Cancer News and Discussions

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caltrek
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Cellular Identity Discovery has Potential to Impact Cancer Treatments
April 7, 2023

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) A team of scientists led by those in Trinity College Dublin has discovered new mechanisms involved in establishing cellular identity, a process that ensures the billions of different cells in our bodies do the correct job. This new discovery in stem cells – a result so surprising that the team initially believed it to be an error in the lab – has potential translational impacts in cancer biology and associated targeted treatments.

The research focuses on the workings of Polycomb protein complexes, PRC1 and PRC2, which are studied by Professor Adrian Bracken and his team, based in Trinity’s School of Genetics and Microbiology. PhD student, Ellen Tuck, describes these proteins as “strict librarians” inside cells. “PRC1 and PRC2 block access to certain areas of the genetic library, such that a neuron cell won’t have access to muscle genes, and it doesn’t get confused in its cellular identity.”

A puzzle regarding PRC2 has intrigued the Bracken lab and other scientists in the field for years: two forms (PRC2.1 and PRC2.2) exist in the cell but the Bracken lab previously showed that the two forms of PRC2 target the same regions of DNA and do the same job. So why do we need two versions?
The new discovery from the lab takes an exciting step towards answering this conundrum, as the team found that PRC2.1 and PRC2.2 recruit different forms of the PRC1 complex to DNA, thereby finally explaining why two versions are needed.

“This took us by complete surprise. We initially thought there must have been a technical issue with the experiment, but multiple replications confirmed that we had in fact stumbled upon a fascinating new process that reshapes our understanding of the hierarchical workflow of Polycomb complexes. We were dancing around the lab,” said Dr Eleanor Glancy, recalling the evening the team finally realised what the data were telling them.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/985159
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Glioblastoma’s Kryptonite? Compounds Identified for Inhibiting Growth of Brain Tumor Cells

https://scitechdaily.com/glioblastomas- ... mor-cells/
By São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) April 10, 2023
Brain Cancer Treatment Illustration
In vitro tests have shown that two substances, A5 and C1, derived from the total synthesis of apomorphine hydrochloride, inhibit glioblastoma cell proliferation, suppress tumor stem cell formation, and boost temozolomide’s effectiveness. Further research and in vivo studies are needed to confirm their potential as novel glioblastoma treatments.

In vitro tests were performed with cultured cells of glioblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer with few treatment options. The next step is to test the effects of the substances in normal nerve cells and animals.

Glioblastoma is a malignant tumor of the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord) and one of the deadliest types of cancer. Few drugs have proved effective at combating this uncontrolled growth of glial cells, which anyway constitute a large proportion of the brain tissue in mammals. The standard treatment is surgical removal of the tumor, followed by chemotherapy with temozolomide, radiation therapy, and then nitrosoureas (such as lomustine). Patient survival has improved moderately over the years, but the prognosis remains poor. These tumors are typically resistant to existing drugs and often grow back after surgery.

Promising results have now been reported in a study involving two substances found to inhibit proliferation of glioblastoma cells. An article on the study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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New nuclear medicine therapy cures human non-hodgkin lymphoma in preclinical model
12 Apr 2023
https://ecancer.org/en/news/22932-new-n ... ical-model

A new nuclear medicine therapy can cure human non-Hodgkin lymphoma in an animal model, according to research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

A single dose of the radioimmunotherapy, [177Lu]Lu-ofatumumab, was found to quickly eliminate tumour cells and extend the life of mice injected with cancerous cells for more than 221 days (the trial endpoint), compared to fewer than 60 days for other treatments and just 19 days in untreated control mice.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a common blood malignancy.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 80,500 new cases and 20,100 deaths will occur in the United States in 2023.

