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Lustgarten Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Outlines Strategic Direction for Pancreatic Cancer Treatments

Lustgarten Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Outlines Strategic Direction for Pancreatic Cancer Treatments

The Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research, recently convened its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to establish the strategic direction for the next generation of pancreatic cancer treatments. Following a year of significant scientific progress, including the FDA approval of the RAS-targeted therapy RASONQUE™ (daraxonrasib), the meeting focused on building upon these breakthroughs to develop more effective and durable treatments. Key areas of discussion included advancing methods to measure treatment response, understanding treatment failure and resistance, identifying new therapeutic targets and combinations, advancing prevention and interception strategies, and innovating clinical trial design. A central theme was the importance of integrating clinical observations, biological insights, and new methods for measuring treatment response to guide more personalized treatment strategies. The Foundation awarded $22.8 million in new research funding in fiscal year 2026, a...

Steve and Marian Mosites Family Foundation Funds Precision Medicine Research in Head and Neck Cancer

Steve and Marian Mosites Family Foundation Funds Precision Medicine Research in Head and Neck Cancer

The Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery has received a significant gift from the Steve and Marian Mosites Family Foundation. This donation is specifically allocated to advance precision medicine research in head and neck cancer, funding two projects through the Mosites Precision Medicine Awards for 2026. The award recipients are Matthew Spector, MD, FACS, for his project titled 'Personalized Implant-Radiation Strategies for Head and Neck Cancer Reconstruction,' and Lazar Vujanovic, PhD, for his project 'Defining the Postoperative Immune Landscape in Oral Cavity Cancer via Surgical Drain Fluid.' Dr. Spector's research aims to explore personalized mandibular reconstruction using novel CFR-PEEK implants to improve radiation delivery and healing. Dr. Vujanovic's project will study the immune environment immediately after surgery using surgical drain fluid to understand anti-tumor immune responses and identify patients who might benefit from more personalized treatments. The initiative honors Maria...

Dr. C. Ola Landgren to Receive PMWC Pioneer Award for Advancing Minimal Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma

Dr. C. Ola Landgren to Receive PMWC Pioneer Award for Advancing Minimal Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma

C. Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D., director of Sylvester Myeloma Institute at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, will receive the Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC) Pioneer Award in January 2027. This recognition is for his significant contributions to advancing minimal residual disease (MRD) as an earlier and more precise measure of treatment effectiveness in multiple myeloma. MRD refers to the tiny number of cancer cells that remain during remission, detectable only by highly sensitive laboratory methods. Dr. Landgren's work has been instrumental in helping new therapies demonstrate effectiveness more quickly, potentially accelerating their availability to patients. His team is also leading research into bispecific T-cell therapies, including strategies to safely deliver these treatments and manage side effects like cytokine release syndrome. This research extends to other cancers, such as lymphoma and rare gynecologic neuroendocrine cancers, demonstrating a continuous cycle of measurement, learni...

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Unveils Comprehensive Transcriptomic Atlas to Enhance Breast Cancer Treatment Precision

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Unveils Comprehensive Transcriptomic Atlas to Enhance Breast Cancer Treatment Precision

Researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have developed one of the largest transcriptomic maps of breast cancer to date. This comprehensive atlas, detailed in Cell Reports Medicine, integrates 7,612 breast cancer transcriptomes from 22 independent datasets, providing an unprecedented view of the disease's molecular diversity. The team, led by Brian Lehmann, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Medicine, identified 12 breast cancer-intrinsic subtypes and three major tumor microenvironment programs, collectively named the integrated Breast Cancer Transcriptome Classification (iBTC). This atlas reveals previously unrecognized forms of breast cancer with distinct prognoses, biological characteristics, and therapeutic vulnerabilities, moving beyond traditional classifications to enable more precise and effective treatment decisions.

