Drug targeting clear cell renal cell carcinoma shows promising approach

In a groundbreaking phase one clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center, a short interfering RNA (siRNA) drug directed to tumor cells effectively disrupted HIF2α, a key driver of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Published in Clinical Cancer Research, the findings illustrate the potential of siRNA for cancer therapy.

Tip Sheet: Weight loss drugs and cancer prevention, Fred Hutch at AACR, lymphedema Q&A — and new vice president and chief nursing officer

SEATTLE — April 3, 2024 — Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings, patient stories and other news. If you’re covering the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, please see our list of and contact to set up interviews.

Inflammation-reducing drug shows no benefit for dry age-related macular degeneration in NIH trial

The drug minocycline, an antibiotic that also decreases inflammation, failed to slow vision loss or expansion of geographic atrophy in people with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a phase II clinical study at the National Eye Institute (NEI),…

This Injectable Hydrogel Mitigates Damage to the Right Ventricle of the Heart

An injectable hydrogel can mitigate damage to the right ventricle of the heart with chronic pressure overload, according to a new study published March 6 in Journals of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science.  The study, by a research team from the University of California San Diego, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, was conducted in rodents.

L-Nutra Unveils Groundbreaking Research on Fasting Mimicking Diets (FMDs) and Reduced Biological Age Score

L-Nutra Inc., a leading nutrition technology company developing evidence-based Nutrition for Longevity and Nutrition as Medicine programs, is excited to announce the release of a groundbreaking longevity and healthy aging study published in Nature Communications, a prestigious Nature portfolio journal.

First Drug to Help Reduce Allergic Reactions to Multiple Food Allergies, Tested at Children’s and Emory, Now FDA Approved

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University participated in a nationwide clinical trial showing that a 16-week course of omalizumab, an injectable drug, increased the amount of peanut, tree nuts, egg, milk and wheat that some multi-food allergic children as young as one year could consume without an allergic reaction after exposure.

Research Study on Novel Rehab Program for Heart Failure Patients, Led by Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Expands to Advocate Health Site in Chicago

Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the academic core of Advocate Health, is expanding another research study to Advocate Christ Medical Center, in Oak Lawn, Illinois, just outside Chicago.

The study, which is testing a novel rehabilitation program designed for older patients hospitalized with acute heart failure, is funded by a five-year, $30 million grant, awarded to Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 2022 by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Intravascular Imaging Significantly Improves Survival, Safety, and Outcomes in Cardiovascular Stenting Procedures Over Conventional Angiography

Results from this large-scale synthesis of all prior clinical trials could increase usage of several types of high-resolution imaging for guiding interventional coronary procedures

New treatment for a rare and aggressive cancer improves survival rates in breakthrough clinical trial

An innovative treatment significantly increases the survival of people with malignant mesothelioma, a rare but rapidly fatal type of cancer with few effective treatment options, according to results from a clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London.

Dementia Researchers Share Recruitment Strategies for Pragmatic Clinical Trial

The Dementia Care (D-CARE) Study (2019-2023), which was conducted at four clinical trial sites in the U.S., compared three approaches in dementia care. Despite challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, D-CARE successfully enrolled 2,176 racially/ethnically diverse persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias and their caregivers.

CSOFT Health Sciences Releases MDR White Paper to Support EU Medical Device Compliance

CSOFT Health Sciences, leaders in clinical trial translation, are pleased to announce the launch of their co-authored white paper for medical device manufacturers seeking re-certification under the updated EU Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR), in collaboration with partner organizations Gouya Insights and GCP-Service International Ltd. & Co.KG to jointly offer manufacturers an end-to-end platform for establishing conformity with policies set to take effect by January 2028.

Kidney cancer study shows improved outcomes for patients with advanced disease when treated with belzutifan over everolimus

Belzutifan significantly reduced the risk of progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common type of kidney cancer, in patients previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and anti-angiogenic therapies compared with everolimus in a phase 3 clinical trial.

UC Davis Eye Center tests experimental gene therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Ophthalmologists at UC Davis Health used an experimental gene therapy last month to treat a patient with wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD. Wet AMD is a leading cause of vision loss among older adults. Glenn Yiu, a professor of ophthalmology at UC Davis Health, is the principal investigator for the new clinical trial.

