One of the most frequently mutated epigenetic factors in cancer is a large protein complex called SWI/SNF, which regulates gene transcription and is crucial for proper cell differentiation. An important question has been how SWI/SNF is recruited to cell-type-specific regions of DNA, called enhancers. Researchers led by Blaine Bartholomew, Ph.D., found a special class of non-coding enhancer RNA (eRNA) that recruits SWI/SNF to cell-type specific enhancers involved in the switch from undifferentiated to differentiated cells. By...

Pancreatic cancer is notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat, underscoring the need for more effective therapeutic targets. Research led by Jie Fu, Ph.D., Jianhua Ling, Ph.D., and Paul Chiao, Ph.D., previously showed that apoptosis, or cell death, resistance in KRAS G12D-mutant pancreatic cancer was accelerated by deleting the Plk3 tumor suppressor, but the regulatory mechanism of Plk3 activation remains unknown.   To provide further insights, the researchers examined the role of Plk3 in KRAS G12D-mutant pancreatic cancer models. They...

The independent contribution of routine radiology scans in predicting recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is relatively unexplored. In a new study of 394 NSCLC patients, led by Jia Wu, Ph.D., Tina Cascone M.D., Ph.D., and Jianjun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., researchers developed a proof-of-concept imaging framework to stratify patients into three clinically meaningful subtypes with distinct prognoses.   These subtypes add to the prognostic information obtained from clinicopathological risk factors and ctDNA alone, and they could potentially serve...

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that altering the sequence of breast cancer treatment to administer radiation before mastectomy allowed for concurrent breast reconstruction surgery, which reduced the number of operations required, minimized treatment delays, and improved patient satisfaction.   The Phase II trial results evaluated 49 patients who received radiation therapy followed by mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction. There were no complete flap losses or disease recurrences at a...

Galectin-3 (GAL3), which regulates cell proliferation and the function of various immune cell populations, is highly expressed by myeloid and pancreatic cancer cells. However, its role in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment remains unclear. To provide further insights, researchers led by Yang Chen, Ph.D., generated in vivo models of pancreatic cancer with GAL3 genetically deleted in both cancer and myeloid cells. Deleting GAL3 inhibited pancreatic cancer progression and prolonged survival in these models. Single-cell sequencing revealed that GAL3 deletion enriched antitumor...

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy have limited therapeutic options. Previous research suggests hypomethylating agents combined with venetoclax are effective for this group, but the hypomethylating agent must be given via parenteral administration or intravenous injection outside of the digestive tract. In a Phase II study, researchers led by Farhad Ravandi, M.D., and Alexandre Bazinet, M.D., evaluated an oral combination of decitabine and cedazuridine (ASTX727) plus venetoclax in 62...

Osteoclast cells are responsible for the resorption of bone structure and minerals, and their dysregulation is associated with osteoporosis, or decreased bone mineral density. Building upon previous work showing that MALAT1, a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), suppresses breast cancer metastasis, Li Ma, Ph.D., and colleagues noted that a specific mutation in MALAT1 was associated with low bone mineral density and sought to determine the role of MALAT1 alternations in bone diseases. MALAT1 deficiency led to osteoporosis and more severe bone metastases of...

While positron emission tomography (PET) scans are highly effective in detecting lung cancer, their accessibility is limited, especially in low-income regions. To address this issue, researchers led by Jia Wu, Ph.D., Jianjun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., and Carol Wu, M.D., leveraged deep learning techniques to generate synthetic PET scans from more widely available computed tomography (CT) scans. Radiologists validated the imaging quality and tumor contrast between the synthetic and actual PET images, and the researchers demonstrated the superior diagnostic...

Cancers progress and continuously adapt, making them challenging to treat. As cancer cells replicate and evolve, distinct cellular lineages, or subclones, compete to dominate and drive tumor progression. Researchers led by I-Lin Ho, Ph.D., and Andrea Viale, M.D., developed a new model for pancreatic cancer to study subclone evolution within tumors and metastases. They found that subclones undergo continuous fluctuations in representation during tumor growth, even without any external treatment, with dominant subclones suddenly collapsing...

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) typically differentiate to replenish peripheral immune cells and undergo self-renewal to retain an adequate supply of parent cells, but the mechanisms regulating HSCs and preventing uncontrolled dysfunction are poorly understood. The STAT3 protein facilitates the maturation of immune system cells, but its role in HSCs is difficult to study because STAT3 deficiency or deletion in hematopoietic cells can induce systemic inflammation, impacting HSC activity. To address this, researchers led by Stephanie Watowich, Ph.D.,...