Researchers show that oral cancer cells are surprisingly vulnerable to the moderate mechanical stimulations produced by ultrasound, opening up possibilities for new treatment strategies

A comprehensive review reveals that dysbiosis of the respiratory microbiota drives lung cancer through four integrated pathways: oncogenic signaling, epigenetic/metabolic reprogramming, and chronic immune dysregulation. Microbial signatures in saliva, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and tumor tissues show promise as non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis, histological subtyping, staging, and prediction of immunotherapy response. Emerging strategies including aerosolized probiotics, nanomaterial-based microbial depletion, and engineered live bacteria offer new therapeutic avenues for lung cancer.

A field experiment with the Japan Marrow Donor Program showed that adding one factual sentence to HLA match letters—telling potential donors that compatible registered donors are limited—raised progression to confirmatory typing by 7.3%. The intervention was low-cost and simple, while combined messages weakened the effect. The result could help reduce donor dropout and improve stem cell transplant coordination.

Many gliomas have ATRX mutations that are linked to cancer progression, but how they drive disease progression was not entirely clear

Researchers found that ATRX mutations reshape the DNA structure, creating new interactions that activate cancer-driving pathways, including the HOXA pathway

Blocking HOXA signaling slowed ATRX-deficient tumor growth in preclinical models, highlighting a promising therapeutic strategy

James Cleary, MD, PhD, led the eNRGy trial at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This single-arm, multicenter, global phase 2 clinical trial evaluating zenocutuzumab in solid tumors positive for Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) gene fusions, reported manageable side effects and clinically meaningful efficacy – including a near doubling of progression-free survival compared to expectations with standard of care – in previously treated patients with advanced NRG1-positive cholangiocarcinoma. Based on these results, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved zenocutuzumab as second-line therapy for NRG1-positive cholangiocarcinoma on May 8.

Jill P. Mesirov, PhD, a pioneering mathematician and computational biologist whose work has dramatically broadened and deepened the use of advanced computing tools to develop and implement new cancer strategies and treatments, has joined Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute as a Distinguished Professor and Senior Vice President for Computational Science, beginning July 1, 2026.