Several types of cancer are triggered by mutations in a protein called BRAF. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have resolved a previously unknown conformation adopted by this protein during cell proliferation. Their study, which has now been published in the journal Molecular Cell, opens new avenues for cancer treatment.

Significant advances have been made in the development of patient-derived tumor “organoids” for preclinical research, in two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The advances represent progress in precision medicine and point to the more routine use of tumor organoids as models for evaluating and optimizing cancer treatments.

Rather than viewing preclinical exercise research mainly as evidence supporting exercise prescriptions, this articla propose a broader framework: exercise oncology should serve as a discovery engine for identifying anti-tumor mechanisms that can be translated into therapies independent of exercise itself. By uncovering the molecular pathways activated during physical activity, researchers may be able to develop new pharmacological strategies capable of benefiting patients who cannot exercise because of frailty, cachexia, treatment-related toxicities, or other co-morbidities.

Dubbed PATTY, the tool corrects hidden bias in a widely used genomics method, helping scientists distinguish true biological discoveries from false leads.

 

A noninvasive DNA blood test can identify metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients who are most likely to benefit from ²²³Ra radiopharmaceutical therapy and monitor their progress throughout treatment, according to new research published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Incorporating this new approach to DNA profiling into clinical practice has the potential to refine patient selection, enable early detection of treatment resistance, and optimize personalized management for prostate cancer patients.

Researchers from Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, China, explored the use of techniques such as ‘intraoperative MRI (iMRI)’, ‘neuronavigation’, and ‘neuromonitoring’ to remove a rare and difficult-to-treat brain tumor subtype called ‘IDH-mutant low-grade corpus callosum glioma’. These techniques enabled safer and more complete tumor removal by helping surgeons delineate the tumor in real time and avoid damage to surrounding tissue, thereby improving survival by more than three years compared to conventional surgery.