The standard of care for many non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients involves chemotherapy and immunotherapy targeting the CD20 protein, which is highly expressed on most non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells.
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From Tragedy to Triumph: A Promising New Treatment for Pediatric Brain Cancer

https://scitechdaily.com/from-tragedy-t ... in-cancer/
By Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory April 12, 2023
Glioma Stains

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Adrian Krainer developed several antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecules for a new potential cancer treatment, but the most potent was ASO5. When mice were treated with ASO5, their tumor cells (stained red) grew slower and began differentiating into healthy cells (stained green). Credit: Krainer lab/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Researchers develop a potential therapeutic for lethal pediatric brain cancer, DIPG, using ASO technology. The treatment slows tumor growth and increases survival rates in mice.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Adrian Krainer, known for his groundbreaking research on antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and the development of Spinraza® for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), has created a potential therapeutic for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). DIPG is a lethal pediatric brain cancer with limited treatment options. Krainer and his team developed an ASO drug that shuts down the mutated protein H3.3K27M, which slows tumor growth, reverses some cancer cell changes, and increases survival rates in mice. The treatment would likely need to be combined with radiation or immunotherapy before clinical trials can begin. The team is exploring ways to enhance the therapy’s effectiveness.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a lethal pediatric brain cancer that often kills within a year of diagnosis. Surgery is almost impossible because of the tumors’ location. Chemotherapy has debilitating side effects. New treatment options are desperately needed.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor Adrian Krainer is best known for his groundbreaking research on antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)—molecules that can control protein levels in cells. His efforts led to Spinraza®, the first FDA-approved treatment for a deadly neurodegenerative disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
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AI tool predicts colon cancer survival, treatment response
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04- ... vival.html
by Ekaterina Pesheva, Harvard Medical School

A new artificial intelligence model designed by researchers at Harvard Medical School and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan could bring much-needed clarity to doctors delivering prognoses and deciding on treatments for patients with colorectal cancer, the second deadliest cancer worldwide.

Solely by looking at images of tumor samples—microscopic depictions of cancer cells—the new tool accurately predicts how aggressive a colorectal tumor is, how likely the patient is to survive with and without disease recurrence, and what the optimal therapy might be for them.


A report on the team's work is published in Nature Communications.

Having a tool that answers such questions could help clinicians and patients navigate this wily disease, which often behaves differently even among people with similar disease profiles who receive the same treatment—and could ultimately spare some of the 1 million lives that colorectal cancer claims every year.
Last edited by weatheriscool on Mon Apr 17, 2023 5:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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caltrek
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How a Virus Causes Chromosomal Breakage, Leading to Cancer
April 13, 2023

Introduction:
(Eurekalert) The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is easily spread through bodily fluids, primarily saliva, such as kissing, shared drinks or using the same eating utensils. Not surprisingly then, EBV is also among the most ubiquitous of viruses: More than 90% of the world’s population has been infected, usually during childhood.

EBV causes infectious mononucleosis and similar ailments, though often there are no symptoms. Most infections are mild and pass, but the virus persists in the body, becoming latent or inactive, sometimes reactivating. Long-term latent infections are associated with several chronic inflammatory conditions and multiple cancers.

In a new paper, published April 12, 2023 in the journal Nature, researchers at University of California San Diego, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and Ludwig Cancer Research at UC San Diego, describe for the first time how the virus exploits genomic weaknesses to cause cancer while reducing the body’s ability to suppress it.

These findings show “how a virus can induce cleavage of human chromosome 11, initiating a cascade of genomic instability that can potentially activate a leukemia-causing oncogene and inactivate a major tumor suppressor,” said senior study author Don Cleveland, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Neurosciences and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

“It’s the first demonstration of how cleavage of a ‘fragile DNA’ site can be selectively induced.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/986075
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New method of analyzing tumor samples may make pathologists obsolete
By Paul McClure
April 16, 2023
Determining changes in the physical properties of cells is crucial to diagnosing and treating some diseases, such as cancer. But a diagnosis requires the expertise of a pathologist. A team of scientists has developed a quick and simple method of analyzing tissue biopsies for cancer that might make pathologists a thing of the past.

When a cancer tumor has been biopsied, a specialist pathologist is required to analyze the sample and provide an assessment of the tissue’s health. It’s a process that needs to be fast and accurate as it usually happens while the patient is on the operating table.

Taking a biopsy of a solid tumor is the most common way of assessing cancer malignancy and guides surgeons in managing patients both during and after surgery. But what sounds like a simple process isn’t. A pathologist must slice and stain a sample and inspect it microscopically before providing their expert opinion; it’s very labor- and resource-intensive.

