Damon Runyon News

Kinase proteins, which regulate the activity of other proteins, are a major class of cancer therapy targets, with over 65 FDA-approved drugs targeted against them. However, tumors can evolve resistance to kinase-targeting therapies, and it remains difficult to predict whether a specific tumor will resist a particular kinase-targeting drug. Dr. Singh will use protein structural models and biophysical predictions to analyze how kinase mutations cause cancers to resist therapy.

Patients with the same cancer diagnosis may experience very distinct disease progressions and treatment responses. These differences between patients have been associated with their degree of intra-tumor heterogeneity-the genetic, epigenetic, spatial, and environmental differences between the tumor cells. Characterizing the genetic and epigenetic states of different tumor cells is key to understanding how intra-tumor heterogeneity influences tumor progression, expansion, metastasis, and treatment response.

Dr. Yang is examining tumor heterogeneity in search of new diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets. A tumor consists of not only cancer cells, but also immune cells, fibroblasts, and other stromal components. The diverse cell types and cell states that form the tumor microenvironment (TME) may promote disease progression and lead to therapeutic resistance. Dr. Yang aims to uncover fundamental principles of tumor evolution by generating a comprehensive and quantitative “traffic map” of cancer cell state transitions and fitness changes during tumor development.

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human oncogenic virus and the causative agent of cancers including Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and Multicentric Castleman disease. The related human herpesvirus Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is even more prevalent than KSHV, and is linked to cancers including Burkitt’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Dr.

Cancer cells rely on efficient uptake, conversion, and exchange of nutrients and vitamins to support their rapid growth and survival. The molecular transport channels that allow passage of nutrients between the different cellular compartments are critical for the survival of cancer cells and are thus promising as potential drug targets. However, drug discovery efforts are hampered by a lack of basic understanding of these channels' identities, functions, and regulation inside cancer cells. Dr.

Groundbreaking advances in immunotherapy have revolutionized the treatment of cancer. In particular, new antibody drugs that block immunosuppressive pathways have achieved remarkable success in reawakening the immune system to clear tumor cells, leading to lasting cures in patients whose cancers do not respond to any other therapies. Unfortunately, the majority of patients (>70%) do not respond to immunotherapy treatment. It is difficult to predict which patients will benefit, creating an urgent demand for novel immunotherapy drugs that act through alternative mechanisms. Dr.

Epidemiologic studies have revealed that many cancer types display differences in incidence or outcomes between the sexes. In most cases, these differences are only partially explained by non-genetic factors such as hormonal differences, carcinogen exposure, lifestyle, and access to health care. Our understanding of how genetic factors contribute to differences in cancer incidence between the sexes remains incomplete. A fundamental genetic difference between the sexes is in chromosome composition. Relative to male somatic cells, female somatic cells have an extra X chromosome.

Dr. Jin's research focuses on the interaction between the nervous system and the immune system in cancer, with a particular focus on the crosstalk between the sensory neurons and the tumor microenvironment (TME) in lung cancer. While nerves have long been viewed as passive bystanders in cancer, solid tumors are innervated by distinct branches of the nervous system that respond to internal and environmental stimuli.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most widely diagnosed type of lung cancer. Together with mesothelioma (cancer associated with asbestos exposure), NSCLC can result in the formation of malignant pleural effusions (MPE)-a build-up of fluids and cancer cells between the chest wall and the lung. The MPE tumor microenvironment is known to negatively affect immune T cell proliferation and function, resulting in failure of current immunotherapies and low median survival rates. Dr. Vinogradova and Dr.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most widely diagnosed type of lung cancer. Together with mesothelioma (cancer associated with asbestos exposure), NSCLC can result in the formation of malignant pleural effusions (MPE)-a build-up of fluids and cancer cells between the chest wall and the lung. The MPE tumor microenvironment is known to negatively affect immune T cell proliferation and function, resulting in failure of current immunotherapies and low median survival rates. Dr. Vinogradova and Dr.