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Frederick National Laboratory teams help evaluate plant virus’ preclinical safety as cancer treatment
Researchers at the University of California San Diego, in collaboration with Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL), found that repeat injections with a plant virus may safely activate the immune system for cancer therapy. Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), which doesn’t infect humans or other mammals, was tested in a preclinical animal model to determine potential consequences of injecting the virus into cancer patients’ tumors. The team, which included members of FNL’s Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory and Molecular Histopathology Laboratory, published their findings in Toxicology Reports. After receiving CPMV once weekly for three weeks, the animals displayed the expected immunostimulatory effects without major negative health effects. The administered dose was judged as at a high therapeutic dosage. Given this, the lack of major observed toxicity provides evidence for the virus’ safety following administration. The study adds to existing knowledge of CPMV’s treatment potential and moves the virus one step closer to POSTED: 6/12/2025
Pioneering biophysicist, computational biologist elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Ruth Nussinov , Ph.D., who discovered that dynamic ensembles are the true workhorses of cellular function and who has published numerous foundational studies in biophysics and computational biology over the years, was among 120 individuals recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Nussinov, a member of the Basic Science Program at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and head of the Computational Structural Biology Section , was also among a dozen women featured in the inaugural issue of Pioneers in Molecular Biology . The journal highlights outstanding novel discoveries and scientific advancements by women who have demonstrated “courage, strength, and ability to forge opportunities for others who may be interested in pursuing careers in science.” Each of the featured scientists wrote a first-person account of their background and scientific work. Nussinov said her father’s influence as an agriculture professor and dean at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI) POSTED: 5/29/2025
ASCO oral presentation, posters to explore use of liquid biopsy in rare cancers
Biswajit Das, Ph.D., MoCha associate director, will present this study in an oral abstract session on Friday, May 30 at 4:45 CT in Hall D1 of the convention center. Using ctDNA to classify tumor types In another study, scientists evaluated the ctDNA to determine fragmentation patterns, which are unique to each tumor type and can help more precisely identify the cancer. The fragment-based model accurately identified the cancer type in nearly 100% of samples that were definitively diagnosed in pathology. About 5% of the time, patient samples are determined “not otherwise specified (NOS)” in pathology reports. The tumor’s origin is unknown, or the sub-type of a cancer cannot be determined. Using the fragmentation data, Peter Wu and colleagues accurately identified sub-types of pancreatic and ovarian cancer, indicating ctDNA could be used as a tool to more precisely classify tumor types. MoCha Director Chris Karlovich, Ph.D., will present the study in POSTED: 5/28/2025
Valuable medical and biological images languish for want of support
Experts are working globally on standards for sharing medical and biological image data, much of which cannot be reused because they are not publicly available or well organized. To tap this resource for discovery, a group of scientists is calling for long-term funding commitments for adequate data storage at openly accessible sites. Australia, Japan, and Europe are already collaborating to enable global image data sharing, but more countries should invest in open data resources, or an immense amount of valuable data will languish, a team of concerned scientists recommended in a Nature Methods opinion column . "This will allow us to harvest the enormous potential of existing image data, preventing substantial loss of unrealized value from past investments in imaging acquisition infrastructure," wrote the group, which included Kedar Narayan of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and 23 other scientists from government, industry, academic, and nonprofit institutions around the POSTED: 5/5/2025
Drugs targeting KRAS cancers co-developed by FNL to be featured at AACR Annual Meeting
Study results of two investigational drugs that target KRAS-driven cancers co-developed by RAS Initiative investigators at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) and now being tested in patients will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting April 25-30 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Both compounds, BBO-8520 and BBO-11818, were developed in partnership via Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics (BBOT) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Representatives of BBOT, sponsor of the clinical trials for both agents, will present the data during the AACR meeting. James P. Stice, an associate director at BBOT, will discuss results of pre-clinical studies on BBO-8520 in a mini symposium on novel antitumor agents, Monday, April 28 in room S103. BBO-8520 targets KRAS G12C, the most common KRAS variant in lung cancer. On Tuesday, April 29, BBOT Associate Director Carlos Stahlhut will present a poster POSTED: 4/17/2025
One shot of HPV vaccine protects long-term against cervical cancer
Women should be safe from cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV) for at least 20 years and probably more after just one dose of vaccine instead of the usual two or three, according to a study that further demonstrates the long-term effectiveness of a single dose. When first approved by the Food and Drug Administration nearly 20 years ago, vaccines against cancer-causing HPV were scheduled in three doses for adequate protection. But the cost and logistics of giving three shots, particularly in remote or underserved regions, can make it difficult to complete the full regimen. The new study pulled data from the ongoing Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial, which provided initial evidence that one dose of the bivalent HPV vaccine protected against HPV-16/18 infections. Researchers wanted to see how durable that protection was, because early on scientists observed that antibody responses from three vaccine doses were about four times higher than POSTED: 4/3/2025
Different high-risk HPV infections don’t spur cancers at the same rate
A study mapped the frequency at which different high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) strains progress to cervical cancer and linked some strains to distinct genetic signatures, which could help scientists better understand these infections and open the door to targeted treatment approaches. The study published in Tumour Virus Research examined more than 700 cancer-free, precancer, early-stage cancer, and invasive cancer biopsy samples obtained from women in Guatemala who underwent screening or treatment in a hospital setting. Looking at a spectrum of precancer and cancer stages allowed the researchers to analyze trends between HPV strains and cancer progression. HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection. Most cases eventually get cleared by the immune system. However, women who have a lasting infection with any one of 15 high-risk strains can develop cervical cancer. These cancers are preventable and can be treated but still cause over 300,000 deaths worldwide each year, mainly in resource-limited POSTED: 4/2/2025
Simulations implicate structural changes as a culprit in mutant protein’s cancer role and point to possible treatments
As Ruth Nussinov , Ph.D., and her team watched a mutated, cancer-causing protein twist and bend across their computer screen in a simulation, two things quickly became evident. First, it was clear how the mutation paved the way for cancers to form. Second, the twisting and bending created a pocket—a gap in the protein’s proverbial armor—no one had seen before. This discovery of the heretofore-unknown pocket and the computer simulations illuminating how mutated versions of that protein, mTOR, contribute to cancer at a molecular level offer an opportunity to target mutant mTOR for enhanced cancer treatment. “Exploring these structural details could lead to more targeted and effective therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment,” Nussinov said. Nussinov leads the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research’s Computational Structural Biology Section, which is embedded in the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research . Nussinov’s team published their findings in the Journal of Chemical POSTED: 3/25/2025
Drug blocking cancer-driving RAS-PI3K pathway enters clinical trials
A new investigational drug co-developed by Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL) scientists blocks an intracellular RAS signaling pathway known to drive the growth of many types of cancer and is now being tested in humans. BBO-10203 is the second drug candidate targeting RAS-related cancers developed by the RAS Initiative in partnership with BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics (BBOT) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) . This compound is being evaluated in a phase 1 clinical trial, the BREAKER-101 study, a first-in-human trial to assess its safety, tolerability, and potential antitumor activity. This clinical trial is currently enrolling adult patients with advanced solid tumors like metastatic breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. Structural challenges prevented drug development before now The drug blocks the cancer-driving RAS-PI3K pathway, which is notoriously challenging. KRAS and PIK3CA are among the most frequently mutated genes in human cancer. The PIK3CA gene produces the phosphatidylinositol POSTED: 3/19/2025