Along with defending against pathogens, the body’s innate immune system helps to protect the stability of our genomes in unexpected ways — ways that have important implications for the development of cancer, researchers at MSK are discovering.

Targeting and customizing blood vessels in tumors to increase T cell infiltration and maintain their function may represent the next breakthrough in cancer therapy. The European Research Council has recognized this by awarding a prestigious Synergy Grant to the project VASC-IMMUNE, where three researchers, each possessing complementary expertise in this research topic, will synergize to advance the field. Professors Anna Dimberg and Magnus Essand are both from the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Professor Thomas Tüting is from the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Magdeburg.

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have identified 16 genes that breast cancer cells use to survive in the bloodstream after they’ve escaped the low-oxygen regions of a tumor. Each is a potential therapeutic target to stop cancer recurrence, and one – MUC1 – is already in clinical trials. 

BGI Genomics and partners have published a transformative study in Nature Communications that links genetic differences in GISTs to tailored treatment strategies. The discovery of YLPM1 as a tumor suppressor gene marks a significant step in precision oncology.

Despite the promise against cancer shown by the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, clinical trials have proved disappointing, partly because cancer cells develop resistance to the drug. MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers report in Cell Cycle that resistance to hydroxychloroquine occurs not by restoring cellular recycling, as had been expected, but by affecting the division, metabolism and export of cancer cells. These findings could inform new combination therapies with hydroxychloroquine, enhancing the drug’s effectiveness against cancer.