Biology of Cancer - Cancer Currents Blog
Cancer biology research news, with context from experts at NCI and elsewhere. Topics include cancer metastasis, the tumor microenvironment, and new targets for cancer therapies.
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A “Living Medicine:” Engineered E. coli Shrink Tumors in MiceTwo researcher teams have engineered a probiotic strain of E. coli called Nissle 1917 so it can help the immune system attack tumors. Although the E. coli were altered in different ways, resulting in two different immune-based treatment strategies, both were effective in mice.
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Treatment Strategy for ecDNA-Driven Tumors Shows PotentialResearchers have found that cancer cells containing extrachromosomal DNAs (ecDNAs) have a weakness that can be exploited by a drug that targets the CHK1 protein. In mice, combining the drug with another targeted therapy kept cancer at bay for long periods.
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Breast Cancer May Spread by Recruiting Nearby Sensory NervesA new study may provide important new insights into breast cancer metastasis. Blood vessels within tumors release a molecule that draws sensory nerves closer to the tumors, the study shows. This close proximity turns on genes in the cancer cells that drive metastasis.
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Study Identifies Hundreds of Potential Targets for Cancer DrugsResearchers have identified hundreds of promising targets for existing drugs or potential new cancer drugs. The findings relied heavily on proteogenomic data from more than 1,000 tumors representing 10 types of cancer released last year by NCI's CPTAC program.
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DNA from Ancient Viruses Helps Many Cancers GrowDNA fragments from retroviruses that are millions of years old appear to be active in a variety of cancers, a new study found. One virus-derived DNA fragment in particular, known as LTR10, turns on cancer-related genes in multiple types of cancer.
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To Combat Cancer Treatment Resistance, Researchers Try Leveraging EvolutionScientists have developed a strategy for treating cancer that takes advantage of tumors’ ability to rapidly evolve and turns it against them. It involves intentionally making some tumor cells resistant to a specific treatment from the get-go.
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Can Chemo Help KRAS Inhibitors Work Better Against Pancreatic Cancer?Two new studies in mice show that adding chemotherapy to the experimental KRAS inhibitor MRTX1133 greatly reduced tumor growth and spread compared with either treatment alone.
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Drug Combo JAKs Up Immunotherapy in Two Clinical TrialsScientists have been searching for ways to make immune checkpoint inhibitors work for more patients. In two trials, researchers explored a possible role for JAK inhibitors, which dampen chronic inflammation.
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Tumor Signatures May Help Explain Global Differences in Kidney Cancer RatesBy analyzing patterns of DNA mutations in kidney cancers from people around the world, researchers have discovered new clues about possible causes of the disease. Identifying these mutational signatures might lead to strategies for preventing kidney cancer.
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Scientists Link a Single Type of Bacteria to Colorectal CancerNCI-funded researchers have pinpointed a single type of the bacterium F. nucleatum that appears to fuel the development and growth of colorectal cancer. In mice, the bacterium, Fna C2, appeared to cause more adenomas to form in the large intestine and it was often found in human tumor samples.
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Drug Combination May Have Potential for Cancers with TP53 MutationsAlthough TP53 mutations help drive the growth of most cancers, there are no FDA-approved therapies that target altered p53 proteins. Now a drug combination has shown promise in mice and is being tested in a clinical trial.
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Stress-Induced Immune Changes May Help Cancer SpreadStress-induced hormones called glucocorticoids can cause biological changes—in the form of sticky traps called NETs—that help create hospitable environments for cancer cells to form metastatic tumors, according to new research done largely in mice.
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Stealing Strategies from Cancerous T Cells May Boost ImmunotherapyAdding a fusion of parts of two genes helped engineered T cells divide faster, kill more tumor cells, and survive longer in mice without making the T cells behave like cancer cells.
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Manipulating an Immune Cell May Make Radiation Therapy More Effective, Study SuggestsIn a new study in mice, researchers showed they could enhance radiation therapy by boosting levels of the BAMBI protein in MDSC immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. After radiation, T cells flooded into the tumor and killed tumors elsewhere in the body.
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Genetic Signature May Help Tailor Treatment for MeningiomaThe activity of 34 genes can accurately predict the aggressiveness of meningiomas, a new study shows. This gene expression signature may help oncologists select the best treatments for people with this common type of brain cancer than they can with current methods.
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Antibody Drug Ejects Problematic Proteins from Cancer CellsAntibodies currently used in many cancer treatments have only been able to reach proteins outside of cancer cells. In a new study in mice, scientists found a way to target cancer-fueling KRAS and IDH1 proteins buried inside cancer cells.
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Molecular Burglary: Cancer Cells Hijack Energy from Immune CellsA new study shows that, in some tumors, a subset of cancer cells can drain mitochondria, the tiny structures within cells that produce energy, from T cells and use them for their own energy needs.
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A Better Biomarker for Cancer Immunotherapy?A new study, conducted largely in mice, may help explain why a currently used molecular marker—called mismatch repair deficiency—doesn’t always work to predict which patients will respond to immunotherapies called immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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ENLACE Study Explores Colorectal Cancer in Hispanic and Latino PeopleThe ENLACE study is the first to use cutting-edge technologies to describe the molecular features of colorectal tumors in Hispanic and Latino people. The study’s goals are to improve treatments and increase Hispanic/Latino engagement in cancer research.
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Oncolytic Virus Enables the Immune System to Attack TumorsA cancer-infecting virus engineered to tamp down a tumor’s ability to suppress the immune system shrank tumors in mice, a new study shows. The modified oncolytic virus worked even better when used along with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.