News and Events

New clinical trial studies stem cell transplant for primary immunodeficiency diseases

Dennis D. Hickstein, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Immune Deficiency Cellular Therapy Program is leading a study that uses new DNA technology that speeds up the process of screening for primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) and finding an acceptable donor match for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).

Clinical trial studies therapy for people with prostate or kidney cancer

James L. Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, is leading the National Cancer Institute’s participation in a clinical trial of an experimental drug called JNJ-63898081. The goal of this multicenter study is to find out if the drug is safe to use in humans and to determine the optimal dose for the second phase of the study.

Combination therapy tested in clinical trial for metastatic genitourinary cancers

Genitourinary cancers are common but difficult to treat with chemotherapy or immunotherapy alone. A new clinical trial studies two drugs that intensify the immune system’s attack on cancer cells.

Peter Choyke and Louis Staudt elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Peter Choyke, M.D., F.A.C.R., Chief of the Molecular Imaging Branch, and Louis Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Dr. Choyke is elected for pioneering advances in the imaging of prostate cancer that have enabled accurate localization of clinically significant tumors. Dr. Staudt is elected for demonstrating that genetic profiling can distinguish lymphoma subtypes, predict patient survival, and individualize therapy, thus playing a key role in launching the era of cancer precision medicine.

Lymphoma mass before and after treatment

Phase I CAR T-cell therapy leads to years-long remissions in relapsed B-cell lymphoma patients

In a Journal of Clinical Oncology article, results of a phase I trial by CCR investigators show that CAR T-cell therapy can result in long-lasting remissions in patients with certain relapsed B-cell lymphomas. Many who had life expectancies of only six months or less during the clinical trial of the therapy, which spanned from 2009 to 2015, remain in complete remission.

Clinical trial tests immunotherapy combination for advanced HPV-associated cancers

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. More than 30,000 cases of HPV+ cancers occur every year in the United States. CCR investigators are leading a study using a combination of 3 immunotherapy drugs to treat HPV+ cancers.

Clinical trial tests vaccine for late-stage HPV-linked tumors

The human papillomavirus (HPV) has been linked to many kinds of cancer, including cervical, uterine, vaginal, penile and oropharyngeal. For those who develop advanced HPV-linked cancer, the NIH Clinical Center has a clinical trial open to test a vaccine with and without checkpoint inhibitors to see if this treatment approach can stop tumor growth.

Lymphoma therapy drug tested as early treatment for chronic graft-versus-host disease

cGvHD can occur after a person has had a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. In some cases, the donated bone marrow/stem cells view the host's body as foreign and start to attack it. cGvHD can occur at any time after a transplant, but it's more common after the marrow/stem cells have created a new immune system in the host's body. A clinical trial is studying the lymphoma therapy drug ibrutinib to see if early treatment can prevent the most severe symptoms of cGvHD.

Ira Pastan receives 2020 Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement award

Ira Pastan, M.D., NIH Distinguished Investigator and Co-Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, has received the 2020 Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal from the Partnership for Public Service’ Service to America Medals, also known as the SAMMIES. The Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal recognizes federal employees who have led significant and sustained achievements over 20 or more years of service in government. Dr. Pastan was recognized for discovering a new class of drugs that can successfully treat a rare form of leukemia and hold promise to be effective therapies for pancreatic and lung cancer as well as mesothelioma.

Ruth Nussinov and Kandice Tanner named American Physical Society Fellows

Ruth Nussinov, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, and Kandice Tanner, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Cell Biology, were named as American Physical Society Fellows. The fellowship program recognizes members who made advances in physics through original research and publication or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology.

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