Leading CAR T cell therapy researchers from Penn Medicine have developed a human-in-the-loop artificial intelligence (AI) framework that firmly centers scientists’ expertise to find viable target antigens for CAR T cell therapy.

Researchers from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) to develop new strategies to improve CAR T-cell therapies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, an advanced form of the disease with limited treatment options.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have uncovered a previously hidden step in how the immune system prepares to fight cancer, a discovery that could help scientists develop more effective and longer-lasting cancer immunotherapies.

A study published in Current Molecular Pharmacology highlights the dual role of miR-29a in cancer and explores how natural bioactive compounds—such as curcumin, EGCG, and resveratrol—can modulate its expression through epigenetic and signaling pathways, offering new avenues for cancer prevention.

A study published in Current Molecular Pharmacology reveals that the natural alkaloid gramine selectively inhibits triple‑negative breast cancer by triggering ferroptosis through a novel CUL3‑MTDH axis. Gramine binds CUL3, reducing MTDH ubiquitination and degradation, which downregulates ferroptosis suppressors SLC3A2 and GPX4. In vivo, gramine significantly suppressed tumor growth with minimal toxicity, positioning it as a promising therapeutic candidate for this aggressive cancer.

A review published in Current Molecular Pharmacology reveals that lactylation—a novel protein modification driven by lactate—plays a critical role in lung cancer progression and therapy resistance. The study outlines a “reflex arc” of writers, erasers, and readers, highlighting how histone and non‑histone lactylation drive immune escape, metabolic rewiring, and resistance to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and EGFR‑TKIs. The authors propose targeting the lactate‑lactylation axis as a promising therapeutic strategy.