Features
The Next Frontier of CAR T-Cell Therapy: Solid Tumors
Kerry Grens | Apr 1, 2019
The technology has wowed the field by all but obliterating some patients’ blood cancers, but solid malignancies present new challenges.
Some Cancers Become Contagious
Katarina Zimmer | Apr 1, 2019
So far, six animal species are known to carry transmissible, “parasitic” forms of cancer, but researchers are still mystified as to how cancer can become infectious.
The Dark Matter of the Human Proteome
Annie Rathore | Apr 1, 2019
Advances in the functional characterization of newly discovered microproteins hint at diverse roles in health and disease.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the April 2019 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
Miracle Elixirs
Miracle Elixirs
A long way into the quest to vanquish cancer, our ears strain to hear the words, “Cancer is cured”—a yearning that can cloud our judgment.
Speaking of Science
Ten-Minute Sabbatical
Ten-Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
Freeze Frame
Caught on Camera
Caught on Camera
Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com
Notebook
Tuberculosis Can Emerge After Cancer Immunotherapy
Tuberculosis Can Emerge After Cancer Immunotherapy
At least a handful of patients have developed active TB after receiving cancer treatment designed to boost the immune system’s antitumor response.
Could Grandpa’s Early Diet Affect Your Health?
Could Grandpa’s Early Diet Affect Your Health?
A large study seeks to answer whether a man’s childhood diet has transgenerational repercussions.
Why Is Cancer More Common in Men Than in Women?
Why Is Cancer More Common in Men Than in Women?
The molecular processes that lead males to be more susceptible to the disease are only beginning to come to light.
Researchers DNA Barcode the Arctic
Researchers DNA Barcode the Arctic
A group of scientists in northern Norway are using the technique to measure biodiversity’s response to past and present climate change.
Modus Operandi
Mopping Up Excess Chemotherapy Drugs
Mopping Up Excess Chemotherapy Drugs
A prototype in-vein device would collect toxic medications before they reach healthy tissues.
The Literature
Fat Tissue Can Help Cancer Cells Proliferate, Metastasize
Fat Tissue Can Help Cancer Cells Proliferate, Metastasize
Researchers disentangle how adipocytes communicate with prostate tumors in mice.
Stray Germ Cells May Seed Female-Biased Cancerous Cysts
Stray Germ Cells May Seed Female-Biased Cancerous Cysts
Similarities in gene expression hint at the origin of a certain type of pancreatic tumor that predominantly afflicts women.
Cancer-Specific Antigens Encoded in “Junk” DNA
Cancer-Specific Antigens Encoded in “Junk” DNA
Researchers found that allegedly noncoding genetic material carries the instructions for many peptides that may help harness the immune system to fight cancer.
Profile
Cancer Vaxxer: A Profile of Miriam Merad
Cancer Vaxxer: A Profile of Miriam Merad
The Mount Sinai oncologist studies innate immune cells with the goal of designing novel immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines.
Scientist to Watch
Sophia Lunt Traces the Effect of Metabolism on Cancer Metastasis
Sophia Lunt Traces the Effect of Metabolism on Cancer Metastasis
The Michigan State University researcher’s lab experiences shaped her interest in the role of glucose in cancer’s spread.
Lab Tools
Contending with Resistance in Cancer Immunotherapy
Contending with Resistance in Cancer Immunotherapy
Researchers describe ways to study how cancer cells evade therapies that harness the immune system.
Bio Business
Scientists Take Aim at Disease-Causing RNAs Using Small-Molecule Drugs
Scientists Take Aim at Disease-Causing RNAs Using Small-Molecule Drugs
Renewed interest from the biotech industry sparks hope for drugging the nucleic acid to treat cancer and other conditions.
Reading Frames
A Review of Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales
A Review of Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales
This posthumously published collection of essays by Oliver Sacks further cements the neurologist’s place in the pantheon of science writers.
Foundations
From Chemical Weapon to Chemotherapy, 1917–1946
From Chemical Weapon to Chemotherapy, 1917–1946
Mustard gas blistered men’s bodies on the battlefield, but paved the way for cancer-fighting drugs.
Infographics
Infographic: CAR-T Cells in Solid Versus Liquid Cancers
Infographic: CAR-T Cells in Solid Versus Liquid Cancers
Tumor accessibility, heterogeneity, and microenvironment vary between the two classes of malignancies.
Infographic: When Cancers Become Parasites
Infographic: When Cancers Become Parasites
Only a handful of contagious cancers are known to exist, yet they have attracted an increasing number of researchers worldwide trying to understand how and why they arise.
Infographic: Functional Characterization of Microproteins
Infographic: Functional Characterization of Microproteins
Analyzing protein-protein interactions can shed light on what tiny proteins do in the cell.
Infographic: Medication Mop-Up
Infographic: Medication Mop-Up
Researchers have developed a prototype device to filter excess chemotherapy medication from the bloodstream.
Infographic: How Fat Cells Influence Tumor Growth
Infographic: How Fat Cells Influence Tumor Growth
Mice that lack p62 in their fat cells grow more tumors than animals that have a functioning version of the protein.