cancer tagged posts

‘Molecular glue’ from this San Diego startup makes cancer self-destruct: Clinical trial begins

clinical trial
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

This local biotech says it has found a way to trick cancer cells into destroying themselves with its molecular glue. Now it’s putting that claim to the test. After attracting global attention from researchers and billions of dollars from Big Pharma, Neomorph announced that it has begun its first clinical trial. The molecular glue aims to treat a form of kidney cancer.

The first trial will dose one patient with the molecular glue, NEO-811, to treat clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common kind of kidney cancer.

In San Diego County, roughly 500 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year—that’s more than one new case every day, according to the California Cancer Registry...

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Signpost of cancer linked to wound-healing properties

Graphic illustration of a person's upper torso, as seen from the back, with red color and white dots and lines centered on an area to indicate pain.
ASU researchers Jordan Yaron and Kaushal Rege have found that the previously mysterious protein SerpinB3 plays a vital role in the body’s natural wound-healing process. Their findings could lead to better treatments for hard-to-heal wounds and open new avenues for tackling cancer and other diseases. Graphic by Jason Drees/ASU

SerpinB3 turns out to be both a healing powerhouse and a cancer accomplice—revealing new possibilities for medicine. Researchers have uncovered that SerpinB3, typically linked to severe cancers, is also a key player in natural wound healing. The protein drives skin cell movement and tissue rebuilding, especially when paired with next-generation biomaterial dressings...

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This experimental “super vaccine” stopped cancer cold in the lab

“Super Vaccine” Stopped Cancer Cold in the Lab
UMass Amherst scientists created a nanoparticle “super adjuvant” vaccine that prevented melanoma, pancreatic, and breast cancers in mice. The innovation primes the immune system for lasting, body-wide protection against cancer spread. Credit: Shutterstock

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have shown that their nanoparticle-based vaccine can successfully prevent several aggressive cancers in mice, including melanoma, pancreatic cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer. Depending on the cancer type, up to 88% of vaccinated mice stayed tumor-free (depending on the cancer), and the vaccine also reduced — and in some cases completely prevented — the spread of cancer throughout the body.

“By engineering these nanoparticles to activate the immune system via multi-...

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Researchers uncover novel immune mechanism that protects the intestine

A team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (The Institute) has made a landmark discovery that sheds light on how the immune system protects the gut during infection. By studying intestinal worms—also known as helminths—the team, led by Professor Irah King, uncovered a previously unknown immune mechanism that preserves intestinal function in the presence of persistent infection.

Their finding, published in the journal Cell, could pave the way for new treatments for helminth infections, which affect over two billion people worldwide at some point in their lives, as well as for other intestinal diseases.

The results could also help revisit older therapeutic strategies that were previously dismissed due to an incomplete understanding of...

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