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Our team at the Rare Cancer Research Foundation is incredibly proud of our progress in 2023. As we look to 2024, we want to share with you, our community of partners and supporters, what’s ahead for our work and invite you to join us in this effort. First, I’ll share some of the work that you've made possible. The Rare Cancer Research Foundation launched Pattern.org in 2017 to enable rare cancer patients to donate their tumor tissue directly from surgery to researchers who will study their disease and open source any generated models and data. Pattern.org continues to be incredibly unique: from the ability to work with patients being treated at any hospital in the country, regardless of the type of rare cancer they have, to delivering tissue to researchers within 17 hours, when it is most useful for research. We’ve successfully delivered tissue from patients being seen at over 120 hospitals and this work has resulted in over 58 generated rare cancer models providing countless research opportunities and enabling scientific discoveries. We are just getting started, and we’d love to invite you to support this initiative: https://lnkd.in/gGyApVT2. 2024 will be a transformative year as we expand our offerings in two priority areas. We are building a patient-directed custodial biobank and other tools that will give patients more data, control and information in making the best treatment decisions and we are creating the Pattern Data Commons - a shared data platform with clinical annotation that will unify the rare cancer community’s data for scientific discovery and rapid progress. Whether it’s omics, AI and machine learning, or breakthrough therapies, we will have the tools and the shared platform to make scientific discoveries and progress toward better treatments and cures. This progress is being driven by rare cancer patients themselves. We have built a network of over 300 patient advocacy organizations, all of whom are working tirelessly to connect their patients to resources, support and hope. We are working together to create a future where every rare cancer patient has options, proven treatments, and promise for better outcomes. We appreciate your partnership, support and wish you the happiest of holidays.

Innovative new research projects targeting improved lung cancer outcomes have now been given the green light through joint Lung Foundation Australia and Cancer Australia funding! Grant recipients Dr Hilary Byrne and Dr Nicholas Hindley will lead two new projects, funded under the 2023 Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS). Commencing in mid-2024 the two funded projects will target lung cancer patient outcomes, with one aiming to reduce radiation side effects for lung cancer patients and increase eligibility for lifesaving immunotherapy by delivering daily imaging of lung function, tracking changes over the weeks of treatment and sparing healthy lung sections. The second harnesses Einstein’s theory of relativity to develop a method of tracking tumours and organs as they move during radiation therapy, enabling precision targeting of radiation beams which avoids damaging healthy tissue.  You can read more about the joint funding here: https://lnkd.in/gUMk5R2R

🤔 Could the future of cancer treatment lie in the unique molecular landscape of each patient's tumor? There's certainly something to it! The world of cancer research is on the brink of a revolution, with precision oncology at its forefront. A groundbreaking review has just unveiled how the integration of multi-omics technologies is setting the stage for personalized cancer treatment, offering a beacon of hope for patients worldwide. Key Highlights: - The review spotlights the shift from traditional to personalized multi-omics analysis in cancer research, emphasizing the importance of patient-specific approaches. - Advanced individualized differential analysis techniques are dissected, showcasing their potential to redefine our understanding of cancer at the molecular level. - It evaluates the effectiveness of leading analysis methods, such as RankCompV1 and V2, and their significant contributions to pinpointing personalized therapeutic strategies. - The practical applications and transformative impact of these methods across various cancer types are thoroughly explored, underlining their role in enhancing patient outcomes. As we dive deeper into the era of precision oncology, the review by Li et al. calls attention to the challenges and future directions, including the integration of single-cell and spatial omics technologies. This not only promises to refine our understanding of tumor heterogeneity but also opens up avenues for even more personalized treatment strategies. This crucial report lays the groundwork for the next stage of cancer treatment - the transition to truly personalized medicine, where treatments are tailored to the unique molecular landscape of each patient's tumor. And that's what we're striving for at aimed analytics, which is why we find this review super interesting! It's an exciting time in cancer research, with the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and usher in a new era of targeted therapies.

