New targeted therapy shows promise against aggressive childhood and adult cancers
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 19:15 ET (22-Jun-2026 23:15 GMT/UTC)
Researchers at the UBC Faculty of Medicine have developed a new targeted cancer therapy that can precisely seek out and destroy tumour cells—showing strong results in preclinical studies that bring the breakthrough closer to human clinical trials. The therapy targets a protein called IL1RAP, found on the surface of certain cancer cells but largely absent from normal tissues. By linking a cancer-killing drug to an antibody that recognizes this protein, the team created an antibody-drug conjugate that delivers treatment directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues. In multiple models of Ewing sarcoma—a rare and aggressive cancer affecting children and young adults—the treatment eliminated established tumours and dramatically reduced the spread of cancer. Similar effects were seen in other cancers.
Fox Chase researchers developed a new tool that helps clinicians understand whether the tissue surrounding a pancreatic tumor is helping fight the cancer or allowing it to grow. In the lab, the team found that a specialized form of radiation treatment can change the tumor environment to potentially work against the cancer.
A new analysis by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrates that combination therapy consisting of fludarabine, cytarabine and G-CSF (FLAG) plus gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) or idarubicin (IDA) continues to deliver strong long-term outcomes for patients with core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML), a subtype of the disease involving a chromosomal rearrangement.