Cancer News and Discussions

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City of Hope Preclinical Study Uncovers Two Proteins’ Crucial Role in Causing Cancer Cell Growth
February 5, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Scientists at City of Hope®, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, have discovered a new cellular mechanism that plays an important role in cancer cells’ ability to cause disease. The study was published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology today.

A team led by Chun-Wei (David) Chen, Ph.D., an associate professor of systems biology at City of Hope, pinpointed two cell-surface proteins, integrin αV and β5, that partner to spur cancer cell growth. The researchers next identified a region of integrin αV called the β-propeller domain that controls interaction between the two proteins.

Blending laboratory experiments with computer simulations, Chen’s team created a powerful digital application of CRISPR gene-tiling technology to uncover potential cancer medicines that precisely target the β-propeller domain.

After identifying the chemical compound Cpd_AV2 as a strong candidate, the team applied this compound to human cancer cells in the laboratory. Integrin αV and β5 rapidly separated, dissolving communication between the two proteins and causing cellular death, effectively halting growth in cancer cell lines.

Clinically, the researchers found integrin αV overexpression in multiple cancer types, highlighting integrin αV’s lead role in cancer progression. High levels of integrin αV were also associated with a poor prognosis in 3,700 patients with cancers of the breast, pancreas, liver, lung and brain.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1033328

For a technical presentation of the results of the study as published in the Nature Structural & Molecular Biology : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41594-024-01211-y

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Clues to cancer drug's deadly side effects could make it safer

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02- ... -side.html

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Novel hydroxyapatite-targeting nanodrug may be a paradigm shift for cancer treatment
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-hydroxyap ... ancer.html
by Bill Snyder, Vanderbilt University

A multidisciplinary research team at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center has discovered a new way to kill a tumor by disrupting its acidic "microenvironment" without harming normal tissue.

The target of this unorthodox approach is hydroxyapatite (HAP), a naturally occurring mineral that is a major component of bone and teeth but is also produced by some tumors.

In the extracellular microenvironment that surrounds and nourishes tumors, HAP crystals can enhance tumor cell proliferation, progression, and migration (metastasis). However, HAP is absent in normal soft tissue, making it an attractive target for cancer imaging and treatment.

Using various molecular analytical methods, the researchers identified and synthesized a nanoparticle that, when delivered via an injectable solution called NSPS, chelated or bound to calcium on tumor-associated HAP crystals, causing them to dissolve.

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New approach combines oncolytic virotherapy and adoptive T cell therapy for cancer treatment
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02- ... -cell.html
by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress

A multi-institutional team of Chinese microbiologists and pharmacologists has developed a novel way to fight cancerous tumors. Called ONCOTECH, it combines oncolytic virotherapy and adoptive T cell therapy for treatment of patients with cancerous tumors. The study is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Oncolytic virotherapy involves the use of one or more viruses that work to selectively infect and kill tumor cells, while simultaneously stimulating the immune system to attack the same tumors. Adoptive T cell therapy is a cancer-fighting technique that involves the use of engineered T cells programmed to recognize and attack tumor cells.

In this new study, the researchers developed a therapy approach that involves both techniques. Called ONCOTECH, it is developed to physically attach oncolytic viruses onto T cell surfaces by using engineered biological membranes with T cell-specific antigens, resulting in the use of oncolytic adenoviruses (OAs). It also involves the encoding of a CRISPR–Cas9 system to target the PD-L1 gene, which is often overexpressed by tumor cells as a means to evade an immune system attack.

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Novel bispecific design improves CAR T–cell immunotherapy for childhood leukemia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02- ... dhood.html
by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have improved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T–cell immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), demonstrating better efficacy in the lab.

To overcome common problems with CAR T cells, the researchers created an additional means for the therapy to find and eliminate cancer cells, using a small peptide. The study also showed how a computational approach incorporating AlphaFold predicted protein models could help understand how structure impacts antigen recognition and therapy efficacy.

