Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists reached a crucial milestone in blocking Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a pathogen estimated to infect 95% of the global population that is linked to multiple types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health conditions. Using mice with human antibody genes, the research team developed new genetically human monoclonal antibodies that prevent two key antigens on the surface of the virus from binding to and entering human immune cells.

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have reported promising findings that may help redefine treatment for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a potentially aggressive form of the disease traditionally treated with surgical removal of the bladder. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates that ultra-sensitive testing of tumor-derived DNA in blood and urine may help identify patients who can safely preserve their bladder without compromising cancer outcomes.

A pioneering genetic test is improving early diagnosis and treatment for people with hereditary cancer caused by a genetic condition. The test, developed with the help of Newcastle University scientists, identifies specific signs in a person’s DNA that are characteristic of cancers linked with Lynch syndrome.

A research team investigating the use of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes against colorectal cancer has discovered a way to build a modified version of Listeria as an oral vaccine to prime the immune system directly within the gut, where anti-tumor cells are then generated. Details of the work, led by Stony Brook immunologist Brian Sheridan, Ph.D., are published in the Journal for the ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.