Computer model predicts who needs lung cancer screening

A machine learning model equipped with only data on people’s age, smoking duration and the number of cigarettes smoked per day can predict lung cancer risk and identify who needs lung cancer screening, according to a new study publishing October 3rd in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Thomas Callender of University College London, UK, and colleagues.

Researchers Report Protein Mutation Creates ‘Super’ T Cells with Potential to Fight Off Cancer and Infections

Using laboratory-grown cells from humans and genetically engineered mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have evidence that modifying a specific protein in immune white blood cells known as CD8+ T cells can make the cells more robust, potentially opening the door for better use of people’s own immune system T cells to fight cancer.

UTSW researcher receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

Ravikanth Maddipati, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and in Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, has been awarded $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research investigating positional heterogeneity in cancer, or how tumors in the same organ can behave differently based on where they form.

Exploring Genetic Changes in Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer

Investigators from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health, the state’s leading cancer program and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, investigated genomic alterations based on KRAS status to identify mutations in patients with KRAS wild type (WT). They share their findings, which were presented at the 2023 ASTRO meeting.

Internationally Recognized Thoracic Oncologist Dr. Taofeek K. Owonikoko Named Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, and University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) President and CEO Bert W. O’Malley, MD, announced today that Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, a distinguished physician-scientist with a global reputation in thoracic oncology, has been appointed Executive Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC).

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health to Unveil Wide Range of Innovative Radiation Oncology Research at the 2023 ASTRO Annual Meeting

Physician-scientists from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health will present new, novel, and expansive radiation oncology data from their clinical research program at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, to be held in San Diego from October 1-4.

Research Highlights for September 2023

Huntsman Cancer Institute shines the spotlight on new discoveries and cutting-edge cancer research. This month, researchers found that increasing access for Black people with prostate cancer may save lives. Also, the first patient in a new small cell lung cancer clinical trial has been enrolled, researchers are using an app to help adolescents and young adults manage cancer symptoms, and investigators are trying to reduce cognitive side-effects after chemotherapy.

Palex and Inbiomotion introduce pioneering test to aid oncologists in predicting recurrence and survival rates in breast cancer patients

Spain is the first country in the world to have this technology
• Results showing the clinical utility of the test were published in
Lancet Oncology and the Journal of National Cancer Institute
• The test is now available to oncologists and pathologists and will
benefit an estimated 24,000 patients each year in Spain

University Hospitals announces historic $2 billion fundraising campaign

University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio announced today a $2 billion fundraising effort to advance its mission. Because of You: The Campaign for University Hospitals, led by campaign co-chairs Dee Haslam and Shelly Adelman, has received more than $1.18 billion in support to date – nearly 60 percent of its goal.

Disrupting A Core Metabolic Process In T Cells May Improve Their Therapeutic Efficacy

In exploring an aspect of how killer T cells generate the raw materials required for their proliferation, a Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered an unexpected link between the immune cells’ metabolism, regulation of gene expression, persistence and functional efficacy that could be exploited using existing drugs to improve cancer immunotherapy.

The Latest in Science and Medical Advancement in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery to be Presented at AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting

The latest research and advances in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery will be presented in Nashville, Tennessee, during the AAO-HNSF 2023 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience, September 30 – October 4.

$50 million gift to expand health sciences research at Virginia Tech

The Richmond, Virginia-based Red Gates Foundation recently committed $50 million to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC to accelerate health sciences research at Virginia Tech. The gift is among the largest ever made to the university.

New Online Tool Available to Help Health Care Providers Identify a Hard to Diagnose Breast Cancer

A new diagnostic scoring system, developed by renowned breast cancer experts, is now available as an easy-to-use online tool through Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization. This tool will help health care providers recognize and effectively diagnose a rare and aggressive breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer.

New insights to enhance treatment and diagnosis of blood cancer

A ground-breaking study by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has revealed crucial insights into the role of the histone methyltransferase NSD2 and its epigenetic target PKCα in causing t(4;14) translocated multiple myeloma (MM), a high-risk subtype of blood cancer, to be more aggressive and resistant to treatment.

Using smart bioelectronic devices to capture and release tumor cells

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer, occurring when a cell leaves the primary tumour, passes into the bloodstream and lymphatic system and reaches distant organs. Non-invasive collection of these circulating tumour cells is essential for the study of cell biology, the diagnosis and prognosis in cancer research, and drug development.