News and Events

Natasha Caplen appointed to Senior Investigator at CCR

The CCR community congratulates Natasha J. Caplen, Ph.D., who has been appointed Senior Investigator in the Genetics Branch. Caplen contributed to the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) in mammalian cells and has pioneered approaches for exploiting this gene regulatory mechanism to investigate cancer biology and treatment. Her current studies focus on the functional genetic analysis of cancers driven by fusion oncogenes, particularly the pediatric tumor Ewing sarcoma.

DNA breakage and synthesis in the cell nucleus

Research uncovers a novel mechanism for cells to recover from DNA damage

A newly discovered cellular mechanism sheds light on how cancer cells proliferate despite damage from anti-cancer treatments, providing a target for new therapies.

Celebrating CCR Careers: Patricia S. Steeg, Ph.D.

Patricia S. Steeg, Ph.D., who discovered the first metastasis suppressor gene, nm23, announces her retirement.

An illustration of papillomas in the throat

Innovative gene therapy shows promise in treating patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

A clinical trial led by CCR researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of the novel treatment, PRGN-2012, against recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in adults. The results serve as the foundation for an application for accelerated approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Image of the BRCA2 protein with a sliding scale of color indicating the regions containing certain variants. Blue regions contain benign variants, while red regions contain pathogenic regions.

Researchers categorize thousands of BRCA2 mutations as cancerous or benign

Researchers used CRISPR gene editing technology to determine whether over 6,000 variants of BRCA2 were likely to cause cancer.

Nirali Shah elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation

Nirali N. Shah, M.D., M.H.Sc., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar in the Pediatric Oncology Branch, was elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). The organization seeks to support the scientific efforts, educational needs, and clinical aspirations of physician-scientists to improve the health of all people. The 2025 newly elected members came from 46 different institutions and represent excellence across the breadth of academic medicine.