Waiting for a pathologist’s report may soon be a thing of the past, though, with a team of researchers developing a method of accurately analyzing solid cancer tumors in about 30 minutes without consulting a pathologist. They tested their method using mice tissue.
https://newatlas.com/medical/new-method ... -obsolete/
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University of Rochester Researchers Discover How to Steer Army of Immune Cells Toward Cancer
April 17 , 2023

Introduction:
(Eurekalert) Immunotherapy, particularly CAR T-Cell treatment for cancer, is extending the lives of many patients. But sometimes the therapy randomly migrates to places it shouldn’t go, tucking into the lungs or other noncancerous tissue and causing toxic side effects. A University of Rochester/Wilmot Cancer Institute team discovered the molecule responsible for guiding T cells toward tumors, setting the stage for scientists to improve upon the groundbreaking treatment.

The next step is to find a drug that can manipulate the key T-cell protein, ST3GAL1, said Minsoo Kim, Ph.D., corresponding author of an article in Nature Immunology that describes the research. If the investigation evolves as planned, such a drug could be added to the CAR T-cell regimen to ensure that T cells hit their targets, Kim said.

His lab is collaborating with other Wilmot investigators to screen for drugs that will accomplish that feat, while also minimizing the risk of life-threatening side effects.

“You can create very powerful treatments,” said Kim, co-leader of Wilmot’s Cancer Microenvironment research program at the UR, “but if they can’t get to their targets or they go to the wrong place, it does not provide the outcome you intended.”

Enlisting a patient’s own immune system to wipe out cancer has emerged as one of the most promising advances in cancer care.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/986161
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Smaller Than a Grain of Rice – Scientists Use Tiny Implantable Device To Tame Pancreatic Cancer

https://scitechdaily.com/smaller-than-a ... ic-cancer/
By Houston Methodist April 17, 2023
Nanofluidic Drug Eluting Seed
Scientists use intratumoral immunotherapy to tame pancreatic cancer.

Houston Methodist nanomedicine researchers have discovered a method to control pancreatic cancer, a highly aggressive and challenging form of the disease, by administering immunotherapy directly to the tumor using a device smaller than a grain of rice.

A recent study published in the journal Advanced Science details the work of researchers from the Houston Methodist Research Institute who utilized an implantable nanofluidic device of their own creation to deliver CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb), a highly promising immunotherapeutic agent, in a sustained low dose via the nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES). The results, as observed in mice models, showed a significant reduction in tumor size at a four times lower dosage compared to conventional systemic immunotherapy treatments.
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Researchers develop new test for detecting cancer biomarkers
https://phys.org/news/2023-04-cancer-biomarkers.html
by Bill Wellock, Florida State University
When doctors are examining suspected cancer cases, they turn to biomarker tests to help make a diagnosis.

With a testing system and patient samples, physicians can investigate potential leads, narrowing down their list of culprits to provide precise, effective treatment for patients.

A team led by Florida State University chemists has developed a new test for detecting biological markers related to several types of cancer. Their research was recently published in Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"Better tools for detecting cancer mean more effective treatment for patients," said study co-author Hedi Mattoussi, a professor in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Our goal in this research was to build a biosensor that would light up in the presence of cancer markers, offering another tool for the ongoing problem of detecting this disease."

The sensing platform is made of a gold nanoparticle and molecules called peptides that are labeled with a dye. The components are connected by chemical bonds, and the gold nanoparticle keeps the dye from glowing in the presence of UV light.

When a patient sample containing the enzyme MMP-14—a biomarker for various types of cancers, but most commonly for breast cancer—is added, it breaks bonds in the peptides, separating a fragment with the dye from the gold. Without the gold to absorb the energy from the dye, the sample begins to glow.

"You start with a system that is dark, which we can think of as 'off,' like we would with a light switch," Mattoussi said. "When you bring in the enzyme, the system turns 'on' and emits light. It is like a beacon."

The light glowing from the sample depends on the concentration of the enzyme and interaction time. By measuring that light, researchers can generate data that inform them if a cancer marker is present in a sample and in what levels.
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