“World Cancer Day” is marked on February 4th every year. Although cancer treatment has advanced greatly in recent decades, mainly due to NGS assays, targeted treatments and immunotherapy, there are still many treatments that do not have any molecular marker that can predict their effectiveness, and in advanced stages of the disease the percentage of response to treatments varies between 20-40%. “Functional Precision Oncology” technologies come to counter this gap and make it possible to identify the optimal treatment for each cancer patient and his/her specific tumor. Visit our website to read more about the cResponse platform, the only combined "Functional - Genomic" cancer precision medicine platform, evaluating each tumor sensitivity to different drugs and drug combinations, providing an empirical read-out of different drugs’ functional effect for a truly personal cancer treatment report. www.curesponse.com https://lnkd.in/eTqJ5t4P

"Targeting 'monster cancer cells' could reduce recurrence rates after cancer therapy." - Cancer recurrence post-chemotherapy or radiotherapy is a challenge due to cancer cells adapting to stress and regrowing. - Polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) play a role in cancer recurrence by protecting cells from therapy stress. ➡️ To understand what differentiated PGCCs and their daughter cells from their parent cancer cells, scientists investigated the changes in gene expression among the different cells that appeared during their experiments. 💡 One protein that specifically piqued their interest was p21, which is induced by p53 when normal cells are stressed. In normal cells, p21 prevents duplication of damaged DNA, enabling DNA damage to be repaired. Cells in which damage cannot be repaired commit suicide. 💡 The research team showed that stress in cancer cells lacking p53 also increased p21, but the protein did not stop the duplication of damaged DNA, as it did in normal cells. As a result, p21 helped set the stage for generating the PGCCs. ✅ When increases in p21 were blocked, the stressed cancer cells did not transform into these monstrous cells. - The team's findings provide insights into novel mechanisms that could be targeted to improve patient outcomes after cancer therapy. Although it may not be feasible to block p21 as a therapy, both the breast cancer drug tamoxifen and cholesterol-lowering statins have been shown to interfere with the pathways identified by the team. Further research is needed to assess whether they can reduce recurrence rates by blocking PGCCs from regaining the ability to generate daughter cells. https://lnkd.in/dTWuYRBg #cancer #cancerresearch #oncology #molecularoncology #precisiononcology #molecularbiology #signalinpathway #p21 #p53 #cancerrecurrence #targetedtherapy

New research from investigators at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has shown that immunotherapy is two-and-a-half times more effective in tumors that have mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. The researchers made the discovery after creating mutations in parts of the mtDNA, a finding that provides a new pathway to help determine which patients will see the most benefit from immunotherapies. “Cancer is a disease of our own bodies. Because cancer cells can look similar to healthy cells on the outside, getting our immune systems to recognize and destroy cancer cells is a complicated task, said co-lead author Payam Gammage, PhD, group leader at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and the University of Glasgow. “More than half of cancers have mutations in their mitochondrial DNA. But when we engineered these mutations in the lab, we found that tumors which have the most mutated mitochondrial DNA are far more sensitive to immunotherapy. This research, published Monday in the journal Nature Cancer, demonstrates for the first time a direct link between mtDNA mutations and a patient’s response to cancer treatments. The team showed that tumors identified with high levels of mtDNA mutations treated with the immunotherapy nivolumab were up to two-and-a-half times more likely to respond to the drug than those with lower levels. Nivolumab is currently approved for treatment in a range of cancer types including melanoma, lung cancer, liver cancer, and bowel cancer. #immunotherapy #effective #mitochondria-defective

10 Promising Therapies for Hard-to-Treat Cancers Published: Sep 22, 2023 By Hayley Shasteen September 24 is World Cancer Research Day, dedicated to supporting the research and innovations that improve outcomes for cancer patients across the globe. So far this year, the FDA has approved ten novel anticancer therapies, for breast cancer, multiple myeloma, acute myeloid leukemia and more. Over the past three decades, advancements in innovative therapies, medical research, preventative care and early detection of cancer have led to a 33% reduction in cancer mortality, saving over 3.8 million lives, according to a recent report by the American Association for Cancer Research. “As we learn more about tumor biology, oncogenic drivers and the genomic makeup of different patients, we are learning that there are better, more personalized ways to treat patients,” Christina Corridon, principal at ZS, told BioSpace. Corridon anticipates that the oncology space will boom with cell therapies, especially singular products designed to impact a spectrum of blood and solid tumor cancers with personalized approaches. “I’m really excited about the word ‘cure,’” Corridon said. “We’re seeing that being realized. It’s more and more at the forefront, and not just an aspiration.” BioSpace looks at ten top therapeutic candidates in key cancer indications nearing regulatory review. https://lnkd.in/g6XNJFja

