News and Events

Pediatric Oncology Branch patient shares neurofibromatosis journey at NIH

Xavier, a patient in the Pediatric Oncology Branch, was born with an incompletely formed leg bone and a large number of dark spots all over his body. When Xavier broke his weak leg at only 11 months of age, he was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). He came to the NIH for treatment, and his tumors have shrunk by more than 20 percent thanks to treatment with selumetinib.

Live-cell fluorescence imaging showing Rabin8, labeled green, binding to Rab11a, labeled red, minutes after serum starvation in

Akt protein kinase pathway regulates key step in the initiation of cilia formation

CCR investigators have discovered that activating the Akt protein kinase pathway stabilizes the binding of the WDR44 protein to the Rab11 protein. This prevents Rab11 from binding to the Rabin8 protein, thereby blocking cilia formation. When Akt is inactive, though, Rab11 instead is bound by FIP3, enhancing its binding to Rabin8, which helps initiate cilia formation. Since abnormalities in cilia formation are associated with a number of types of cancer, these findings point to several potential targets for cancer therapy.

Registration now open for Cancer and Inflammation: From Micro to Macro

The Cancer and Inflammation: From Micro to Macro conference, hosted by the CCR Center of Excellence in Immunology, will take place October 17-18, 2019. This two-day national symposium addresses recent advances in the field and should be an exciting forum for discussion and debate on the current understanding of cancer and inflammation.

CCR fellows receive Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Awards

Congratulations to Vid Leko M.D., Lekha Mikkilineni, M.D., and Chen Zhao, M.D., for receiving the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Award (YIA). The YIA provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. The purpose of this grant is to fund physicians during the transition from a fellowship program to a faculty appointment.

Bacterial compound targets cancer-promoting RNA

Screening more than 3,000 natural products identified a compound that stops the growth of cancer cells by targeting a growth-promoting microRNA.

Nirali Shah and Lori Wiener participate in AtlanticLIVE summit

Nirali Shah, M.D., MHSc, Investigator in the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), and Lori Wiener, Ph.D., DCSW, LCSW-C, Staff Scientist in POB, recently participated in an AtlanticLIVE summit called Children and Cancer. During the event, they discussed their work developing immunotherapies and psychosocial standards of care for children with cancer. Watch their respective sessions here and here.

Udo Rudloff discusses germline mutations with Bloomberg podcast

Udo Rudloff, M.D., Ph.D., Investigator in the Pediatric Oncology Branch, was recently featured on Bloomberg’s Prognosis podcast.During the episode, “Should We Be Scared of Our DNA?," Dr. Rudloff discussed CDH1 germline mutations and risk of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) in an evolving environment, which he is currently studying as part of the Rare Tumor Initiative. The full podcast is available online.

Clinical trial tests new methods for blood stem cell transplant in lymphoma

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a rare, often fast-growing cancer of white blood cells. A new clinical trial is investigating to see how a new approach to blood stem cell transplant can impact patients with PTCL.

June is Cancer Immunotherapy Awareness Month

To celebrate Cancer Immunotherapy Month this June, we are highlighting our researchers who have helped pioneer this research and continue to make seminal advances in this growing field.

Investigators test combination therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in new trial

Patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) may be eligible to participate in a new clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center. This trial tests a therapy of a novel radiosensitizer, birinapant, in combination with radiotherapy for patients whose HNSCC has come back at or near the place of the original tumor.

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