cancer biology, cell & molecular biology

Targeted cancer therapy may jeopardize the effectiveness of subsequent immunotherapy by reducing dendritic cell numbers and activation, according to study of mice and patient samples.

Tumor cells missing a critical protein enter neighboring cells to sap their nutrients, then exit those hosts as intact cells, possibly primed to metastasize. Other scholars say it’s too early to know this for sure.

In the last decade, researchers have come to realize that tumors harbor bits of extrachromosomal DNA that can drive malignancy.

Meet some of the people featured in the April 2021 issue of The Scientist.

A mutant protein called Siglec-XII may promote carcinoma progression in humans, but inactivation of its gene seems to avoid the problem, according to a study.

It’s now thought that in many cases, cancer cells disseminate from the primary tumor site early on and lie dormant for long periods rather than only venturing out from primary tumors at an advanced stage.

Recent insights, such as the recognition that disseminated cancer cells can lie dormant for years before seeding secondary tumors, suggest novel strategies for fighting metastatic disease.

From his student days in veterinary medicine in Ethiopia to running a lab on metastasis at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Debeb has a passion for understanding how living things work.

Researchers are uncovering how circular bits of DNA found in some cancer cells can help tumors evolve and kill.

Researchers turned white blood cells called neutrophils into drug-smuggling “neutrobots,” which penetrated the blood-brain barrier to treat brain cancer in mice.

Death rates among blood cancer patients who contract COVID-19 are higher than for those with other cancers, pointing to impaired immunity that makes it hard to overcome the virus.

The findings may have implications for radiotherapy, a cancer treatment that can cause damage to salivary glands and leave lasting complications.

The results add to mounting evidence of microbes’ roles in tumor growth and point to the possibility of impeding malignancies by inhibiting bacteria.

Meet some of the people featured in the July/August 2020 issue of The Scientist.

Researchers find connective tissue has a crucial role to play in whether cancer cells metastasize.

A study finds similarities between cells that heal wounds and those that lead deadly cancerous invasions.

By infecting glioblastoma cells but not healthy brain tissue, some form of the virus could serve a therapeutic purpose.