A molecular pathway used by pancreatic cancer cells to adapt to stress and inflammation could lead to earlier detection and treatment of the deadly disease.

A promising breakthrough in cancer treatment is taking shape at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), where scientists are developing a powerful radioisotope that could one day precisely target and destroy cancer cells. A recent study led by Heather Hennkens, an associate professor at Mizzou’s Department of Chemistry and a researcher at MURR, investigated how to produce, purify and formulate Terbium-161 for radiopharmaceutical use. Through this work, Hennkens’ lab is optimizing the radioisotope so it can be effectively attached to a targeting molecule and sent as the therapeutic “payload” to destroy tumor cells.

Colon cancer is often driven by cancer stem cells, which resist treatment and lead to relapse. In a recent study, researchers from Japan revealed how transcription factors CDX1 and CDX2 suppress cancer cell stemness by blocking β-catenin’s ability to activate key genes like LGR5. Their findings showed that CDX1/2 prevent the formation of key transcriptional complexes involving DSIF and PAF1, identifying these as critical regulators and potential therapeutic targets in colon cancer.

Summary

CORNETO is a new computational tool that helps researchers combine different types of biological data with prior biological knowledge to map how molecules like genes and proteins interact inside cells.

By analysing different samples together at once, CORNETO shows which biological processes are common and which are unique across cell types and conditions. 

Researchers have used CORNETO to reveal shared and cell-specific pathways in disease research, e.g. to identify signalling pathways associated with chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer patients.

Results of a study led by VHIO’s Prostate Cancer Group suggest that treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors followed by senloytic therapies and PARP inhibitors could improve outcomes and combat cancer drug resistance in advanced prostate cancer.