Appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA), a rare type of appendix cancer, can be challenging to detect. While it is often treated with surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), better tools are needed to guide patient selection, monitoring and treatment decisions. Researchers led by Michael White, M.D., and John Paul Shen, M.D., analyzed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in AA and identified a unique mutational profile, with TP53mutations being the most common. They detected ctDNA less frequently in metastatic AA and at lower levels...

A new method of assessing patient blood by running it through a miniaturized device that mimics narrowed arteries could help doctors better understand a patient’s risk factors for developing blood clots in the arteries according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch.   Arterial thrombosis, which describes the formation of disease-causing blood clots in the artery, is one of the leading causes of death and serious illness worldwide.   Researchers...

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds that, in healthy women, some breast cells that otherwise appear normal may contain chromosome abnormalities typically associated with invasive breast cancer. The findings question conventional thinking on the genetic origins of breast cancer, which could influence early cancer detection methods.   The study discovered that at least 3% of normal cells from breast tissue in 49 healthy women contain a gain or loss...

Retrotransposons are interspersed repeating sequences that make up over 40% of the human genome. Proper tissue regeneration requires they be tightly regulated, but little is known about how this process is coordinated. To provide insights, researchers led by Yejing Ge, Ph.D., studied laboratory models of hair follicle stem cells in the skin. When injured, these stem cells change to help restore the skin barrier but eventually become exhausted. The researchers found an epigenetic regulator, SETDB1, driving...

Immunocompromised cancer patients who are infected by SARS-CoV-2 are at risk of developing severe COVID-19 with potentially fatal complications. Biomarkers capable of predicting those most at risk could help physicians better treat these patients. Researchers led by Simone Anfossi, Ph.D., and George Calin, M.D., Ph.D., identified several microRNAs – small non-coding RNA molecules – located close to genomic regions associated with the severity and susceptibility of COVID-19. The researchers analyzed plasma samples from 128 cancer patients infected...

Many chronic lung diseases lead to fibrosis, a condition in which lung tissue becomes irreversibly scarred and stiff, partly due to a failure in activating cell regeneration. Researchers led by Bongjun Kim, Ph.D., and Jae-Il Park, Ph.D., used a comprehensive approach to examine the mechanisms involved in lung cell repair. They identified a protein complex, PCLAF-DREAM, that plays a crucial role in helping lung cells regenerate after injury. The complex transforms specific precursor cells in lung...

Tumor-specific neoantigens (neoAgs) are unique to cancer cells, making them viable targets for therapeutic cancer vaccines. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these neoAg vaccines and how they compare to immune checkpoint therapy (ICT). Researchers led by Sunita Keshari, Ph.D., and Matthew Gubin, Ph.D., characterized changes within immune populations following treatment with neoAg vaccines and ICT in models of melanoma, leading them to identify cell subsets and potential biomarkers that provide insights for improving treatment strategies....

Many patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) do not respond to combination treatment with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Understanding what makes these tumors immunologically “cold,” or resistant to therapy, and how to turn them immunologically “hot,” could improve patient outcomes. Researchers led by Xi Chen, Ph.D., identified one such mechanism in which cancer cells can evade the immune system via an ancient stress sensor IRE1α activation, which blocks pathways that would normally ignite “cold” tumors and initiate an immune response. Using an...

A $3.3 million study at the University of Houston College of Optometry will track the health of patients with prediabetes and diabetes to find out who might develop eye problems and be at risk for future vision loss. The study is being led by Wendy Harrison, associate professor, and is underwritten by the National Eye Institute.   Vision loss in type 2 diabetes results from diabetic retinopathy, caused by damage to blood vessels in the retina,...

Many cancers rely on oncogenic transcription factors, which have been challenging to target with small molecule therapeutics. Inhibiting transcription with cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) blockade has been investigated as an alternative. In a new study, Michael Green, Ph.D., and collaborators developed a way to relocate CDK9 using transcriptional/epigenetic chemical inducers of proximity (TCIPs), small molecules that bring two proteins together, to drive cell death pathways in B-cell lymphoma. They targeted the B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6)...