Radiation therapy is highly effective at killing cancer cells, but it often harms healthy skin around the treatment area, a common side effect experienced by up to 95% of cancer patients undergoing treatment. In worst-case scenarios, it can result in delayed or halted treatment.  

Researchers at Houston Methodist Research Institute have now discovered a promising new approach that can protect patients from radiation-induced skin damage during cancer treatment.  

In a significant breakthrough for cancer immunotherapy, collaborative studies published simultaneously in Immunity & Inflammation and Nature have demonstrated a critical molecular mechanism that drives CD8⁺ T cells into a dysfunctional “exhausted” state within tumors. The studies reveal how chronic antigen exposure opens a molecular switch—the suppression of the FOXO1-KLHL6 axis—to promote T cells toward exhaustion, providing a promising new target for intervention.

Researchers have proposed a method for ⁹⁹Mo production via electron accelerator irradiation of a natural-uranium-bearing liquid molten salt target. This approach offers significant advantages, including low nuclear proliferation risk, online extraction capability, and low construction costs. Consequently, it provides a viable pathway for stable, large-scale ⁹⁹Mo production.

UC San Diego researchers have harnessed the body's immune response to a common virus to shrink pancreatic tumors, offering hope for a new cancer treatment approach.