Recent research from Johns Hopkins Medicine that received government support shows that stem cells isolated from a patient’s own fat may be able to deliver new treatments directly into the brain to fight an aggressive brain tumor. The work, done in the laboratory of Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, MD, is a proof-of-principle study that tests the ability of a particular type of stem cell, mesenchymal stem cells, to locate damaged or cancerous cells.
Cancer cells, particularly those in glioblastomas, the most common type of brain tumor, often break away from the main tumor and relocate to another area of the body. While neurosurgeons like Quinones-Hinojosa can carefully remove these tumors, radiation and chemotherapy are often insufficient to kill these run-away cancer cells. The promising results from this basic science study suggest that in the future, mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the patient’s own fat tissue can be modified and put back into the body to seek out and destroy isolated cancer cells in the brain after surgical removal of the tumor. Continue reading →
Research saves lives. Fundamental research into pediatric cancers has led to a 66% decrease in mortality for these cancers over the past 40 years. Research!America is proud to recognize May as National Cancer Research Month in conjunction with our many members who are working to find and fund cures for all types of cancer. Research institutions like the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are just a handful of Research!America members who are working in this vital area of research. Continue reading →
By Wendy K. D. Selig, president and CEO of Melanoma Research Alliance
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), a unique non-profit organization that funds the most promising melanoma research, was founded in 2007 by Debra and Leon Black under the auspices of the Milken Institute. In just six years, MRA has become the largest private funder of melanoma research and has awarded almost $48 million to 116 different research programs worldwide. MRA-supported projects are dedicated to accelerating progress toward the prevention, detection and treatment of deadly skin cancer.
In order to raise awareness of this disease and the need to invest in research for live-saving treatments, we are participating in Melanoma Awareness Month during the month of May. Investment in melanoma research is still sorely needed—the incidence of the disease is increasing across all segments of the population, including young adults and children. Melanoma is the most common cancer among men and women aged 25-29 and takes one life in the U.S. every hour.