The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was awarded four grants totaling nearly $4.9 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support the expansion of physical activity programs for survivors, the dissemination of targeted tobacco cessation programs and the recruitment of a first-time, tenure-track faculty member.   MD Anderson’s Active Living After Cancer (ALAC) program received continued funding from CPRIT via two grants totaling $2,448,643 to support broader dissemination and implementation in...

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered loss of metabolic fitness in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells is a critical mechanism of resistance, with infused cells gradually losing the ability to compete with tumor cells for nutrients, leading to tumor relapse.   The study demonstrates that engineering CAR NK cells to express interleukin-15 (IL-15) enhances the cells’ metabolic fitness and provides a longer-lasting anti-tumor response....

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center provides a deeper understanding of the evolution of the tumor microenvironment during gastric cancer progression. Highlights of the study include a link between multicellular communities and clinical outcomes as well as a potential new therapeutic target.   Gastric adenocarcinoma is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide due to inherent treatment resistance, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the progression from early...

Rice University bioengineers have demonstrated a low-cost, point-of-care DNA test for HPV infections that could make cervical cancer screening more accessible in low- and middle-income countries where the disease kills more than 300,000 women each year.   HPV, a family of viruses, infects nearly everyone at some point in their lives, often without symptoms. But more than a dozen types of HPV can cause persistent infections that result in cervical cancer, which is preventable and curable if it...

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer have engineered a new model of aggressive renal cell carcinoma (RCC), highlighting molecular targets and genomic events that trigger chromosomal instability and drive metastatic progression.   The study demonstrates that the loss of a cluster of interferon receptor (IFNR) genes plays a pivotal role in allowing cancer cells to become tolerant of chromosomal instability. This genomic feature may be used to help clinicians predict a tumor’s potential to become metastatic...

A blood-based test developed by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center can predict an individual’s risk of dying from lung cancer when combined with a personalized risk model.   According to new data, a blood-based four-protein panel (4MP), when combined with a lung cancer risk model (PLCOm2012), can better identify those at high risk of dying from lung cancer than the current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) criteria.   These findings build upon previous MD Anderson...

Researchers from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine are hoping a first-of-its-kind “glyco-immune” checkpoint inhibitor could be the key to stopping bone cancer metastasis for breast cancer survivors.   Breast cancer often migrates to other organs. As many as 40% of breast cancer survivors are diagnosed with metastatic cancer, sometimes years after their initial treatment. Bone metastasis is involved in more than two-thirds of those cases, and bone metastatic lesions are known to “seed”...

Some people who have Alzheimer’s disease pathology never get dementia because they have a protective biological mechanism working in their favor, a new study suggests.   Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch studied postmortem brains and found that people who presented with brain pathology consistent with fully symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease—but not dementia—also had preserved autophagy, a physiological system that allows cells to recycle or eliminate junk and clutter.   “This is significant, because...

Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported study results showing that the targeted therapy fruquintinib significantly improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer.   The OS was 7.4 months with fruquintinib versus 4.8 months in the placebo arm, while the median PFS was 3.7 months with fruquintinib compared to 1.8 months in the placebo arm. These results represent a statistically significant improvement relative to controls....

Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found the KRAS G12C inhibitor adagrasib showed promising activity suppressing cancer growth not only within the lungs but also in brain metastases for patients with KRAS G12C-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).   Findings from the Phase Ib cohort of the KRYSTAL-1 trial represent the first prospective data of anti-tumor activity from a KRAS G12C inhibitor in brain metastases, providing continued evidence of the drug’s efficacy.   The targeted...