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UrduThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
Tag: Immunotherapy
Neurosurgeon-scientist elected to Taiwan’s prestigious Academia Sinica
Dr. Linda Liau, chair of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA(Link is external) (Link opens in new window), has been elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica by the 35th Convocation of Academicians, the preeminent academic institution in Taiwan.
Summer Safety: What You Should Know About Melanoma
After a cold and rainy winter, it’s refreshing to plan summertime outdoor activities or a day at the beach soaking up the sun. But it’s important to remember that too much sun exposure can be harmful.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for June 19, 2024
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
Obesity-cancer connection discovery suggests strategies for improving immunotherapy
The study reported in the journal Nature provides a mechanistic explanation for the “obesity paradox” — that obesity can contribute to cancer progression but also improve response to immunotherapy.
How tumor stiffness alters immune cell behavior to escape destruction
Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys, with collaborators, illuminate how the fibrotic tumor microenvironment creates an inhospitable milieu for anti-tumor immunity, not just by creating a physical barrier but through metabolic changes that suppress the anti-tumor function of responding immune cells.
UC San Diego Health First in Region to Provide Novel Therapy for Melanoma
Breakthrough one-time cancer treatment option for select patients with metastatic melanoma and solid tumors now offered at UC San Diego Health.
The effect of resting dendritic cells on overall survival in the hepatocellular carcinoma tumor microenvironment
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to have a poor prognosis even in the advent of new immunotherapy regimens. An area of growing interest in HCC is its tumor immune microenvironment. Classifying the immune microenvironment based on available genomics can lead to…
Fresh hope for chronic wounds
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved two new wound management products that include patented hydrogels invented by University of Delaware researchers. The unique UD hydrogel materials self-assemble to form a 3D matrix compatible with living cells.
Plant virus treatment shows promise in fighting metastatic cancers in mice
An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study from the University of California San Diego.
Adding immune-boosting agent to personalized cancer vaccine supercharges the body’s immune defense against malignant brain tumors
Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have pinpointed a combination immunotherapy treatment that enhances the immune response for people with malignant gliomas, an aggressive type of brain tumor that is fast growing and difficult to treat.
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat. Nano-drugs hitching a ride on bacteria could help.
Many pancreatic tumors are like malignant fortresses, surrounded by a dense matrix of collagen and other tissue that shields them from immune cells and immunotherapies that have been effective in treating other cancers. Employing bacteria to infiltrate that cancerous fortification and deliver these drugs could aid treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to newly published findings from a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers.
Getting Under the Skin at May 11 Symposium on Melanoma
The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, is teaming up with the AIM at Melanoma Foundation for the 14th year to host a free melanoma symposium for patients, caregivers and clinicians.
Sylvester Cancer Adding Cellular Therapy to Its Arsenal Against Metastatic Melanoma
Patients in South Florida with metastatic melanoma will soon have access to tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, or TIL. The therapy will be available at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and will be South Florida’s only center offering this treatment.
Unlocking the immune system: cGAS-STING pathway offers new hope for cancer breakthroughs
A groundbreaking study has recognized the cGAS-STING signaling pathway as a formidable ally in the immune system’s battle against cancer. This pivotal discovery may pave the way for innovative immunotherapies capable of amplifying the body’s inherent defenses to detect and eradicate cancer cells, signifying a substantial advance towards more potent cancer treatments.
Cancer cell–immune cell interactions predict immunotherapy response
By examining which genes were turned on and off in a mix of cell types from breast cancer biopsies, a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers developed a tool that can accurately predict which patients with breast cancer will respond to immunotherapies.
FDA approves immunotherapy drug combo for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer after UCLA-led research shows improved outcomes for patients
The FDA approval was based on results of the QUILT 3.032 clinical trial, which was led by Dr. Karim Chamie, associate professor urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a researcher at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Study opens new avenue for immunotherapy drug development
In a new study published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have designed a new method for developing immunotherapy drugs using engineered peptides to elicit a natural immune response inside the body.
Could the liver hold the key to better cancer treatments?
