Technology - Cancer Currents Blog
News and commentaries on technology used to conduct cancer research, deliver cancer treatment, improve patient care, and screen for cancer, as well as other topics.
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Study Improves the Quality of Biopsy Specimens for Cancer ResearchAn NCI-led team of researchers has developed and tested recommendations for improving the quality of biopsy specimens collected from patients participating in cancer clinical trials.
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For HPV-Positive Women, Test Can Guide Cervical Cancer Screening Follow-UpA new test can help to improve the clinical management of women who screen positive for HPV infection during routine cervical cancer screening, an NCI-led study has shown.
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Using Artificial Intelligence to Classify Lung Cancer Types, Predict MutationsCancer researchers have trained a computer program to scan images of tissue samples to differentiate normal lung tissue from the two most common forms of lung cancer. The program also learned to detect cancer-related genetic mutations in the samples.
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Enhancements to NCI’s SEER Program Creating New Research OpportunitiesNCI’s SEER program is expanding in size and operating a series of innovative pilot studies. As Dr. Lynne Penberthy explains, these studies are setting the stage for the routine collection of more clinical and genomic data that will help researchers better understand cancer and its impact.
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Study Shows Experimental Screening Test Can Detect Endometrial and Ovarian CancersScientists have struggled to come up with a simple test to detect endometrial and ovarian cancers early, when they are most likely to respond to treatment. Can a liquid biopsy test called PapSEEK change that?
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NCI Expands Repository of Cancer Research Models: A Conversation with Drs. Doroshow and EvrardNCI is expanding its Patient-Derived Models Repository (PDMR), which provides cancer research models made directly from human tumor tissue. In this Q&A;, Drs. Yvonne Evrard and James Doroshow explain how the new models can help cancer researchers make more rapid progress.
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Interactive App Improves Colorectal Cancer Screening RatesColorectal cancer screening reduces deaths from the disease, yet about one-third of Americans aren’t up to date with screening. Learn what happened when people waiting for routine checkups used an app that allowed them to order their own screening test.
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Genomic Profiling Tests Cleared by FDA Can Help Guide Cancer Treatment, Clinical Trial EnrollmentThe FDA has recently approved two tests to identify genetic alterations in tumors. One of the tests can be used to identify patients who may be candidates to receive specific targeted therapies.
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Liquid Biopsy: Using DNA in Blood to Detect, Track, and Treat CancerResearch studies show tests that analyze tumor DNA in blood, called liquid biopsies, may help detect cancer early, guide precision cancer treatment, and track treatment response.
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NCI’s Technology Transfer Center—Moving Inventions and Ideas from the Lab to Patients: An Interview with Dr. Michael SalgallerAn interview with Dr. Michael Salgaller about how NCI’s Technology Transfer Center helps to move new technologies developed by NCI and NIH scientists from the lab to the bedside.
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Introducing DAVE: Online Analysis Tools for the Genomic Data CommonsNCI has released an online, open-access cancer research resource for the Genomic Data Commons called the Data Analysis, Visualization, and Exploration Tools, or DAVE.
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Advancing the Potential and Promise of Total-Body PET ImagingA total-body PET scanner under development is an ideal example of how NCI and NIH are supporting the development of new research and cancer care-related technologies.
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NCTN/NCORP Data Archive: Expanding Access to Clinical Trial DataNCI is launching the NCTN/NCORP Data Archive, a centralized repository of patient-level data from phase III clinical trials conducted by NCI’s NCTN and NCORP trials programs and the National Cancer Institute of Canada-Clinical Trials Group.
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Single Tumor Cells Reveal Clues to Biology of Multiple MyelomaA study suggests that individual tumor cells circulating in the blood of patients with multiple myeloma may be a new source of information about the genetic changes driving the disease.
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Device Uses Cancer Cells' Mass to Predict Response to TreatmentScientists have designed a device that measures the mass of single cancer cells to predict how cells respond to drug treatment. The technology could potentially help clinicians determine whether a drug effectively kills cancer cells.
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Connected Health: An Important Tool for Making Progress against CancerA new report from the President’s Cancer Panel outlines how connective technologies can promote cancer prevention, enhance patients’ treatment experience, and accelerate progress in cancer research.
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Meeting Patients Where They Are: Liberating Clinical Trials Data Under the Cancer MoonshotNCI’s new application programming interface (API) that allows anyone to build online tools that help people find NCI-supported clinical trials.
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Engineered Stem Cells Help Identify Potential New Treatment for MedulloblastomaStem cells engineered to mimic medulloblastoma development may help researchers identify potential new treatments, according to a new study.
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Tumor DNA in Blood May Signal Response to T-Cell Transfer ImmunotherapyA study suggests that doctors could use circulating tumor DNA to quickly identify patients who are responding to T-cell transfer immunotherapy.
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Nanoparticle that Mimics Salmonella Counteracts Chemotherapy ResistanceA nanoparticle that mimics Salmonella may help to counteract chemotherapy resistance, according to a new study.
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Nanoparticle Delivers Cancer Drugs to Tumor Blood VesselsIn cancer mouse models, nanoparticles that bind to a protein called P-selectin on tumor blood vessels shrank tumors and extended survival.
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Blood Test for Genetic Changes in Tumors Shows Promise as Alternative to Tumor BiopsyThe largest study of its kind to date has shown that a test that assesses DNA mutations and other changes in genetic material shed from tumors into the blood—a liquid biopsy—produced results highly similar to those of traditional tumor biopsies.
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Calling on Data Enthusiasts to Help Advance Cancer ResearchHealth data enthusiasts of all stripes were in Washington, D.C., today for Health Datapalooza. NCI's Dr. Warren Kibbe explains that this annual event explores a topic that is central to NCI’s efforts against cancer: creating knowledge from data.
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Targeted Photoimmunotherapy Approach for Cancer Moves ForwardTwo new studies from NCI researchers add to growing evidence of the promise of a novel type of cancer immunotherapy that uses infrared light to activate rapid and selective killing of cancer cells.
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Nanoparticle Generator Slips Chemotherapy Past Tumor Cells’ Protective BarriersResearchers have developed a new injectable nanoparticle-generating technology that can deliver a cancer drug to the nucleus of metastatic breast cancer cells.
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High-Magnification Microscopy Visualizes Tumor Blood Vessels in Real TimeHigh-powered intravital microscopy reveals that 50 percent of blood vessels in melanoma tumors do not have any blood flow, according to a new study.
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NCI-DOE Collaboration Paving Way for Large-Scale Computational Cancer ScienceNCI and the Department of Energy have entered into a collaboration to develop a plan to use large-scale computing to influence cancer science and, ultimately, clinical treatment.
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Opportunities in Cancer Nanotechnology: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Piotr GrodzinskiThe director of NCI's Office of Cancer Nanotechnology Research discusses the Cancer Nanotechnology Plan 2015, as well as new developments and clinical opportunities in the field.
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CPTAC, the Complementary Sibling of TCGA: An Interview with Dr. Henry Rodriguez about NCI’s Proteomics ProgramDr. Henry Rodriguez explains the goals and future directions of CPTAC, a collaborative consortium of institutions and investigators who study cancer proteomics.
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For Some Children with Cancer, Genomic Information May Help Guide Treatment DecisionsGenomic methods, such as DNA sequencing, may help doctors manage the treatment of children and young adults with cancer.
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Microscopy Advances Open Up New Avenues of Cancer DiscoveryToday’s high-powered microscopes are allowing researchers to study the fine details of individual cells and to peer into cells, opening up new avenues of discovery about the inner workings of cells, including the events that can cause healthy cells to transform into cancer cells.