Michael Marash’s Post

Jessica Konen, PhD, of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University received the ABOH 2024  Julie Swedberg Yolo Research Award. Dr. Konen has dedicated her scientific career to researching mechanisms of tumor growth, metastasis, drug resistance, and immune evasion in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Currently, Dr. Konen is an instructor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Her research aims to continue to reveal targetable immune checkpoint resistance mechanisms in NSCLC, combining her background in studying dynamic, tumor-centric growth and metastasis mechanisms with a microenvironmental perspective of the extracellular matrix and anti-tumor immune response. Through this work, Dr. Konen hopes to reveal the vast heterogeneity of mechanisms that lung tumors utilize to escape immune detection and elimination in a spatiotemporal manner. Dr. Konen’s project aims to define a vast transcriptional network that is dysregulated following loss of the micro-RNA (miR)-29 in tumors with resistance to immune checkpoint therapy. Specifically, the project aims to discover the tumor cell-intrinsic and extrinsic effects of miR-29 loss, including a focus on the cellular and non-cellular components of the tumor microenvironment, and to determine the efficacy of targeting this pathway to reinvigorate anti-tumor immunity and response to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. These studies will reveal previously unexplored biology of the miR-29 family with the goal of generating rational drug combinations for the treatment of lung cancer. Learn more about A Breath of Hope's research program at https://lnkd.in/g6qq7dPN #lungcancer #cancerresearch #cancer #lungcancerawareness 

Bridging the Gap: A Pan-European Perspective on the Changing Treatment Landscape for Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer The development of novel immunotherapeutic and molecular targeted treatments for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer has rapidly amplified over the past several years, signaling an imminent shift in treatment paradigms. While these changes offer new hope, they also raise questions about cost and accessibility. Two collaborative publications, led by Amsterdam UMC - Cancer Center Amsterdam researchers and recently published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, examine this shifting medical landscape, and identify an urgent need for a collective approach to ensure that all patients across Europe have access to the best possible care. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/e6EsWcgy Amsterdam UMC - Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, #LungCancer #CancerCare #CancerResearch

🔬 Using liquid biopsies to accelerate precision oncology for advanced prostate cancers 🔬 We're excited to announce Dr. April Rose, MD, PhD, FRCPC as one of the recipients of the 2024 Clinician-Scientist Awards funded by the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network! Dr. Rose is a a staff Medical Oncologist at the Segal Cancer Centre of the Jewish General Hospital and a Principal Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research. Her project seeks to improve how we detect and treat aggressive prostate cancers through the use of liquid biopsies—cutting-edge blood tests that identify tumour DNA circulating in the bloodstream. “Precision therapies, which target tumours with specific DNA mutations driving their growth, have been shown to improve survival rates in men with metastatic prostate cancer,” explains Dr. Rose. “Unfortunately, identifying these mutations often requires invasive and painful procedures, limiting access to these life-saving treatments. In this context, making simple blood tests that allow us to determine which mutations are present in the metastatic tumours – without needing to resort to invasive or painful biopsies – could be a way to increase survival and quality of life for these patients.” Dr. Rose's team is also tackling a major challenge in treating drug-resistant prostate cancer: mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, which are often linked to poor outcomes. By developing new models of drug-resistant cancer cells, they hope to pave the way for novel AR-targeted therapies. "This project would not be possible without funding from the MOHCCN," Dr. Rose notes. "If we are able to prove that liquid biopsies lead to better outcomes for prostate cancer patients, then we will be in a great position to implement these into routine clinical practice—making them accessible to all patients." Learn more ▶ https://lnkd.in/dYJPAHCz #PrecisionOncology #CancerResearch #LiquidBiopsy #MOHCCN #TeamCanadaOfCancerResearch The Terry Fox Research Institute The Terry Fox Foundation Fondation de l'hôpital général juif - Jewish General Hospital Foundation

#ScientificWednesday: Updates on Cancer Therapy: Reprogramming Tumor-Associated Macrophages with Glutamine Antagonist JHU083 🔬 Exciting advancements in cancer research! A recent study "Metabolic Reprogramming of Tumor-Associated Macrophages Using Glutamine Antagonist JHU083 Drives Tumor Immunity in Myeloid-Rich Prostate and Bladder Cancers" by Dr. Monali Praharaj and team reveals the potential of the glutamine antagonist JHU083 in reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to fight myeloid-rich prostate and bladder cancers. 🧬 🔐 Key Findings: 🔑 Tumor Growth Inhibition JHU083 reprograms TAMs to increase tumor cell phagocytosis and reduce proangiogenic capacities. 🔑 Enhanced Immune Response Promotes proinflammatory signaling and immune-proliferative pathways. 🔑 Metabolic Disruption Causes global shutdown of glutamine-utilizing pathways, leading to tumor cell apoptosis. 🔑 Therapeutic Potential Offers a promising approach for treating immunosuppressive TAM-rich tumors. This research underscores the importance of targeting TAM metabolism to boost antitumor immunity and improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes. A promising step forward in the fight against cancer! 💪🔬 🔖 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gZ7pczyP #CancerResearch #Immunotherapy #MedicalBreakthrough #Oncology #HealthcareInnovation

