Science

22nd Spring Research Festival Showcases Fort Detrick Science

Rainy weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of visitors to the 2018 Spring Research Festival, which brought together scientists from the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL), NCI at Frederick, and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and showcased the important research that takes place every day at Fort Detrick.

NCI Core Open House Shines Spotlight on Supportive Science and Basic Research

The lobby of Building 549 at NCI at Frederick bustled with activity for two hours on Tuesday, May 1, as several dozen scientists and staff gathered for the NCI Core Open House. The event aimed to encourage discussion and educate visitors about the capabilities of the cores, laboratories, and facilities that offer support to NCI’s Center for Cancer Research.

Sharpless Outlines His Plans for NCI During Spring Town Hall

At the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Spring Town Hall, new director Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, M.D., summarized his goals for NCI’s role in cancer research. The event, which was held at NCI Shady Grove and livestreamed to eight other major NCI locations, was Sharpless’ first town hall since his six-month “listening and learning tour” concluded.

Study Finds Dual Inhibition Therapy May Lead to Better Outcomes for Aggressive Form of Breast Cancer

A collaboration between the National Cancer Institute (NCI); the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL); and the National University of Ireland, Galway, has shown that two key biomarkers are co-expressed in an aggressive subtype of breast cancer and that inhibiting those two molecules can significantly improve patient survival outcomes. 

(Updated) Targeted T-Cell Therapy Shows Promise Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

(Updated May 8) A study led by the Baylor College of Medicine and supported by NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) has demonstrated that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy can be used to treat solid triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tumors. The investigation is the first work using CAR T-cell therapy against TEM8, a cell surface protein that is frequently overexpressed both in TNBC cells and cells lining the blood vessels that sustain TNBC tumors.

Forum on Emerging Infectious Diseases Highlights Leading-Edge Research

Scientists and professionals from multiple governmental agencies recently gathered at NCI at Frederick for a forum on newly emerging infectious diseases, threats to public health, and ongoing efforts to study high-risk pathogens. During the one-day event, which was sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research’s Scientific Interaction Subcommittee, nine speakers from four agencies shared their research and their agencies’ endeavors to address current and future biological threats.