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New DiscoveriesAugust 17, 2014

Imaging how tumor cells transition to invasion

Ian Y. Wong, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘10-‘13) of Brown University, Providence, and colleagues, developed a microchip that enabled cancer cells to be imaged as they migrated across a surface that mimics the tissue surrounding a tumor. They examined cells that had undergone epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process in which epithelial cells that stick together within a tissue, change into mesenchymal cells that can disperse and migrate individually.

New DiscoveriesAugust 1, 2014

2014 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology

Gordon J. Freeman, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘79-‘81), of Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, was named one of four recipients of the 2014 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology. He is recognized for his contributions to the discovery of the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor pathway, a new immune system checkpoint that has been shown in clinical studies to be a highly promising target in cancer immunotherapy.

New DiscoveriesJuly 30, 2014

Single cell sequencing of breast cancer genome

Nicholas E. Navin, PhD (Nadia’s Gift Foundation Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator '13-'15) and colleagues at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, developed a single cell sequencing tool (NUC-SEQ) that can measure genome-wide mutations in individual cancer cells. This study revealed that different subtypes of breast cancer have varied tumor diversity, and that different tumor cells grow at dramatically different speeds. These findings may have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. This work was published in the journal Nature.

New DiscoveriesJuly 9, 2014

Comprehensive genomic analysis of lung cancer completed

Matthew L. Meyerson, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘95-‘98) of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute, Cambridge, led a recent study by the NIH Cancer Genome Atlas project, which represents the most comprehensive genomic analysis of lung adenocarcinoma, a cancer that forms in the tissues near the outer parts of the lungs. Researchers identified 18 key mutations in an analysis of 230 patient lung tumors.

New DiscoveriesJune 26, 2014

New genetic tests recommended in patients with ALCL non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Andrew L. Feldman, MD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘09-‘14), and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, reported that novel genetic tests can be used to determine the best treatment options for patients with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There are three subgroups of ALCL that have very different survival rates. These subgroups could not be differentiated by routine pathology but only with the aid of the genetic tests, which the researchers recommend giving to all patients with ALK-negative ALCL.

New DiscoveriesJune 2, 2014

Immunotherapy extends long-term survival of melanoma patients

Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘03-‘08) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues, reported the results of an ongoing clinical trial evaluating the safety and activity of combined immunotherapies for treatment of advanced melanoma. Nivolumab (anti-PD-1), an investigational PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, and ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4; Yervoy), were given either concurrently or sequentially to these patients. The two-year overall survival rate was 88%.

New DiscoveriesMay 8, 2014

Nanotechnology based drug delivery system developed

Eranthie Weerapana, PhD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ‘12-‘14) and colleagues at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, have developed new nanotechnology “cage” that can entrap small molecule drugs and infiltrate cancer cells. This is a promising drug delivery system that could be used to fight cancer and other diseases. The results were published in the American Chemical Society journal ACSNano.

New DiscoveriesApril 23, 2014

Gene levels indicate whether aspirin effective in prevention of colorectal cancer

Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘08-‘13) of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, working with a multi-institutional team, analyzed data from two long-term studies involving nearly 128,000 participants. The researchers found that individuals whose colons have high levels of a specific gene, 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), dramatically reduce their chances of developing colorectal cancer by taking aspirin. In contrast, aspirin provides no benefit to individuals whose colons show low levels of 15-PGDH.

New DiscoveriesApril 20, 2014

Novel cancer vaccine successful in Phase I clinical trial

Madhav Dhodapkar, MD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘02-‘07), Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, reported positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial using a cancer vaccine called CDX-1401, which activates the patient’s immune system against cancers that express the tumor marker NY-ESO-1. In 45 patients with advanced malignancies (melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer), thirteen patients experienced stabilization of disease and two patients had tumor regression.

New DiscoveriesApril 14, 2014

2014 National Science Foundation Award for young researchers

Feng Zhang, PhD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ‘12-‘14), of the Broad Institute, Cambridge, was named the 2014 recipient of its Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This award is NSF’s highest honor that recognizes an outstanding researcher under the age of 35 and funds his or her research in any field of science or engineering.