Brain metastases from breast cancer patients have elevated levels of Cdk5, which is typically found in neurons and is associated with poor outcomes. Researchers led by Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D., and Arseniy Yuzhalin, DPhil, examined how breast cancer cells spread to the brain and evade the immune system to develop. The researchers discovered that astrocytes, a type of cell in the brain, trigger the overproduction of Cdk5 in breast cancer cells metastasized to the brain, which reduces the expression...

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer harboring BRAF-V600E mutations have poor prognoses, highlighting a need to identify biomarkers that can optimize treatment. The recent BEACON trial showed that the combination of encorafenib (BRAF inhibitor) and cetuximab (anti-EGFR antibody), with or without binimetinib (MEK inhibitor), improved overall survival, objective response rates and progression-free survival in pretreated patients compared to those receiving cetuximab with chemotherapy. In a follow-up analysis, researchers led by Scott Kopetz, M.D., Ph.D., performed genomic and transcriptional profiling on tumor tissue...

Neuropathic pain, a chronic condition resulting from injury or damage to the nervous system, can in some cases lead to allodynia – a condition in which nerves are overly sensitive and cause pain from stimuli that normally wouldn’t hurt. Previous studies have shown that allodynia caused by peripheral nerve injury is associated with an increase in B cells, but their role is poorly understood. To provide insights, researchers led by Peter Grace, Ph.D., investigated the role of B...

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was awarded nine grants totaling over $21.4 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in support of two new core facilities, faculty recruitment and groundbreaking cancer research across all areas of the institution.   “We are enormously appreciative of CPRIT’s support of impactful cancer research initiatives at MD Anderson,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “These new core facilities will help advance...

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) provide DNA and RNA data from approximately 11,000 patient samples across 33 cancer types and 1,000 cancer cell lines, but limited protein information is available. Researchers led by Han Liang, Ph.D., Rehan Akbani, Ph.D., and Jun Li, Ph.D., previously generated protein expression data for approximately 200 proteins but did not include many cancer-related pathways. In a new study, the researchers characterized expression of nearly 500...

Immune checkpoint therapy stimulates tumor infiltration by CD8 T cells to facilitate an antitumor response, but many advanced solid tumors do not respond to treatment. In the AMADEUS trial, researchers led by Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., aimed to identify biomarkers that predict treatment response in patients with advanced solid tumors. The trial enrolled 39 patients who were divided into two groups based on pre-treatment levels of CD8 T cells.   Those with low CD8 levels received a...

Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype, currently have limited options and generally face a poor prognosis. Researchers led by Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., Mi Li, Ph.D., and Amriti Lulla, Ph.D., discovered that increased levels of low molecular weight cyclin-E (LMW-E) and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK1) phosphorylation are associated with poor outcomes following chemotherapy. High levels of LMW-E and CDK1 predicted the poorest treatment responses, suggesting they serve as potential biomarkers of chemotherapy resistance.   The study showed that LMW-E upregulates...

Natural killer (NK) cells engineered to express interleukin-21 (IL-21) demonstrated sustained anti-tumor activity against glioblastoma stem cell-like cells (GSCs) both in vitro and in vivo, according to new research published today by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.   The preclinical findings represent the first evidence that engineering NK cells, a type of innate immune cell, to secrete IL-21 resulted in strong activity against glioblastoma, a cancer type in need of more effective treatment options.   “Our research uncovered a previously unknown...

New research out of the University of Texas Medical Branch holds promise for helping people maintain strength and mobility as they age.   The research describes how a small-molecule drug being developed at UTMB is superior to intensive resistance/aerobic exercise at improving muscle strength and function in aged mice.   “Amazingly, the strength improvements with our drug were twice those observed with exercise alone,” said Dr. Stanley Watowich, associate professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology...

Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that adding metastasis-directed radiation therapy to standard-of-care chemotherapy improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with oligometastatic pancreatic cancer. Findings from the multicenter EXTEND trial were first presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.   At a median follow-up of 17.3 months, PFS was 10.3 months in patients who received metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) plus chemotherapy compared to only 2.5 months in those who received standard...