Author Archives: Johanna

A Renewed Cancer Moonshot

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Earlier this month, President Biden announced a renewed Cancer Moonshot initiative aimed at halving the cancer mortality rate within 25 years. The new plan focuses on increasing screening and access to care.

Larry Norton, MD, and Debra Schrag, MD, MPH

Left: Larry Norton, MD. Photo by Juliana Thomas.
Right: Debra Schrag, MD, MPH. Photo by Richard DeWitt.

Numerous outlets interviewed experts at MSK for their thoughts about the plan. In USA Today, Dr. Larry Norton expressed hope that the plan will improve coordinated access to and sharing of patient data, which could drive new advances. He told Grid News that he believes cutting the mortality rate in half may happen more quickly than anticipated.

In NBC News, Dr. Deb Schrag said that the goal is a realistic one, given that cancer is many diseases, and often a consequence of aging. She added in The Washington Post that we currently lack solutions for cancers linked to obesity, which are expected to rise. In VOA News, she said that the focus on care accessibility could allow vaccination and screening to reach more people.

Early Study of New CAR-T Cell Shows Promising Results

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A study by MSK researchers in Nature Chemical Biology describes the development of a new class of cell that may boost treatment options for certain cancers and other diseases, one of a number of new advances in the field of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) therapy.

CAR-T cells are engineered from a patient’s own cells and used to activate an immune response against cancer. As described by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News and The Science Advisory Board, the new synthetic enzyme-armed killer (SEAKER) cells described in the study overcome many of the limitations of current CAR-T cell therapies. In an animal model, the researchers successfully engineered the cells to produce AMS, a natural anti-cancer compound, at the cancer site.

The researchers plan to further develop SEAKER cells for use in human clinical trials in two to three years.

From Outer Space to Patient Homes: The Cutting Edge of Exercise Research

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Jessica Scott, PhD

Jessica Scott, PhD. Photo by Ethan Kavet.

Today recently spoke to MSK’s Dr. Jessica Scott about her research on whether vigorous exercise can alleviate chemotherapy side effects. Prior to working at MSK, Dr. Scott studied the impact of exercise on NASA astronauts. She has found similarities in the way space flight and chemotherapy impact the heart, brain, and musculoskeletal system.

Dr. Scott’s study participants used to visit MSK to take part in her research. To allow her work to continue during the pandemic, she and her team sent participants treadmills, blood pressure cuffs, heart monitors, and iPads to enable remote, monitored workouts—similar to how astronauts in space are monitored back on earth. Study results should be out next year.