Chemists have discovered for the first time a unique way to control and modify a type of compound widely used in medicines, including a drug used to treat breast cancer.

Patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) whose tumors have specific mutations in the PPP2R1A gene were found to have improved survival following immunotherapy compared to patients without these mutations, according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The cancer-killing compound, called tiancimycin, was found within a historic collection of soil microbes housed at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute.

BUFFALO, NY — July 2, 2025 — A new research perspective was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 6, on May 29, 2025, titled “Peto’s paradox’s relevance is off the scale.”

Using an inexpensive electrode coated with DNA, MIT researchers designed disposable diagnostics that could be adapted to detect a variety of diseases, including cancer or infectious diseases such as influenza and HIV.

During therapy, some cancer cells evolve to escape elimination. Newer anticancer drugs that can overcome this resistance are necessary. Now, researchers from Japan demonstrate that aromatic benzaldehyde inhibits the growth of therapy-resistant pancreatic cancer. By preventing various signaling proteins and histone modifiers like Ser²⁸-phosphorylated histone H3 (H3S28ph) from binding to 14-3-3ζ protein, benzaldehyde overcomes therapy resistance and blocks plasticity to prevent the spread of cancer. These findings highlight its potential in cancer treatment.

Scientists have identified a subtype of immune cells that help advanced prostate cancer evade the body’s defenses. In mouse models, blocking a protein produced by those cells made tumors more responsive to immunotherapy, pointing to a potential new treatment approach. The study, with Shenglin Mei of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute among the corresponding authors, is featured on the July cover of Molecular Cancer Research.

Researchers in the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at the National University of Singapore and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) have developed a hydrogel-based platform that extends the survival of patient-derived tumour tissues in the lab. The platform better replicates the tumour’s natural environment, allowing for more accurate evaluation of cancer drugs - particularly for peritoneal metastases, an advanced stage for abdominal and pelvic cancers. The study, published in Advanced Materials, could pave the way for more personalised and effective treatment strategies.