e., lacking oxygen) environment deep in the tumor, enter the bloodstream and spread. Scientists have identified 16 genes that breast cancer cells use to survive in the bloodstream. Each of these genes can become a therapeutic target to stop cancer recurrence, one of which has already been in clinical trials. The research was reported on in Nature Communications.
- Researchers from Northwestern University have found an unexpected connection between COVID-19 infection and cancer regression. They discovered that the RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 triggers the development of a unique type of immunity that can fight cancer. The discovery may lay a foundation for novel cancer treatments. The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
- Researchers from MD Anderson found significant survival benefits in patients who quit smoking after cancer diagnosis. “The best outcomes were observed in patients who started tobacco treatment within six months of a cancer diagnosis and were abstinent from smoking three months later.” The study was published in JAMA Oncology.