"Age is a major risk factor for cancer, but how aging impacts tumor control remains unclear. Here, we establish that aging of the immune system, regardless of the age of the stroma and tumor, drives lung cancer progression. Hematopoietic aging enhances emergency myelopoiesis, resulting in the local accumulation of myeloid progenitor-like cells in lung tumors. These cells are a major source of IL-1⍺ that drives the enhanced myeloid response. The age-associated decline of DNMT3A enhances IL-1⍺ production, and disrupting IL-1R1 signaling early during tumor development normalized myelopoiesis and slowed the growth of lung, colonic, and pancreatic tumors. In human tumors, we identified an enrichment for IL-1⍺-expressing monocyte-derived macrophages linked to age, poorer survival, and recurrence, unraveling how aging promotes cancer and offering actionable therapeutic strategies". https://lnkd.in/d8Hf3pY2

Three studies published recently showed that CAR-T therapy, under which a person's immune system is reprogrammed to attack brain tumors, has shown promising results. The studies conducted at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, the University of Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts General Hospital experimented on brain tumor patients by directly delivering CAR-T therapy to the brain. The results showed that the therapy had shrunk the tumor and in some cases even melted it away. However, researchers claim that the therapy has to be developed further in order to dismiss the possibility of tumor relapse. The experimental study at Mass General was conducted on a patient with a glioblastoma tumor in his brain which had been growing for years despite chemotherapy, radiation and other medications. The doctors took his blood to harvest a special kind of T-cells, known as suppressor T-cells, which has the ability to turn down the immune response. They later modified them to bind it with specific proteins of the tumor cells in order to convert the suppressor T-cell around the tumor to killer T-cell. The patient was given a dosage of a single 10-milliliter consisting of about 10 million CAR-T cells, which reportedly shrunk his tumor by 20 percent on the next day and was rarely detectable after a few weeks. #gliablastomatreatment #braintumortreatment #braintumor #cancertreatment #cartherapyforcancerpatients #tcelltherapy #cancerstudies #cancerresearch #beatcancer #cancerprevention

Not surprising, but still shocking - studies led by UCL and published in The Lancet Oncology show that the treatment waiting time for Cancer Patients in the UK is frankly horrendous when compared to similar countries. The average time to *start* chemotherapy is 48 days in England, 57 in Northern Ireland, 58 in Wales and 65 in Scotland. It's a similar story for radiotherapy where the average time is 53 days in Northern Ireland, 63 in England, 79 in Scotland and 81 in Wales. Read more in Hospital Times: https://lnkd.in/e6d-s43Z If only we had a long term Cancer strategy in this country to tackle this from a policy perspective! 🤔 Statistics like these are exactly why Public Policy Projects established its Cancer Care programme "Implementing Innovation" - to connect innovative health solutions providers to NHS leaders so we can work together to tackle this systemic problem.

Breakthrough treatment for gastric cancer. Spearheaded by a team of clinicians and researchers from National University Hospital (NUH), National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National Cancer Centre Singapore and Duke-NUS Medical School, a new study has revealed a ground-breaking treatment that could stop gastric cancer cells from spreading. Read the full article below for more information. #OneNUHS #ShapingMedicine

"Age is a major risk factor for cancer, but how aging impacts tumor control remains unclear. Here, we establish that aging of the immune system, regardless of the age of the stroma and tumor, drives lung cancer progression. Hematopoietic aging enhances emergency myelopoiesis, resulting in the local accumulation of myeloid progenitor-like cells in lung tumors. These cells are a major source of IL-1⍺ that drives the enhanced myeloid response. The age-associated decline of DNMT3A enhances IL-1⍺ production, and disrupting IL-1R1 signaling early during tumor development normalized myelopoiesis and slowed the growth of lung, colonic, and pancreatic tumors. In human tumors, we identified an enrichment for IL-1⍺-expressing monocyte-derived macrophages linked to age, poorer survival, and recurrence, unraveling how aging promotes cancer and offering actionable therapeutic strategies." https://lnkd.in/d8Hf3pY2

Can a simple blood test tell you how your cancer therapy works? According to new research from CRI-Torrey Coast Foundation GEMINI CLIP Investigators Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, and Dr. Vincent K. Lam, CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Dr. Kellie N. Smith, and SU2C-CRI Cancer Immunology Dream Team Investigator and CRI Scientific Advisory Committee member Dr. Drew M. Pardoll, of Johns Hopkins Medicine, blood from patients can be used to screen circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and can provide insights about the success of therapy, and if any course correction is required. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4cyVh1R #CancerResearch #Immunotherapy #ctDNA