Their findings are published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

Immunotherapy that reprograms a patient's own immune cells to target a cancer-specific protein, CAR T–cell therapy, has shown success in treating some relapsed leukemias. However, sometimes the treatment is unsuccessful because cancer cells that do not have the targeted protein can still grow, escaping the therapy and causing a relapse. The relapse rate for AML is high, leading to a poor prognosis for the disease overall.

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Drug used for cocaine addiction may pave way for new treatment of advanced colon cancer
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02- ... tment.html
by University of Ottawa

A new, cutting-edge study from the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has found vanoxerine, a drug initially developed for the treatment of cocaine addiction, could impede advanced colorectal cancer stem cells by essentially re-wiring critical gene networks.

This new research published in Nature Cancer led by Dr. Yannick Benoit, Principal Investigator and Associate Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (Faculty of Medicine) at uOttawa, has revealed that vanoxerine plays an entirely unexpected mechanism in cancer.

The investigators observed that vanoxerine packs a powerful punch when suppressing cancer stem cell activity in colon cancer patients' tissues and in tumors implanted in laboratory animals. It interferes with a protein that transports dopamine, the brain chemical involved in sensations of pleasure and reward, and represses an enzyme dubbed G9a in colorectal tumors.

"Notably, the tumors treated with vanoxerine become more susceptible to attack by the immune system due to the reactivation of ancient viral DNA fragments accumulated in our genome throughout evolution. This finding is quite significant, considering that colorectal tumors tend to show poor response to standard immunotherapy," says Dr. Benoit, who was one of six national winners of the Gairdner Foundation's 2022 Early Career Investigator competition.

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

15 February 2024

The phase 3 clinical trial, published today in JAMA Oncology and sponsored by Polaris Pharmaceuticals, has unveiled a breakthrough in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos and which has limited therapeutic options. The trial found that a combination treatment of traditional chemotherapy with a new drug, ADI-PEG20, increased the median survival of participants by 1.6 months, and quadrupled the survival at 36 months, compared to placebo-chemotherapy.

The findings are significant, as MPM has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates of any solid cancer of around 5-10%. This innovative approach marks the first successful combination of chemotherapy with a drug that targets cancer's metabolism developed for this disease in 20 years.

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/ ... rial-.html

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Researchers Characterize the Immune Landscape in Cancer
February 14, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) New York, NY [February 14, 2024]—Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium of the National Institutes of Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and others, have unveiled a detailed understanding of immune responses in cancer, marking a significant development in the field. The findings were published in the February 14 online issue of Cell [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.027].

Utilizing data from more than 1,000 tumors across 10 different cancers, the study is the first to integrate DNA, RNA, and proteomics (the study of proteins), revealing the complex interplay of immune cells in tumors. The data came from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), a program under the National Cancer Institute.

"We aimed to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the functional impairment of immune response in tumors. By closely examining genes and proteins in the tumor tissues, we discovered various patterns in immune activation and suppression," says Pei Wang, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai, and the lead-corresponding author on the paper. "Our goal in unraveling these diverse immune subtypes is to help clinicians identify patient groups more responsive to immunotherapy. Revealing the specific pathways and cellular switches for each subtype can also spark new and creative ways to develop treatments."

"Each type of immune response was linked to changes in gene functions, such as how genes are modified, the messages they send, and the proteins they produce. By providing a comprehensive molecular fingerprint of the immune response in cancer, this study is expected to facilitate the development of future immunotherapy strategies," says Francesca Petralia, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai, and co-corresponding author on the paper.

A key finding was that among seven subtypes identified through advanced statistical models, five included tumors from ten different types of cancer, suggesting shared immune responses across these tumors.

Read more of the Eurkealert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1034191

For a technical presentation of the findings as published in Cell : https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S009 ... howall%3D

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Study finds new inhalable therapy is a big step forward in lung cancer research
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-inhalable ... ancer.html
by Holly Evarts, Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and has one of the lowest survival rates in the world. Cytokines, which are small signaling proteins, such as interleukin-12 (IL-12), have demonstrated considerable potential as robust tumor suppressors. However, their applications are limited due to a multitude of severe side effects.

