Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys
Institute News

Cosimo Commisso explains cancer metabolism on NIH website

AuthorJessica Moore
Date

June 7, 2016

The most deadly of all cancers are driven by mutations in a family of genes known as RAS. In a new article on the website for the National Cancer Institute’s RAS Initiative, Cosimo Commisso, PhD, assistant professor in SBP’s NCI-designated Cancer Center, discusses how the metabolism of cancer cells might be different in different parts of solid tumors.

The RAS Initiative is a collaborative effort to explore innovative approaches for attacking the proteins encoded by mutant forms of RAS genes, which drive 30% of human cancers.

Institute News

Symposium brings leaders in tumor immunology to SBP

Authorjmoore
Date

March 21, 2016

SBP’s La Jolla campus recently hosted a one-day conference on Cancer Immunology and the Tumor Microenvironment, one of the hottest topics in cancer research. The symposium on March 17 attracted approximately 160 attendees from across the La Jolla biomedical research mesa.

The symposium was organized by Carl Ware, PhD and Robert Rickert, PhD, directors of the Inflammatory and Infectious Disease Center and the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunology Program, respectively. They planned a scientific agenda that covered diverse aspects of research on harnessing the immune system to treat cancer, from improving current immunotherapies to identifying new immunological targets. Talks were given by prestigious scientists including:

Two SBP researchers also presented. Linda Bradley, PhD, professor in the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, discussed her work on the immune cell surface protein PSGL-1, showing that it regulates PD-1, a so-called “immune checkpoint.” PD-1 is found on T cells and normally acts as on “off switch” to keep the immune system from attacking cells in the body. PD-1 regulators are a new approach to treating cancer that work by unleashing cytotoxic T cells to kill cancer cells.

 

Adam Godzik, PhD, professor and director of the Bioinformatics and Structural Biology Program, spoke about using bioinformatic analyses to search for new cancer drivers related to the immune response. Cancer drivers are genes that, when altered, are responsible for cancer progression. Combining cancer mutation and protein structure databases, his team has identified many genes involved in immune recognition of tumors.

Institute News

Molecular “brake” prevents excessive inflammation

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

February 25, 2016

Inflammation is a catch-22: the body needs it to eliminate invasive organisms and foreign irritants, but excessive inflammation can harm healthy cells, contributing to aging and sometimes leading to organ failure and death. A study published in Cell, co-authored by Jorge Moscat, PhD, and Maria Diaz-Meco, PhD, professors in SBP’s NCI-designated Cancer Center, in collaboration with the laboratory of Michael Karin, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, shows that a protein known as p62 acts as a molecular brake to keep inflammation in check and avoid collateral damage. Continue reading “Molecular “brake” prevents excessive inflammation”

Institute News

Postdoc Symposium 2015

Authorsbraun
Date

September 10, 2015

On September 2, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) held an inaugural Postdoc Symposium to showcase the critical contributions made by 126 SBP postdoctoral students to advance the Institute’s discovery science and heightened commitment to translational research.

Continue reading “Postdoc Symposium 2015”

Institute News

Molecule that fixes “leaky” blood vessels can impact cancer, stroke, and blindness

Authorsgammon
Date

March 13, 2015

In a new study by Masanobu Komatsu, Ph.D., associate professor in the Cardiovascular Pathobiology Program and Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Programs, a cellular protein called R-Ras was found to suppress the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a signaling molecule that helps create new blood vessels and is overexpressed in many tumors. The findings create a new route to treat cancer as well as certain causes of blindness and ischemic diseases. Continue reading “Molecule that fixes “leaky” blood vessels can impact cancer, stroke, and blindness”

Institute News

Unique pathway that homes cancer drugs to tumors is like no other

Authorsgammon
Date

October 3, 2014

In a new study published in Nature CommunicationsErkki Ruoslahti, MD, Ph.D., and his research team, with Hongbo Pang, PhD, as the lead author, identify the unique pathway that enhances the delivery of anti-cancer drugs to tumors. The pathway, called CendR, is a previously unknown variation of endocytosis—the process by which cells engulf nutrients and extracellular molecules. When activated, the CendR system improves the therapeutic efficacy of existing anti-cancer drugs while minimizing the collateral damage of normal cells and tissue. The findings advance our understanding of the biology of the cell by establishing a new type of trans-tissue transport pathway. Continue reading “Unique pathway that homes cancer drugs to tumors is like no other”

Institute News

How tumors remodel their surroundings to grow

Authorsgammon
Date

July 7, 2014

A team of scientists from Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) has found that the loss of a protein called p62 in the cells and tissue surrounding a tumor can enhance the growth and progression of tumors. The study suggests that therapies targeting the tumor microenvirnoment may be as important as targeting the tumor itself. Continue reading “How tumors remodel their surroundings to grow”