VCCC Alliance’s Post

OVAC, the leading cancer coalition in Washington, D.C., advocates for greater federal investments in cancer research for The National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) to support cancer research across the nation. The NCI is the largest funder of cancer research in the world, and its budget is set annually by Congress. Funding each fiscal year supports critical infrastructure that sustains cancer research done at the NCI, cancer centers, hospitals, community clinics, and universities across the country and around the world. These establishments provide investigators, scientists, and clinicians with the resources and materials necessary to promote innovation, coordinate research studies and clinical trials, and share resources among the cancer research community. Maintenance and continued investment in the NCI’s infrastructure is critical in the fight against cancer. However, since the NCI’s budget is determined by Congress, the NCI must operate within the fiscal year’s appropriations. Yet, medical inflation has outpaced general inflation, and the Institute has had a relatively flat budget over much of the last decade, substantially lowering the NCI’s purchasing power and ability to fund life-saving research. That’s why OVAC advocates for greater federal investments in critical research institutions like the NCI. We can’t afford to cut crucial programs and stifle innovation and research when lives are on the line. Learn more about the NCI’s infrastructure for cancer research: https://lnkd.in/ey3mseFG

Mee the CCE centres 🔬 Today we introduce you to National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg  DKFZ German Cancer Research Center National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg is a leading institution in translational cancer research. DKFZ German Cancer Research Center, Germany’s largest biomedical research institute with more than 100 divisions and working groups, and University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD) join forces and provide comprehensive resources to cover all aspects, from research to patient care. Basic, translational, and clinical researchers from many disciplines work together at NCT Heidelberg in various areas, such as precision local therapy and image guidance including radiation and surgical oncology, molecular precision oncology, immunotherapy, pediatric oncology, and cancer prevention, to better understand cancer and improve patient outcomes through individualized clinical management. Innovative research and new treatment strategies require interdisciplinary networking and cooperation. To enable patients to benefit from new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, NCT Heidelberg collaborates closely with numerous organizations. NCT Heidelberg is proud to be part of #CCE, working with other centers of excellence in research, clinical trials, and education to accelerate the spread of the latest findings. This enables the rapid transfer of experimental knowledge from cutting-edge research to the clinic – for the benefit of cancer patients. Know more ➡️ https://shorturl.at/hQSU2 Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO)The Netherlands Cancer Institute Karolinska Institutet DKFZ German Cancer Research Center Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano  Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute Gustave Roussy

This year Australia will set a record for the highest number of prostate cancer cases diagnosed in our nation’s history, with more than 25,000 men likely to hear the news they have prostate cancer. In response, we have just awarded $1.2m in grants to five of Australia’s most promising young researchers. Their work will deliver near-term benefits for men and families in our community, with cutting-edge investigations into novel theranostics, combination therapies, predictive biomarkers, and supportive care interventions for men at a high risk of mortality. We’re tremendously proud to be funding researchers at five of Australia’s leading institutions – Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre - University of Melbourne, Monash University, The University of Queensland, Menzies Institute for Medical Research - University of Tasmania and the University of South Australia. These grants are funded by PCFA’s Future Fund and have been awarded under PCFA’s 2023-2027 Research Strategy, towards our goal of zero deaths from prostate cancer. To find out more about PCFA’s grant recipients and the latest in research news, visit https://lnkd.in/gTX4-F46

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are uncovering key findings when it comes to cancer metastasis. A new study led by MSK researchers found that the TGF-beta and RAS signaling pathways work together to spur the spread of cancer in lung adenocarcinoma, a leading cause of cancer deaths around the world. Their findings in animal models suggest that when you take away one of the two signals, lung cancer will not be able to spread (metastasize) to new parts of the body. This research points to new opportunities to potentially prevent metastasis, thanks to an updated understanding of the underlying processes. “About 9 in 10 deaths from cancer are caused by metastasis,” says Dr. Jun Ho Lee, an MSK postdoctoral researcher. “So research to understand, prevent, and treat metastasis has great potential to improve the lives of many people.” Learn more about this study and MSK's broader efforts to shed new light on how cancer progresses: https://lnkd.in/eXF-XPVD