Natera and Incyte Collaborate on Phase II Colorectal Cancer Study Utilizing Signatera MRD Testing

Natera and Incyte Collaborate on Phase II Colorectal Cancer Study Utilizing Signatera MRD Testing

Natera and Incyte Collaborate on Phase II Colorectal Cancer Study Utilizing Signatera MRD Testing

AI Transforms Medical Diagnostics, Raising Questions of Verifiability and Clinical Integration

AI Transforms Medical Diagnostics, Raising Questions of Verifiability and Clinical Integration

Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming medical diagnostics, particularly in oncology, by enhancing physicians' ability to identify biomarkers and guide treatment decisions. Dr. Benjamin H. Kann, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, highlighted these advancements at the Cleveland Clinic AI Summit for Healthcare Professionals. Dr. Kann categorized AI applications into three tiers: Tier one identifies features humans can readily see, often serving as automation tools. Tier two AI detects features humans struggle to discern, such as biomarkers in lung cancer from histopathology. Tier three involves AI predicting future events, like the ArteraAI assay for prostate cancer, which forecasts the benefit of hormonal therapy. While tier one applications are more widely adopted and FDA-cleared, higher-tier applications, especially tier three, present challenges related to verifiability and integration into clinical practice. Dr. Kann emphasized that the future of can...

Stanford Medicine Study Identifies Three Brain Biotypes for ADHD and Anxiety in Children Using AI

Stanford Medicine Study Identifies Three Brain Biotypes for ADHD and Anxiety in Children Using AI

A Stanford Medicine-led study has identified three distinct brain biotypes in children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorder, or both. Published in Nature Mental Health, the research utilized an AI-powered model to analyze functional MRI scans from thousands of participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. The team, including co-senior author Yu Zhang, lead author Yong Jiao, and senior author Jing Jiang, found that these biotypes do not align perfectly with traditional symptom-based diagnoses. Instead, they are characterized by specific patterns of functional connectivity in the brain, revealing two brain-behavior dimensions: cognitive-behavioral dysfunction and emotion-attention dysfunction. These dimensions combine to form three biotypes: externalizing-disinhibited, internalizing-distressed, and mixed. The externalizing-disinhibited type is linked to hostility, defiance, impulsivity, aggression, and rule-breaking, more common in ADHD. The int...

City of Hope Researchers Develop Novel Microbiome Therapy to Prevent Bloodstream Infections in Cancer Patients

City of Hope Researchers Develop Novel Microbiome Therapy to Prevent Bloodstream Infections in Cancer Patients

Researchers at City of Hope, in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Seres Therapeutics, have developed a new microbiome therapy, SER-155, aimed at preventing dangerous bloodstream infections in patients undergoing donor stem cell transplants for blood cancers. This first-of-its-kind therapy delivers 16 carefully selected beneficial bacteria designed to restore the microbiome and combat harmful pathogens. In a multicenter phase 1 clinical trial, SER-155 was found to be well tolerated with no treatment-related side effects. Patients who received the therapy experienced fewer bloodstream infections and lower levels of harmful bacteria associated with infection. The study, published in Nature Medicine, provides early evidence that live biotherapeutics, which are medicines made from beneficial bacteria, can be safely administered to highly vulnerable patients and may help prevent serious infections. This approach represents a significant step towards engineering the microbiome for spec...

Actress Melanie Griffith Raises Skin Cancer Awareness Following Basal Cell Carcinoma Recurrence

Actress Melanie Griffith Raises Skin Cancer Awareness Following Basal Cell Carcinoma Recurrence

Actress Melanie Griffith Raises Skin Cancer Awareness Following Basal Cell Carcinoma Recurrence

Lee Kun-hee's Donation Drives Breakthroughs in Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Treatment in Korea

Lee Kun-hee's Donation Drives Breakthroughs in Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Treatment in Korea

A 300 billion won donation from the family of the late Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee to Seoul National University Children's Hospital five years ago has yielded significant results in combating childhood cancer and rare diseases. The initiative, known as the 'Lee Kun-hee Childhood Cancer and Rare Disease Overcoming Project,' has led to the diagnosis of 22,646 patients and treatment of 14,757 as of September. Key achievements include the establishment of Korea's first standard treatment protocol for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which classifies patients into five risk groups using genome analysis and next-generation sequencing. Additionally, the project has discovered and diagnosed over 20 new types of previously unknown rare diseases. A national rare disease diagnosis network has been created, enabling regional hospitals to send samples to a central analysis center for diagnostic results within four to six weeks. The research collaboration system has also expanded, with supported proj...

Precision for Medicine Seeks Resource Manager to Optimize Oncology Development Pathway

Precision for Medicine Seeks Resource Manager to Optimize Oncology Development Pathway

Precision for Medicine Seeks Resource Manager to Optimize Oncology Development Pathway

Precision for Medicine Seeks Clinical Trial Manager for Oncology Research

Precision for Medicine Seeks Clinical Trial Manager for Oncology Research

Precision for Medicine Seeks Clinical Trial Manager for Oncology Research