Optical Coherence Tomography May Improve Safety and Outcomes for Stenting Procedures in Heart Disease Patients Compared to Conventional Angiography

Results from a large-scale clinical trial results could increase usage of high resolution imaging for guiding interventional coronary procedures

Small Percentage of People with Early Dementia Eligible for New Alzheimer’s Drugs

Only a small percentage of older adults who are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease meet the eligibility criteria to receive new monoclonal antibody treatments, drugs that target amyloid-ß plaques in the brain, an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. The new research is published in the August 16, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Clinical trial results for these drugs are only available in people in the early symptomatic stages of the disease, mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.

Study finds improved survival for incurable brain tumor, providing ‘a crack in the armor’

For the first time, researchers have found a potential drug candidate that improved outcomes for patients with a type of childhood brain tumor for which there are no effective treatments. The compound, called ONC201, nearly doubled survival for patients with diffuse midline glioma (DMG) or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), compared to previous patients.

Mount Sinai Receives Significant Funding to Study Which Coronary Revascularization Procedure Best Improves Survival and Quality of Life for Women and Underserved Minority Groups

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will help lead and launch the first clinical trial focusing on women and minority populations to determine which coronary revascularization procedure best improves their survival and quality of life.

Breakthrough in Glioblastoma Treatment with the Help of a Virus

Howard Colman, MD, PhD, was recently featured as an author on a publication in Nature Medicine describing the results of a recent clinical trial – a breakthrough in glioblastoma treatment with the help of a modified cold virus injected directly into the tumor. When combined with an immunotherapy drug, the authors observed a subset of patients that appeared to be living longer as a result of this therapy.

UTHealth Houston awarded nearly $13M in grants to study treatments for traumatic brain injury

Nearly $13 million in federal grant funds to study treatments for traumatic brain injury, which kills an average of 190 people and hospitalizes another 600 in the U.S. every day, has been awarded to UTHealth Houston by the Department of Defense’s Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Drug significantly reduces chorea symptoms in patients with Huntington’s disease

The drug valbenazine statistically improves chorea, a movement disorder commonly associated with Huntington’s disease, when compared to a placebo, according to a recent international study led by UTHealth Houston researcher Erin Furr Stimming, MD, who served as principal investigator on behalf of the KINECT-HD Huntington Study Group.

AACR: Early trial results show benefits of FGFR inhibitors and PARP/ATR inhibitor combinations in multiple tumor types

Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center presented promising findings from multiple clinical trials today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023. The studies, which describe results from a novel FGFR inhibitor and from new PARP/ATR inhibitor combinations, were featured in a plenary session highlighting novel biomarker-driven molecularly targeted therapy trials.

IU cancer center researcher leads first in-human multiple myeloma study with 90.5 percent response rate

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center served as the lead site for a promising first-in-human clinical trial for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. Patients treated with higher doses of the immunotherapy called REGN5459 resulted in a 90.5 percent overall response rate.

AACR: YAP/TEAD inhibitor VT3989 is well tolerated and shows antitumor activity in advanced mesothelioma and NF2-mutant cancers

The first-in-class YAP/TEAD inhibitor VT3989 was well tolerated with durable antitumor responses in patients with advanced malignant mesothelioma and other tumors with NF2 mutations, according to results of a Phase I trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Chula Makes Progress in “CAR T-Cell Therapy” Innovation: New Hope for Thai Lymphoma Cancer Patients

Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and Nagoya University, Japan, in their collaboration to develop an immunotherapy method for curing cancer, reported on the progress of CAR T-cell immunotherapy innovation for treating cancer in leukemia and B-cell lymphoma patients, which can increase survival rates and reduce cancer recurrence.

Researchers Show Lorlatinib is Safe and Effective for Patients with ALK-Driven Relapsed/Refractory High-Risk Neuroblastoma

In a significant step for the treatment of neuroblastoma, an international group of researchers led by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) Consortium has shown that the targeted therapy lorlatinib is safe and effective in treating high-risk neuroblastoma.

University Hospitals Research Published in New England Journal of Medicine Shows Minimally Invasive Procedure Saves Most Patients with Severe Vascular Disease from Amputation

A study, co-led by University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, could lead to the first FDA approval of a therapy giving thousands of patients hope for an alternative to amputation.

TWO CLINICAL TRIALS REVEAL ADDITION OF IMMUNOTHERAPY TO CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMEN INCREASES PROGRESSION-FREE SURVIVAL IN ENDOMETRIAL CANCER PATIENTS

The results of two clinical trials, presented today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2023 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, showcased adding immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy resulted in significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) among patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (EC).