Researchers at the University of Florida report they have developed an mRNA cancer vaccine that quickly reprograms the immune system to attack glioblastoma in a first-ever human clinical trial of four adult patients. Their results published in Cell mirror those from preclinical mouse studies, and from a newly reported trial…

Purdue University researchers have developed a first-in-class microRNA (miRNA) therapy that slows tumor growth by targeting multiple genes at once, giving it the potential outperform current single-gene targeted agents. The therapy, tested in mouse models, combines a folate-based delivery system that targets cancer cells with a fully modified version of…

A survey by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) has shown that although lung cancer biomarker testing rates have increased substantially since 2018, they remain suboptimal, particularly for patients with early-stage disease. Cost, time, sample quality, access to testing, and a lack of awareness were the…

A lung cancer patient at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) was the first to receive a novel mRNA-based vaccine designed to prime the immune system to fight cancer cells very specifically. The BioNTech immunotherapy (BNT116) is being studied in a worldwide lung cancer trial. The NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facility…

Over the last thirty years, protein-based injections and DNA therapeutics accounted for the majority of newly introduced treatments. However, these medicines remain out of reach for many around the world due to high pricing, with some therapies ranging from thousands to several millions of dollars to purchase. [caption id=”attachment_147257″ align=”alignright”…

The FDA has approved Geneoscopy’s colorectal cancer screening test, which is the first such test based on RNA to be approved by the U.S. regulatory agency. In a Phase III trial published last year, the CRC-PREVENT trial, the noninvasive, multitarget stool RNA test called ColoSense was significantly more sensitive than…

Researchers from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have shown that an experimental investigational mRNA-based vaccine candidate shows potential to stimulate the immune system which may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer returning after surgery. In new results from a Phase I trial, the candidate, autogene cevumeran, activated immune…

Researchers have discovered a new drug delivery mechanism for targeting the oncogenic fusion protein responsible for development of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC), an aggressive form of pediatric liver cancer. The therapy involves targeting the mRNA of the fusion protein using a small interfering RNA (siRNA). As described in Molecular Therapy,  researchers at Rockefeller…

Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have shed light on the far-reaching consequences of maternal obesity, particularly its role in predisposing unborn children to liver diseases and potentially liver cancer. Obesity, an epidemic looming large in many developed nations, not only poses a significant…

Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have shown that fusion RNAs are more common than previously thought in people with metastatic breast cancer and could potentially be targeted with drugs that are already available. “The implication of our findings is that fusion…

A noninvasive, multitarget stool RNA test called ColoSense showed significant improvements in sensitivity compared with the standard fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and similar or better results than the Cologuard test in a Phase III trial led by the Washington University School of Medicine. ColoSense, developed by U.S. biotech Geneoscopy, was…

Moderna and Immatics are collaborating to “pioneer novel and transformative therapies for cancer patients with high unmet medical needs,” in a deal worth potentially $1.7B+. They will combine Immatics’ T cell receptor (TCR) platform with Moderna’s mRNA technology, and span modalities including bispecifics, cell therapy, and cancer vaccines.  Cambridge-based Moderna…

The Biden Cancer Moonshot program has launched a “Curing the Uncurable via RNA-Encoded Immunogene Tuning” (CUREIT) program to develop generalizable mRNA to better fight cancer and other diseases. This is just one of several programs to be sponsored by the administration’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Two others…

Moderna will partner with Chinese biotech CARsgen to co-develop a combined CAR T-cell and mRNA cancer vaccine therapy. The collaboration aims to combine Moderna’s Claudin18.2 mRNA cancer vaccine with CARsgen’s investigational Claudin18.2 autologous CAR T-cell product candidate (CT041) to test efficacy for targeting hard to treat cancers. Claudin 18.2 is…

A multiclass, machine learning-generated, model using microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles that can point to highly specific cancer types has been created by researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU)’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. Their study, published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ journal IEEE Xplore, suggests that miRNAs may be highly…