Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a hot topic in healthcare. Successfully used to treat certain aggressive blood cancers for about a decade now, CAR T cell therapy is capturing the growing interest of oncologists who would like to harness its power to use against other cancer types. At Frederick National Laboratory, the Biopharmaceutical Development Program—a specialized team manufacturing experimental biotherapeutics for NCI—is at the center of an effort to develop CAR T therapies that will expand cancer treatment options, particularly for pediatric malignancies.

One of the annual rites of spring at the National Cancer Institute at Frederick returned in April, when hundreds of members of the Ft. Detrick and Frederick National Laboratory community participated in the virtual Spring Research Festival. The event was co-sponsored by the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) and the Military & Health Research Foundation (MHRF). 

Look at your fingernails. What comes to mind? Now look at the veins in your arms. What about them? Odds are the words “critical” and “historic” aren’t your first thoughts, but they’d be an apt description. At NCI at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory, nail clippings and blood specimens are two ways to make a difference in scientific research.

Mark Twain once said that the secret to getting ahead is getting started. A group of Frederick High School (FHS) students clearly took that advice to heart when they jumped at the chance to learn more about careers in science, including the Werner H. Kirsten Student Internship Program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory (FNL).

The emergence of a virus known as monkeypox has raised many questions, most notably: Is this the new pandemic?

Joost “Joe” Oppenheim, M.D., senior investigator and head of the Cellular Immunology Section in the Cancer Innovation Laboratory, passed away in May. He was one of the longest-tenured scientists at NCI at Frederick. Among his many accomplishments, he has been called “the Father of Cytokines” for his pioneering role in establishing the field of cytokine research in immunology.

As COVID-19 tore across the U.S. in 2020, drug overdose deaths in Maryland rose to an all-time high. The grim statistic has since decreased slightly but remains higher than before the pandemic. Occupational Health Services (OHS) is taking action against the crisis, putting naloxone kits in employees’ hands in a push to reduce overdose deaths in the community and to protect, promote, and improve health and welfare.

NCI at Frederick researchers produced 175 publications that were added to the NCI at Frederick Scientific Publications Database between January and March 2022.

The top five words found in the titles of these publications were “cell,” “disease,” “cancer,” “RNA,” and “patients.”

NCI and Frederick National Laboratory investigators make important scientific discoveries every day. Sometimes those discoveries lead to an invention. While competitive science can make it tempting to report the findings right away, that might not be the best idea. Instead, it’s time to talk with a technology transfer manager.

With Memorial Day and the 78th anniversary of D-Day on the horizon, please take a moment to locate the small memorial dedicated to nine local individuals who gave the ultimate sacrifice as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.