- Researchers from EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the Francis Crick Institute working within the framework of Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) project, created tumor development timelines for several cancer types including glioblastoma, and colorectal and ovarian adenocarcinoma . Their research established that “the mutations that initiate cancer progression may arise decades before diagnosis”. The study was published in Nature.
- Researchers at Cardiff University School of Medicine in Wales reported on a new method to fight a wide range of cancers including prostate, breast, lung and others. The method published in Nature Immunology is based on the power of the immune system; the researchers “used genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening to establish that a T cell receptor (TCR) recognized and killed most human cancer types.” This animal study lays a foundation for further research on humans, which potentially can offer “universal” cancer immunotherapy.
- Researchers from Italy were able to increase the effect of immunotherapy by enhancing it with high doses of vitamin C. This animal study was published in Science Translational Medicine.