Wayne State University and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute researchers have secured a substantial grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS) to establish the Digital Engagement and Cancer Outcomes (DECO) Center. The center’s goals are to better understand the impact of the digital environment and digital inclusion on outcomes and disparities among Black cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, and advance interventions that both integrate and impact hospital and community resources to improve outcomes at the individual level.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a common type of mouth and throat cancer, can be aggressive and often has poor outcomes, especially when diagnosed at advanced stages. But new research led by Henry Daniell of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.

New analytical methods developed at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have increased our understanding of how bacteria manage DNA. The methods enabled researchers to uncover how the sequence, physical shape and flexibility of DNA guide the activity of an enzyme called DNA gyrase, which used to get all the credit for managing DNA. Their work uncovers that certain attributes of DNA are major players in this game. The study, which appeared in Nature Communications, has implications for antibiotic design.