Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers are breaking new ground in the fight against systemic mastocytosis, a rare and heterogeneous condition that is often challenging for clinicians to accurately diagnose and treat. 

Oral minoxidil is a commonly prescribed treatment for hair loss. The drug is also the active ingredient in over-the-counter Rogaine. The prescription treatment is known, however, to dilate blood vessels, and experts worry that this could increase the heart-related side effects of chemotherapy and lead to chest pain, shortness of breath, or fluid buildup. Now, a study in women with breast cancer suggests that low oral doses of minoxidil, taken during or after cancer treatment, appear to regrow hair in most patients and without causing any serious heart-related side effects that require additional therapies or hospitalization.

Therapeutic mRNAs offer great potential as a versatile and precise tool against cancer and various other diseases. However, the therapeutic effectiveness is limited by the poor translation uptake of naked mRNA. Researchers from VIB, VUB, Ghent University and eTheRNA Immunotherapies developed an immunotherapeutic platform based on lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) to circumvent this challenge. In different cancer models the application of a novel mixture of immunotherapeutic mRNA encapsulated in LNPs led to a clearly improved therapeutic efficacy with limited side effects. This proves the added value of the platform to the development of effective mRNA immunotherapies. 

- Metal-organic framework compounds made of zirconium carboxylate as filters

- Large-scale use in practice still to come

- Contaminated sites caused by PFAS will be with us for several generations ahead

The chemicals known as PFAS are considered a severe threat to human health. Among other things, they can cause liver damage, cancer, and hormonal disorders. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a new, efficient method of filtering these substances out of drinking water. They rely on so-called metal-organic framework compounds, which work much better than the materials commonly used to date. Even extremely low concentrations of PFAS in the water can still be captured.

 Therapeutic mRNAs offer great potential as a versatile and precise tool against cancer and other diseases. However, the therapeutic effectiveness is limited by the poor translation uptake of naked mRNA. To circumvent this challenge, researchers from VIB, VUB, Ghent University, and eTheRNA Immunotherapies developed an immunotherapeutic platform based on lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs). In different cancer models, applying a novel mixture of immunotherapeutic mRNA encapsulated in LNPs led to a clearly improved therapeutic efficacy with limited side effects. This proves the added value of the platform to the development of effective mRNA immunotherapies. 

A recent analysis published by Wiley online in CANCER reveals that the incidence rates of soft tissue sarcomas—cancers in muscle, fat, blood vessels, nerves, and tendons—are lower in young U.S. active-duty military servicemen compared with those in the general population, but higher in middle-aged servicemen, perhaps due to greater cumulative exposure to toxins.

A study by Flinders University, working with colleagues in The Netherlands, has shown that a national lung cancer screening program could significantly reduce lung cancer deaths.

The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, provides strong economic evidence to show that a national screening program could be an effective and affordable way to fight this deadly cancer.

ASH 2024 Presentation: Two clinical trials testing the antibody loncastuximab tesirine (Zynlonta) showed encouraging results in patients with high-risk forms of two blood cancers – follicular lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma. The Lancet Oncology will simultaneously publish a related article.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have lower education levels and lower income are less likely to receive a allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant for acute myeloid, however, if they can access the treatment, are equally likely to benefit from transplant as patients with more education and higher income, according to a new study from Fred Hutch Cancer Center presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.