Liver inflammation, a common side-effect of cancers elsewhere in the body, has long been associated with worse cancer outcomes and more recently associated with poor response to immunotherapy. Now, a team led by researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found a big reason why.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for April 12, 2024
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
AACR: Novel immunotherapies show promise for patients with kidney cancer and for solid organ transplant recipients with skin cancer
Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center presented encouraging findings today from two clinical trials in a plenary session highlighting advances in novel immunotherapy approaches at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024.
Personalized Vaccine for Liver Cancer Shows Promise in Clinical Trial
Adding a personalized anti-tumor vaccine to standard immunotherapy is safe and about twice as likely to shrink cancer as standard immunotherapy alone for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AACR: MD Anderson’s Padmanee Sharma elected Fellow of the AACR Academy
Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., associate vice president of Immunobiology, professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology, and director of scientific programs for the James P. Allison Institute at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been elected to the 2024 class of Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy in recognition of her work to establish and advance immune checkpoint therapies as effective treatments for patients with a variety of cancers.
Answers from an Expert: Esophageal Cancer
Benjamin Medina, MD, thoracic surgeon in the Lung/Thoracic Oncology Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health, answers common questions about esophageal cancer during esophageal cancer awareness month.
Clinical Trial Results Published in Nature Medicine Show Immunotherapy’s Potential in Resectable Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancers and the Benefits of Monitoring Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) to Measure Disease Response
The results of a study published today in Nature Medicine show exciting immune responses in patients with operable esophageal or gastroesophageal cancers given neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The study results also show the potential for monitoring circulating tumor DNA as a predictor for future intervention.
Circulating Tumor DNA Levels Predict Treatment Outcomes for Patients with Gastroesophageal Cancer Treated with a Novel Immunotherapy Combination
Monitoring levels of DNA shed by tumors and circulating in the bloodstream could help doctors accurately assess how gastroesophageal cancers are responding to treatment, and potentially predict future prognosis, suggests a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
We Now Know Why Killer T Cells Lose Energy Inside of Solid Tumors
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have found that a metabolic enzyme called Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase causes T cells to store fat when they are in solid tumors, rather than burning fat for energy.
LJI welcomes new faculty member Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D.
Cancer researcher Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D., has joined the faculty of La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) as an Assistant Professor to lead the Laboratory of Tissue Immune Networks. His laboratory at LJI aims to investigate the basis of CD8+ T cell tissue immunity to improve life-saving cancer immunotherapies.
Immune Cell Receptor Provides Promising Immunotherapy Target
Drugs that target a receptor on immune cells called activin receptor 1C may combat tumor-induced immune suppression and help patients’ immune systems fight back against cancer, according to a study by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
Widely used machine learning models reproduce dataset bias in Rice study
High-income communities overrepresented in relevant datasets for immunotherapy research.
Promising target for CAR T-cell therapy leads to potent antitumor responses against cutaneous and rare melanomas
Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have built and demonstrated the potential efficacy of a new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell-based immunotherapy specifically designed to treat patients with cutaneous and rare subtypes of melanoma.
New Trial Highlights Incremental Progress Towards a Cure for HIV-1
A new clinical trial, led by clinicians and researchers at the UNC School of Medicine, show that the combination of the drug vorinostat and immunotherapy may modestly shrink the latent HIV reservoir, but more work needs to be done in the field to create a cure.
Immunotherapy before surgery leads to promising long-term survival in sarcoma patients
Patients with soft-tissue sarcoma treated with neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, immunotherapy had very little residual tumor at the time of surgery and promising long-term survival, according to Phase II trial results published today in Nature Cancer by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Novel bispecific design improves CAR T–cell immunotherapy for childhood leukemia
Findings from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital showed a novel dual targeting approach, where a single molecule can recognize two potential cancer-related proteins, is more effective than the single targeting approach, preventing immune escape.
Why a Targeted Therapy Is Better Than Immunotherapy For Some Patients With Inoperable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, tends not to respond well to immunotherapy treatments, including durvalumab. However, Yale Cancer Center (YCC) researchers recently reported in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology that the targeted therapy osimertinib, when administered after chemotherapy and radiation, is associated with significantly improved progression-free survival (living without the cancer worsening).
