A particular area of interest in uncovering the earliest mechanisms driving cancer is a stress response cell state called senescence, in which cells stop growing but continue to function. Senescence has a known role in preventing cancer, but its underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In a study led by Rugang Zhang, Ph.D., researchers uncovered some of these mechanisms by investigating the role of METTL3, a methyltransferase enzyme that helps regulate gene expression. They found that METTL3...

Adolescents and young adults with Ewing’s sarcoma (ES), a highly aggressive bone cancer, have few treatment options and a poor prognosis for recurrence. A multi-center Phase I/II clinical trial co-led by Joseph Ludwig, M.D., investigated the ability of the novel small molecule TK216 to disrupt the oncogenic fusion protein EWS-FLI1 in previously treated, relapsed/recurrent ES. In the study, 85 ES patients between the ages of 11 and 77 received TK216 by a continuous intravenous infusion. Researchers observed...

Resistance to certain KRAS G12C inhibitors can result from the buildup of active, GTP-bound RAS, which can increase tumor growth in cancer patients. Therefore, effectively blocking active RAS becomes crucial. In a recent study, researchers led by Ferdinandos Skoulidis, M.D., Ph.D., and Haniel Araujo, M.D., evaluated the antitumor effects of a new class of inhibitors that target the active form of RAS proteins: RMC-7977, a pan-RAS inhibitor of KRAS/HRAS/NRAS, and RMC-4998, a RAS G12C-selective inhibitor. Active RAS...