Oncology

Researchers from UCL Division of Infection & Immunity will lead on two collaborative projects with AstraZeneca. The projects’ long-term aim is to contribute to the development of new cancer treatments. These research collaborations will investigate immune checkpoints which are key biochemical pathways that regulate our body’s immune responses. These are important in a number of […]

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, the UCL Cancer Institute, and the Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence have identified genetic changes in tumours which could be used to predict if immunotherapy drugs would be effective in individual patients. Immunotherapies have led to huge progress treating certain types of cancer, but only a […]

Fostering synergies to accelerate innovation in oncology and make it attractive for partners has been the MATWIN motto for over a decade, writes CEO Lucia Robert, MATWIN who outlines the organisations’s work MATWIN is a French open-innovation platform dedicated to supporting innovation in oncology. For more than ten years, its goal has been to help […]

The advent of immuno-oncology has necessitated changes in the types of animal models used in oncology drug discovery. Syngeneic models — inbred mice bearing an engrafted tumour derived from a genetically identical mouse strain — are invaluable preclinical research tools that enable tumour studies in the context of a complete and functional immune system. These […]

After decades of no luck, scientists have finally found a way to target the KRAS mutation – a common mutation found in several hard-to-treat cancers – according to a new study funded by Cancer Research UK and Wellcome. By targeting two components of the KRAS signalling pathway, a new drug was much better at stopping the growth […]

A new experimental drug could offer a promising approach to treating men with advanced prostate cancer which does not respond to existing treatments, or develops resistance to them, researchers report. The study reveals the chemical structure of a new targeted drug known as CCS1477 and its method of action – and suggests it could be […]

New research from UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC) shows statins, commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, may also protect the heart from damaging side-effects of early breast cancer treatment. Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an observational study found women already taking statins […]

By Dr Steve Arlington, President, The Pistoia Alliance COVID-19 has dealt the life sciences a host of challenges, but it’s also been the catalyst for positive change. As the industry has turned its resources towards developing critical vaccines and therapies, organisations, governments, regulators, researchers and academia have come together in ways never seen before. In […]

A new study funded by Cancer Research UK shows that the immune response to COVID-19 is the same in people with solid tumours compared to those without cancer. However, blood cancer patients varied in their ability to respond to the virus, with many unable to shake off the virus for up to 90 days after […]

Activating an immune signalling pathway best known for fighting viral and bacterial infections can boost the ability of genetically engineered T cells to eradicate breast cancer in mice, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that CAR T […]