Revolutionary Engineered Immunotherapy Shows Promise in Cancer Treatments Researchers have developed a breakthrough cancer immunotherapy using engineered dendritic cell progenitors (DCPs) that do not require tumor antigen knowledge. The revolutionary technique, published in Nature Cancer, has the potential to significantly alter the landscape of cancer treatment. It offers a promising new direction in combating various forms of cancer. In a groundbreaking study, scientists from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and the German Cancer Research Center have developed a new type of immunotherapy. Enhanced with IL-12 and FLT3L, these dendritic cell progenitors (DCPs) demonstrate remarkable effectiveness across various cancer models. They engage multiple immune components and synergize with CAR-T cells, offering potential for diverse cancer treatments. https://lnkd.in/gmDJ76TM

#Biospecimens procurement services for cancer research | #LungCancer Awareness Month 🩺 November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, serving as a reminder of the battle against this disease. At BIOMEDICA CRO, we embrace this opportunity to reflect on our commitment to supporting scientists and advancing research in the realm of Lung cancer. BIOMEDICA CRO has been at the forefront of empowering scientific endeavors by providing diverse human biospecimens from subjects with various cancer types, including Lung cancer. We are excited to share news of a groundbreaking investigation led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab in Sweden. This innovative research introduces a new method for interpreting large volumes of data from tumor tissue. According to Jean Hausser, one of the researchers involved, “With our new method, we can reveal important details in tumor tissue that can determine whether a cancer treatment works or not. The long-term goal is to be able to tailor cancer treatments to individual needs and avoid unnecessary side effects.” Considering the conclusions obtained, the new approach could contribute to a more personalized treatment of cancer patients. Please find more information about this research in the article “Researchers take new AI approach to analyzing tumors” in the Nature Communications journal. BIOMEDICA CRO is fully prepared to support cancer research – contact us to order Lung cancer biospecimens with associated data and explore the benefits of cooperating with us directly ✅ At BIOMEDICA CRO, we do #BiosampleProcurement through a broad network of partnered hospitals in Ukraine and supply them globally. We provide both prospective and retrospective collections of the numerous human biospecimen types and associated clinical data since 2017. We manage our own network of 50+ direct contracts with hospitals in Ukraine in many disease areas and are always ready to make a new one if necessary. Our primary focus is oncology studies, and we are fully prepared to adhere to your specific Inclusion and Exclusion criteria, as well as sample processing and aliquoting schemes. We can provide support for the following cancer research projects: • Lung cancer; • Breast cancer; • Colorectal cancer (#CRC); • Kidney cancer; • Head & Neck cancer; • Thyroid cancer; • Uterine/Endometrial/Cervical cancer, etc. 🌐 Visit our “Inventory” section to review the list of available-to-order samples now by clicking the following link: https://lnkd.in/dSM6g2nu. 📌 Click the following link to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gaXwwwmc 📩 Please email us to start our collaboration at office@biomedica-cro.com. #PrecisionMedicine #LungCancerAwarenessMonth #CRO #Biotech #TranslationResearch

The Australian Government has committed $5.7 million to fund innovative cancer research projects through Cancer Australia's Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS). This funding will support a range of research areas, including lung, prostate, brain, breast cancer and 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀. "Through collaborative efforts and strategic investments in research, we can make significant strides towards a future where cancer is no longer a devastating diagnosis," Cancer Australia CEO Professor Dorothy Keefe said. At Syntara, we are targeting extracellular matrix dysfunction, and developing medicines for blood cancers and other conditions linked to inflammation and fibrosis. Our Lead candidate SNT-5505 is being evaluated in a Phase 2 multinational study targeting myelofibrosis, a blood cancer characterised by scarring (fibrosis) of the bone marrow. In addition, a further Phase 2 study of SNT-5505 in combination with chemotherapy in patients with another blood cancer (MDS) will commence later this year. We believe that new technologies have the power to revolutionise cancer treatment, and we're committed to playing our part in the fight against this disease. https://lnkd.in/ggrjJgde #SNT #Syntara #cancerresearch #innovation #health #Australia #CureCancer #SNT5505 Proactive