A first-in-class therapy to target MYC, one of the most sought-after and difficult targets in cancer biology, showed promise in hard-to-treat blood cancers, according to a new preclinical study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center published in Blood.

Researchers used super-resolution microscopy to watch the cancer drug sunitinib move through living cells and measure its effects on the cell's internal infrastructure. Taking advantage of the drug's natural fluorescence, the team tracked its localization and found that it accumulates primarily in lysosomes, cellular compartments involved in recycling waste. As drug concentrations increased, the researchers observed progressive disruption of lysosomes, mitochondria, and the endoplasmic reticulum, three interconnected systems that help maintain cellular function and survival. The study, published in Biophotonics Discovery, provides new insight into the intracellular pharmacodynamics underlying both the therapeutic effects and toxicity of sunitinib cancer treatments, and demonstrates how advanced optical imaging can reveal drug-induced changes that are difficult to detect with conventional methods.

Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC developed an experimental oral therapy that protected mice from harmful radiation while preserving radiation’s ability to fight cancer. The treatment reduced damage to vulnerable tissues and improved survival after whole-body radiation exposure. The findings could lead to better protection for cancer patients and new medical countermeasures for radiological emergencies.

Australian researchers have identified a molecular switch that drives the spread of the most aggressive sub-type of breast cancer (triple-negative breast cancer), potentially paving the way for more effective treatments.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for roughly 15–20% of all breast cancer cases and is difficult to treat. Patients are often left with chemotherapy as their only treatment option. This is because TNBC tumors contain a large number of T cells that suppress the immune system. Yet researchers from Tohoku University have come up with a three-pronged approach to overcome this problem.