“了解癌症的起源." This phrase is a key component of the 亨茨曼癌症研究所 (HCI) mission. By better understanding cancer in its earliest stages—and a deeper knowledge of healthy cell behavior—we shed light on the precursors of cancer and what allows a cancer to grow. Read just a few highlights of noteworthy recent studies at HCI that advance our quest to understand cancer from its beginnings and to use that information in the creation and improvement of new cancer treatments.
Progress in Potential New 肺癌 Treatment
《大发体育官网》 临床癌症研究 published findings from the Oliver Lab that outline new insights into potential treatment options for MYC-driven tumors, 小细胞肺癌的一种亚型. MYC is a protein that drives cell proliferation, growth, death, and self-renewal.
"We seek to understand the vulnerabilities in cancer that can become a target for treatment. We found this possibility in small-cell lung cancers with the protein MYC. We are now designing clinical trials based on our findings,奥利弗说。.
On cancer research as a career, Oliver explains, "I had multiple family members with cancer. I became interested in lung cancer because it’s a highly prevalent type of cancer that is relatively under-funded and under-studied, largely due to stigmas associated with smoking,奥利弗说。. “然而, many people who never smoke develop lung cancer, and our findings are often relevant to many types of cancer. So the principles and concepts we are uncovering are broadly applicable."
特鲁迪·奥利弗博士
副教授
肿瘤科学
访问奥利弗实验室页面
乳腺癌个体化治疗
The Varley Lab outlined a potential new clinical test for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, 发表于期刊 癌症研究.
"There are currently no clinical tests to guide treatment decisions for these patients,瓦利解释道. "They all receive aggressive treatment, which can lead to long-term heart and nerve problems. We are developing a test that can be used to personalize decisions."
This approach is important, Varley explains. "Every breast tumor is unique, and every cancer patient responds to treatment differently. We search for genomic patterns shared across subsets of patients with similar tumor types or treatment responses. We hope the unique genomic fingerprints of patients’ tumors will tell us precisely which treatment will work best for each of them."
瓦利实验室正在进行这项工作. They aim to test it in clinical trials and assess if it can apply to other cancers. This work is possible, she says, because of the highly collaborative environment at HCI.
凯瑟琳·瓦利博士
助理教授
肿瘤科学
访问Varley实验室页面
对子宫内膜癌的新认识
The Gertz Lab has a longstanding interest in cancers of the female reproductive system. They study estrogen, a hormone that plays a major role in both a healthy or diseased uterus. 一项研究发表于 基因组研究, evaluated what happens to the estrogen receptor when cancer arises.
"While mutations in estrogen receptor make it constantly active, it also displays some unexpected behaviors. It causes genes to turn on that are not normally controlled by estrogen receptor," Gertz explains. "We’re using our findings to explore new treatments that may be effective against uterine tumors with estrogen receptor mutations."
当被问及他工作的动力是什么时, 格茨说, "There has been tremendous progress in cancer treatment and care. 不幸的是, uterine cancer has lagged behind and is the only common cancer with worse outcomes today than 40 years ago. My lab is motivated to help women with uterine cancer by better understanding the disease in a quest for more effective treatments."
杰伊·格茨博士
助理教授
肿瘤科学
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了解癌症的耐药性
A significant obstacle in cancer treatment is when it resists the powerful drugs intended to combat it. The Myers Lab outlined new findings in the journal 自然 of a potential "Achilles’ heel" of a protein called Smoothened and its role in helping cancer spread. The hope is to develop drugs that cancer cannot circumvent.
"Our work helps us understand the molecular basis for Smoothened activation. We think we can develop more effective strategies when this is a factor in cancer," Myers says. This work may offer new options for skin and brain cancer patients taking Smoothened inhibitors. The Myers Lab hopes to apply these approaches to other drug targets, 这种方法可以大发娱乐治疗一系列癌症.
"I am driven by a curiosity to understand the principles that underlie tissue and organ development, and how errors in this process lead to cancer,迈尔斯谈到他的工作时说. “HCI强大的基础科学文化, combined with clinical expertise and access to patient samples, enables my lab’s research program to thrive."
本·迈尔斯博士
助理教授
肿瘤科学
访问迈尔斯实验室页面