The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to ADP-A2M4, an investigational specific peptide-enhanced affinity receptor T-cell therapy, for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas. ADP-A2M4 (Adaptimmune) is an autologous, genetically modified SPEAR T-cell therapy that targets the MAGE-A4 antigen on the surface of cancer cells. Certain soft tissue sarcomas express MAGE-A4 at high levels and
Source September 5th, 2019 by Dr. Francis Collins Tumor cells thrive by exploiting the willingness of normal cells in their neighborhood to act as accomplices. One of their sneakier stunts involves tricking the body into helping them form new blood vessels. This growth-enabling process of sprouting new blood vessels, called tumor angiogenesis, remains a vital area of
Two-pronged approach stymies AML escape plan, could have applications to many cancers. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center have devised a potential treatment against a common type of leukemia that could have implications for many other types of cancer. The new approach takes aim at a way that
New research reveals a new role for the enzyme telomerase, which scientists thought was turned off in most normal adult cells, except in cancerous tumors where it promotes unlimited cell division. The researchers discovered that as normal, healthy adult cells approach cell-death, they produce a burst of telomerase that prevents malignancies and softens the final
Immunotherapy can be effective in treating certain types of pediatric blood cancers, but researchers are still exploring how this type of treatment could work for pediatric solid tumors. In clinical trials, scientists are combining immunotherapy agents in an effort to jump-start the immune system against pediatric solid tumors. Source DANA-FARBER Cancer Institute New treatments that
Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma Can Turn into a Stubborn Killer of Children One of the most common brain cancers in children, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastoma, also is one of the more survivable for most kids. Unfortunately, for a subset of patients the cancer resists treatment and relapses with a vengeance to then turn deadly. Researchers at Cincinnati
Source Harvard Medical School The findings of a new Harvard Medical School study suggest important differences between three frontline drugs used to treat advanced breast cancer. The researcher’s findings were published in Cell Chemical Biology. The three CDK4/6 inhibitors, abemaciclib, palbociclib, and ribociclib have exhibited exceptional efficacy in hindering breast tumor growth, improving survival rates and prompting FDA approval.
Research shows nearly every sixth death in the world is due to the disease, making it the second leading cause of death behind cardiovascular diseases. The global pharmaceutical industry is estimated at an astounding $1.11 trillion in size. Every year, billions are spent on the research and development of cancer drugs, with numerous trials conducted in an
A new international study co-led by Cleveland Clinic has identified a new drug target for treating glioblastoma. This target is part of a never-before defined cellular pathway found to contribute to the spread and proliferation of a dangerous subset of cancer cells, called glioma stem cells. While previous research has shown that a protein called
In an unexpected decision, the Food and Drug Administration rejected Sarepta Therapeutics’ experimental drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, issuing on Monday a Complete Response Letter to the rare disease biotech. According to Sarepta, the agency cited in its refusal infection risk tied to the drug’s delivery as well as preclinical signs of kidney toxicity. Called
