A new study from Sylvester researchers may have found a workaround for the long-standing problem of chemotherapy resistance and, in turn, identified an encouraging way to restore the power of widely used chemotherapy drugs. The study, published this month in Genes & Development , explains how blocking a key protein forces damaged cancer cells into a state of uncontrolled transcriptional activity. This action creates novel cellular stress that can make even chemo-resistant tumors sensitive again to treatment.
Cancer Survivorship
Helping Lymphoma Patients Survive and Thrive After Treatment
Some lymphoma patients describe life after treatment as learning to steer a boat in new waters. Now, a $4-million, multi-site National Cancer Institute study, SMART 3RP Lymphoma , is designed to teach lymphoma survivors practical tools to manage stress, strengthen coping skills and improve their daily quality of life. "Resilience isn't a trait you either have or don't have," explains Frank Penedo, Ph.D. , Sylvester's principal investigator for the study and director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute . "It's a skill set, like learning to play an instrument." The study plans to enroll 250 patients who have completed curative therapy within two years.
Cancer Discovery
Sylvester Looks to Sea, Sky for Cancer Cures and Insights
Sylvester Cancer is looking to the sky and below the ocean's surface to expand the horizon of cancer discovery. South Florida's only NCI-designated cancer center is partnering with UM's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science to turn the ocean into a living laboratory that serves as a launchpad for innovation. At the school's Glassell Family Center for Marine Biomedicine, teams of scientists are probing below the ocean's surface for cancer clues. Additionally, atmospheric researchers are study cancer-causing environmental factors, including those on the Superfund: National Priority List .
Cancer Profile
Shria Kumar, M.D.: Researcher Strives to Reduce GI Cancer Burden
Shria Kumar, M.D. , believes in a basic cancer truth: The best way to reduce cancer burden is to prevent cancer. Seeing historically disadvantaged groups deal with cancer inequities led Kumar, a member of Sylvester's Cancer Control Program, to study ways to prevent gastrointestinal cancer. She studies eradicating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacteria that can cause stomach cancer, and also focuses on groups facing the highest risk of early-onset colon cancer. She shares her research insights in this linked profile .
Cancer Research
Sylvester Welcomes New Era in Cancer Research (Video Available)
Sylvester Cancer welcomed a new era in cancer discovery this month with the official unveiling of its Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building . The 12-story, 244,000-square-foot structure on UHealth's downtown Miami campus combines highly specialized laboratories with collaborative spaces organized around research neighborhoods, state-of-the-art clinical care and wellness spaces. It brings patients, clinicians and researchers under one roof to accelerate cures and deliver personalized medicine designed to change cancer's trajectory.