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Potato chip breakthrough crunches cancer risk for healthier snack
By Bronwyn Thompson
February 23, 2024
https://newatlas.com/science/potato-chi ... ncer-risk/

In what many of us would consider a true public service to one of the world's best food groups, scientists have flicked the switch on a mechanism that causes cold-stored potatoes to produce the carcinogen acrylamide. Growing these genetically tinkered potatoes could eradicate known cancer risks associated with darkened chips, making them much healthier regardless of processing.

"This discovery represents a significant advancement in our understanding of potato development and its implications for food quality and health,” said Jiming Jiang, a Research Foundation Professor at Michigan State University (MSU). “It has the potential to affect every single bag of potato chips around the world.”

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Stubborn liver cancer may have met its match in century-old TB vaccine
By Paul McClure
February 22, 2024

A single injection of the 102-year-old tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, has proven effective at triggering an immune response in mice and shrank their liver cancer tumors, according to research by UC Davis Health. The findings suggest that BCG might be an alternative way of treating this notoriously hard-to-treat cancer.

As the most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite treatment options that include surgery, radio- and chemotherapy, immunotherapy and liver transplant, outcomes remain bleak.

In the search for an alternative treatment for HCC, researchers from UC Davis Health undertook a study to see whether the century-old Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, used to protect against tuberculosis, was an effective anti-cancer agent.

Studies have found that in addition to its specific effects against TB, BCG has non-specific protective effects, including immune system effects, with systemic implications. The US FDA has already approved it for the treatment of bladder cancer, and clinical trials have explored its use in fibromyalgia and diabetes. So, the researchers were keen to test its effect on this stubborn form of liver cancer.

https://newatlas.com/medical/liver-canc ... b-vaccine/

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Research suggests natural compound could be promising new alternative treatment for colon cancer
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02- ... colon.html
by University of Portsmouth

A new study has discovered a naturally occurring compound found in fruit has the potential to be an effective alternative treatment for colon cancer. The disease, which affects the large intestine, remains a significant global health concern, ranking as the third most common cancer worldwide.

With the alarming projection of 3.2 million new cases per year and 1.6 million deaths by 2040 by the World Health Organization, there is an urgent need for innovative and less toxic therapeutic approaches to treatment.

A team of international scientists from the Universities of Portsmouth and Hong Kong have found a polyphenol called Schisandrin B (Sch B) exhibits a remarkable anti-tumorigenic effect on colon cancer.

The compound is found in the fruit of Schisandra chinensis, also known as the magnolia or five-flavor berry, which is native to forests of Northern China, the Russian Far East, and Korea. Wild varieties are also found in Japan and it is often used in plant-based foods and drinks.

Existing research has shown Sch B has anti-cancer properties in liver, breast, ovarian, gastric, and gall bladder cancers. Until now, the mechanism underlying the anti-tumorigenic effect of Sch B in colon cancer has not been fully understood.

Senior author Dr. Murphy Wan from the University of Portsmouth's School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences said, "Conventional cancer therapies often have various side effects and organ toxicities, resulting in a lower quality of life for patients. "

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Gene-edited lymphocytes and the path toward 'off-the-shelf' therapy against cervical cancer
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03- ... erapy.html

by Juntendo University Research Promotion Center

Cervical cancer is among the most common malignancies affecting women worldwide. In 2020 alone, approximately 600,000 women were diagnosed with this disease, and over 314,000 died from it. In 99% of the cases, cervical cancer cells harbor human papillomavirus (HPV), and thus, HPV vaccines are an effective way to mitigate the risk of developing this disease. Unfortunately, such preventive measures are useless against established cancers, which are generally incurable once they become metastatic or relapsing.

Fortunately, scientists have made substantial progress in developing a promising therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer: rejuvenated cytotoxic T lymphocytes (rejTs). These lymphocytes can be engineered to target HPV-specific antigens that are expressed predominantly in cervical cancer cells, constituting a type of targeted immunotherapy. Ideally, rejTs would be produced from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) gathered from the patient themselves. However, this process is not clinically feasible in terms of both time and cost.