There are an estimated 19 million cancer survivors in the United States, a number that continues to increase as cancer treatments improve. Cancer survivorship care is a crucial but under-developed part of the cancer care continuum, and little is known about the availability of survivorship services for adult-onset cancer on a national basis. Published in JAMA Network Open, USC Norris members Drs. Kimberly Miller and David Freyer collaborated with leadership from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (ACS CoC), the premiere accrediting organization for quality cancer care in the US, to understand the current landscape of survivorship services at CoC-accredited organizations. This research establishes a needed benchmark for survivorship care delivery in the US, identifies key service gaps, and indicates opportunity areas for interventions to improve the health outcomes of cancer survivors. Read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/gfNCUwU8

TROG Cancer Research collaborates closely with GI Cancer Institute & Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG) to support clinical trials to improve GI cancer outcomes. So we’re thrilled to see updates from two of these trials, the AGITG/TROG 21.03 – RESOLUTE and AGITG/TROG 18.04 – MASTERPLAN study, being shared at the AGITG annual scientific meeting this week. Prof Trevor Leong will also give an update on the AGITG AGO407GR/TROG 08.08 TOPGEAR trial at the meeting, following the recent publication of significant trial findings in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. This study has provided valuable evidence that is set to change the way preoperative chemotherapy is used for gastric cancer in Australia and globally. Congrats to the researchers, and to AGITG on a fantastic meeting. Read more about TROG Cancer Research clinical trials: https://hubs.ly/Q02XR4x70

The hallmarks of cancer immune evasion in Cancer Cell. Great companion to the “Cancer Immunity Cycle” concept that Dan Chen, Ira Mellman and others have championed. This in depth review synthesizes the diverse mechanisms by which tumors fight back against the immune response to cancer, and fight against the successful application of cancer immunotherapy in patients. With cancer immunotherapy, we are trying to therapeutically orchestrate an immune response by manipulation of one or more mechanisms in the context of dozens of positive and negative inputs that are being integrated by an individual effector cell to determine its function. All in the context of cancer cells that almost act with cognitive function in the range of mechanisms that they deploy to fight back. It should come as no surprise that the next rounds of success are and will come from mechanism-based combination strategies that address the full spectrum of this target-dense biology both for effector cells, and cancer cells themselves. We will continue to benefit from “more tools in the toolkit.” Really helpful review by Claudia Galassi, Timothy Chan, Ilio Vitale and Lorenzo Galluzzi. #cancer #oncology #immunooncology #immunotherapy #cancerimmunotherapy #drugdevelopment

We are proud to be the recipient of an equipment grant from the NSW Government through Cancer Institute NSW, representing a significant boost to our cancer research capabilities at Garvan. Thanks to this support we will acquire an Akoya-PhenoCycler Fusion system – this is state-of-the-art technology that will provide unprecedented insights into cancer at the cellular level. This system will allow us to: • Study cell-to-cell interactions in unprecedented detail, simultaneously detecting and visualising 100 proteins • Observe responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy • Investigate cancer dormancy • Develop new therapies for cancers including pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer As Professor Paul Timpson notes, “Proteins drive functional outcomes within cells and constitute drug targets, yet existing technologies do not accurately reflect protein activity at a specific location or time.” This new equipment will help us to bridge that gap, potentially leading to breakthroughs in cancer treatment. #CancerResearch #MedicalResearch #Innovation #GarvanInstitute

Researchers at Georgia Tech's Integrated Cancer Research Center is developing a new early diagnostic test able to det4ct cancer with 93% accuracy. so far, researchers have been testing 564 women. So far, active ovarian cancer patients numbered 431, while the remaining 133 woman in the study did not have ovarian cancer. Further studies have been initiated to study if the test is able to detect very early-stage disease in women displaying no clinical symptoms. The study's co-authors are forming a start-up to transfer and commercialize the technology so that this new test can be effectively used to diagnose ovarian cancer. The co-authors also plan to seek trials and FDA approval for the test.

“The hallmarks of cancer immune evasion” was just published in Cancer Cell Nice overview of the immunoevasive phenotype. 👉🏼The immunoevasive phenotype originates from various mechanisms that can be classified under a novel “three Cs” conceptual framework: (1) Camouflage, which hides cancer cells from immune recognition, (2) Coercion, which directly or indirectly interferes with immune effector cells, and (3) Cytoprotection, which shields malignant cells from immune cytotoxicity.