Researchers Discover Why One Type of Chemotherapy Works Best in Bladder Cancer
Tisch Cancer Institute researchers discovered that a certain type of chemotherapy improves the immune system’s ability to fight off bladder cancer, particularly when combined with immunotherapy, according to a study published in Cell Reports Medicine in January.
Scientists engineer potent immune cells for ‘off-the-shelf’ cancer immunotherapy
UCLA scientists have developed a new method to engineer more powerful immune cells that can potentially be used for “off-the-shelf” cell therapy to treat challenging cancers.
Improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy with modified CAR-T cells
CAR-T cell therapy is a last hope for many patients with blood, bone marrow or lymph gland cancer when other treatments such as chemotherapy are unsuccessful. A limiting factor of this otherwise very effective and safe therapy is that the cells used in the process quickly reach a state of exhaustion.
Pathologic Scoring Shows Promise for Assessing Lung Tumor Therapy Response
A new pathologic scoring system that accurately assesses how much lung tumor is left after a patient receives presurgical cancer treatments can be used to predict survival, according to new research led by investigators at the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Mark Foundation Center for Advanced Genomics and Imaging at the Johns Hopkins University.
Cancer Research Institute to Honor Dr. Ananda Goldrath with 2023 Alt Award
The Cancer Research Institute is proudly awarding Dr. Ananda Goldrath with the 2023 Fredrick W. Alt award for New Discoveries in Immunology.
American Association of Immunologists Congratulates Dr. Steven Rosenberg on Receiving the National Medal of Technology and Innovation
AAI celebrates an immunologist being given the National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Preliminary Data Support Novel Immunotherapy for Advanced Malignant Melanoma in Dogs
A clinical study of 11 dogs with advanced malignant melanoma demonstrated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability profile of cANK-101, a canine interleukin-12 anchored immunotherapy.
Lung cancer outcomes significantly improved with immunotherapy-based treatment given before and after surgery
A regimen of pre-surgical immunotherapy and chemotherapy followed by post-surgical immunotherapy significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) and pathologic complete response (pCR) rates compared to chemotherapy alone for patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to results of a Phase III trial reported by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
ESMO: Pre- and post-surgical immunotherapy improves outcomes for patients with operable lung cancer
Perioperative immunotherapy plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) in patients with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to chemotherapy alone. Results from the Phase III CheckMate 77T study were presented today at the 2023 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Nanoparticle vaccine could curb cancer metastasis to lungs by targeting a protein
UC San Diego engineers have developed an experimental vaccine that could prevent the spread of metastatic cancers to the lungs. Its success lies in targeting a protein known to play a central role in cancer growth and spread, rather than targeting the primary tumor itself.
MD Anderson Research Highlights: ESMO 2023 Special Edition
This special edition features upcoming oral presentations by MD Anderson researchers at the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress focused on clinical advances across a variety of cancer types.
Drug-filled nanocapsule helps make immunotherapy more effective in mice
UCLA researchers have developed a new treatment method using a tiny nanocapsule to help boost the immune response, making it easier for the immune system to fight and kill solid tumors.
Scientists identify new pathway activated by interferon-gamma that leads to tumor cell death
Researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a new role for a protein called extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in a pathway activated by interferon-gamma that can trigger cells to self-destruct.
Capturing Immunotherapy Response in a Blood Drop
Liquid biopsies are blood tests that can serially measure circulating tumor DNA (cell-free DNA that is shed into the bloodstream by dying cancer cells). When used in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer undergoing immunotherapy, they may identify patients who could benefit from treatment with additional drugs, according to a phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. and Canada. The trial is led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, BC Cancer and the Canadian Cancer trials Group (CCTG).
Jennifer Wargo, M.D., elected to the National Academy of Medicine
Jennifer Wargo, M.D., professor of Surgical Oncology and Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her contributions to the understanding of melanoma treatment response and resistance to cancer therapies, including groundbreaking discoveries that reveal how the gut microbiome influences responses to immunotherapy.