A team of researchers have made a new discovery in the field of hematology, providing an explanation for spontaneous and unusual blood-clotting that continues to occur despite treatment with full-dose blood thinners.

Collaborators Dr Jing Jing Wang (co-first author), Professor Tom Gordon, and colleagues from Flinders University played a key role in cracking the code of lethal blood antibodies mediating the new chronic blood clotting disorder.

The new study led by Professor Ted Warkentin from McMaster University in Canada was published in the leading international medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings are expected to influence how doctors test for, and treat patients with, unusual or recurrent blood clotting, with the potential to improve patient outcomes.

 Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks—including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer. Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) have created a landmark atlas of how healthy breast tissue ages, revealing key cellular, molecular, and genetic changes that may tip the balance toward breast cancer development. Their findings, published recently in Nature Aging, provide a valuable open-access resource for the scientific community to explore aging and its role in increased cancer risk. 

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have announced their newest class of pediatric cancer research fellows, each of whom will receive funding for four years ($300,000 total) to support an innovative research project with the potential to significantly impact the diagnosis or treatment of one or more pediatric cancers.

Cancer cells have special adaptation mechanisms that allow them to proliferate despite changes in their genetic makeup. Researchers at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Southwest Germany, have now helped to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved. The findings could be an important milestone in the development of targeted cancer therapies.

The leading nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance) is making bold strides in its mission to put an end to the disease. Its Project Cure CRC research initiative awarded new grants, convened top scientists to spark breakthrough advancements at its Cure CRC Summit, and unveiled K-SPY, a groundbreaking multi-center platform trial for high-risk colorectal cancer cases. Since its launch, Project Cure CRC has received 275 proposals, of which 22 have been approved totaling $10.5 million in awards. The latest awards reflect $2.8 million of the overall funding for urgently needed innovations. With significantly more funds available, the Alliance issues a renewed Project Cure CRC Request for Proposals from researchers with cutting-edge colorectal cancer studies.

New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) supported the approval of a new treatment for ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer; suggests a new strategy for overcoming resistance to Akt inhibitors in patients with PTEN-mutated prostate cancers; provides new understanding of B cell lymphomas that could lead to new treatments; examines using ChatGPT to help capture patient-reported outcomes; and developed the first customizable, scalable model for palliative care training for emergency departments.