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Advance in taxol biosynthesis could lead to large-scale production of anticancer drug
https://phys.org/news/2024-03-advance-t ... scale.html
by Peking University

Paclitaxel is the world's best-selling plant-based anticancer drug and one of the most effective anticancer drugs over the past 30 years. It is widely used in the treatment of various types of cancer, including breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer.

In the late 1990s and early 21st century, the annual sales of paclitaxel exceeded $1.5 billion and reached $2.0 billion in 2001, making it the best-selling drug in 2001. In 2019, the market for paclitaxel and its derivatives was approximately $15 billion, and it is expected to reach $20 billion by 2025.

As an anticancer drug, the molecular structure of paclitaxel is extremely complex, with highly oxidized, intricate bridged rings and 11 stereocenters, making it widely recognized as one of the most challenging natural products to synthesize chemically. Since the first total synthesis of paclitaxel was reported by the Holton and Nicolaou research groups in 1994, more than 40 research teams have been engaged in the total synthesis of paclitaxel.

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CERN's particle accelerator tech is turned on brain tumors
By David Szondy
March 07, 2024

Shifting from giant accelerators 26 km (16 miles) across to brain surgery theaters, a particle detector first developed by physicists at CERN is being used by scientists in Germany to treat brain tumors with greater precision and safety.

Destroying head and neck tumors is relatively simple. You dose them with the right chemicals or blast them with powerful enough radiation, and job done. The problem is figuring out how to kill the cancer cells without killing the patient.

One effective way of treating such tumors is by using ion beams. Accelerating charged particles to three quarters of the speed of light, they can penetrate as far as a foot into living tissue. To protect healthy cells, the conventional technique is to move the ion projector in a curve with the tumor centered at the focus. This way, the tumor is continually bombarded while the healthy tissue is only slightly exposed.

https://newatlas.com/science/particle-a ... ain-tumor/

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Zika virus vaccine emerges as an unlikely hero in battling brain cancer
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03- ... -hero.html
by Duke-NUS Medical School

Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) have developed a new approach using the Zika virus to destroy brain cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth, while sparing healthy cells. Using Zika virus vaccine candidates developed at Duke-NUS, the team discovered how these strains target rapidly proliferating cells over mature cells—making them an ideal option to target fast-growing cancerous cells in the adult brain.

Their findings, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, potentially offer a new treatment alternative for brain cancer patients who currently have a poor prognosis.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common malignant brain cancer, with more than 300,000 patients diagnosed annually worldwide. Survival rates for such patients are poor (around 15 months), mainly due to high incidence of tumor recurrence and limited treatment options. For such patients, oncolytic virotherapy—or the use of engineered viruses to infect and kill cancer cells—may address the current therapeutic challenges.

[Time_Traveller]

Radiation resistant worms in Chernobyl could be key for cancer research

Friday 8 March 2024, 10:05pm

Worms living near the nuclear disaster zone in Chernobyl have "exceptional" resistance to radiation, potentially providing some valuable insights into cancer in humans.

While the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine sparked a mass evacuation of the area, many plants and animals have continued to survive in the region.

A recent study found cancer-resistant wolves living in the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ), and now researchers have identified microscopic worms with the same advantages.

Exposure to chronic radiation has failed to damage the genomes of worms living in the area today, researchers from New York University found.

In recent years, researchers have found that some animals living in the exclusion zone — within an 18.6-mile radius of the power plant — are physically and genetically different from their counterparts elsewhere.

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-08/rad ... r-research

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New AI-based, non-invasive diagnostic tool enables accurate brain tumor diagnosis, surpassing current methods
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03- ... -tool.html
by Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology

Jointly developed by investigators of the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology's (VHIO) Radiomics Group and the Bellvitge University Hospital's Neuroradiology Unit, the Diagnosis in Susceptibility Contrast Enhancing Regions for Neuroncology (DISCERN) is an open-access deep learning tool based on the training of patterns using artificial intelligence models from information of standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, results of the VHIO-led study demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of DISCERN as an enabler of accurate brain tumor diagnosis from perfusion MRI, outperforming conventional methods.