You are in

/ Home / Research / Research Advances

Main Menu

• Research Advances
• Research Collaboratives
• Office of Research
• Departments and Centers
• Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
• Researcher Directory
• Clinical Trials
• Core Facilities
• Office of Research and Technology Ventures
• Scientific Report
• Office for Human Research Studies
• Postdoctoral Training
• Research Means Hope

Related Links

• Center for Psycho-oncology and Palliative Care Research

Research Advances

• International consortium to catalog cancer's secrets

  

  Leading research institutions in nine countries, including Dana-Farber, have joined forces to uncover the genetic changes that make cancer cells dangerous and elusive. read more

• Metabolism matters

  

  Scientists are gaining a better understanding of how and why metabolic factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, and diabetes can predispose people to cancer. read more

• From discovery to delivery: Drug development at Dana-Farber

  

  The Institute is working to improve the process of developing new cancer therapies and the chances that they will succeed in patients.
  read more

• The big switch: Epigenetics gains ground at Dana-Farber

  

  Epigenetics, the system for switching genes on and off without changing their basic sequence, is earning increased attention among researchers.
  read more

• First Person: Stephen E. Sallan, MD

  

  Oncologists have long been perplexed by the different survival rates experienced by children and adults with the same types of cancer. For the past several years, Stephen Sallan and colleagues within and beyond Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have worked to understand and combat the disparity. Their research suggests a breakthrough may be at hand. read more

• Molecular engineers: How chemical biologists explore the workings of cells

  

  Chemical biology provides a novel way to see whether "suspect" genes are involved in cancer and expands the pool of diseased genes that can be attacked with therapies. read more

• Harnessing the power of RNAi gene-silencing technology to improve cancer treatment

  

  RNA interference has dramatically speeded up experiments aimed at discovering genes' roles by turning them off and measuring the effect. Researchers at Dana-Farber have deployed RNAi technology in a hunt for genes they call cancer's "Achilles' heels" – abnormally behaving genes that tumors depend on to grow, survive, and progress. read more

• Searching for biomarkers of ovarian cancers

  

  Most ovarian cancers are not diagnosed until they reach relatively advanced stages, which means long-term survival rates are low. Consequently, early detection is a crucial part of reducing ovarian cancer deaths. Researchers in Dana-Farber's Center for Molecular Oncologic Pathology are in search of biomarkers specific to ovarian cancer that show up in blood or urine at the onset of the disease. read more

• Dana-Farber opens new molecular pathology research center

  As cancer treatment heads toward an era of "personalized medicine" tailored to the molecular traits of a person's tumor, everything depends on discovering distinct genetic "signatures" within cancer cells and seeing how drugs interact with them. read more

• Dana-Farber launches program to take aim at low-grade pediatric brain tumors

  Pediatric brain tumors termed "low-grade" grow slowly and have a better outlook for patients than the high-grade gliomas that are almost always fatal. But a group of parents who have funded a new Dana-Farber program to focus on low-grade tumors say there's an urgent need for improved treatments that don't risk impairing children's bodies and minds. read more

• Dana-Farber scientists home in on key cancer signal

  For more than 20 years, Dana-Farber scientists have been looking for the best way to attack a complex cell-signaling pathway known as PI3K that often goes awry in breast, colon, and other cancers. Now, Tom Roberts, PhD, Jean Zhao, PhD, and their colleagues in the Department of Cancer Biology appear to have found such a target.When they knocked out one form of a protein in the PI3K pathway in mouse cells, the cells became resistant to factors that normally would make them cancerous, they report. read more

• Center offers new model for developing targeted therapies

  In one of the most far-reaching initiatives of Dana-Farber's Strategic Plan, cancer researchers at Dana-Farber and Harvard have built a fully coordinated drug-development center able to convert basic science discoveries into new treatments to reach patients in the clinic. read more

• Dana-Farber's new Center for Cancer Genome Discovery opens search for altered genes in cancer

  Responding to this growing frontier in cancer research, Dana-Farber has established a center committed to searching systematically through all the human genes potentially involved in cancer – the "cancer genome" – to detect genetic flaws or variations that underlie malignancies. The Center for Cancer Genome Discovery (CCGD) enables Dana-Farber to be an important contributor to the next generation of less-toxic designer drugs, which could transform cancer care. read more

• Unveiling of STAR trial results brings kudos to participants

  Monday's announcement of the results of the five-year Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) – which compared the drugs' ability to prevent breast cancer in postmenopausal women at risk for the disease – came with an expression of thanks to the 19,747 women in the U.S. and Canada who took part in the trial, including 226 at eight New England hospitals and healthcare systems headed by Dana-Farber. read more

• Gene chips aid drug search in rare cancers

  With so many types of cancer vying for attention, drug companies are likely to invest drug-discovery resources in the biggest potential moneymakers and treatments for cancers in which a specific molecular "target" has already been found. It's frustrating for patients and families touched by rare or uncommon cancers — and for the doctors who treat them. read more

• Cancer vaccine center opens at Dana-Farber to "seize the moment" in scientific research

  Convinced that science now has the tools to strengthen and sharpen the immune system's natural attack on cancer, Dana-Farber is launching a Cancer Vaccine Center, where laboratory research will be joined with studies of the latest treatments in patients. read more

• Institute seeks to develop program for adolescents and young adults

  Dana-Farber is developing plans for a comprehensive program that will blend research about the biologic and psychosocial needs of patients aged 15 to 40 with age-appropriate clinical and support services, and offer opportunities for teaching and training. read more

• With work, Dana-Farber learns from '94 mistakes

  As the ten-year anniversary of two tragic overdoses at Dana-Farber approaches, the Boston Globe has taken a look at the work Dana-Farber staff and patients have undertaken to build safer systems and to help insure that such mistakes don't happen again. read more

• New NIH grants support ambitious attacks on pediatric brain tumors

  Scientists at Dana-Farber and Children's Hospital Boston have received two federal grants totaling more than $10.5 million to support their cutting-edge searches for the genetic causes of pediatric brain tumors, one of the most challenging forms of cancer. read more

• Dana-Farber to lead national trial on head and neck cancer

  Marshall Posner, MD, director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program, has received $2.3 million in funding for a Phase III clinical trial that could determine the best treatment for patients with cancers of the mouth, tongue, larynx, and other oral and throat structures. read more

• Dana-Farber, Brigham and Women's researchers study role of diet and exercise in breast cancer risk and recovery

  Everyone knows that tobacco use is harmful and often lethal: Its combined contributions to lung cancer, heart disease, and pulmonary disorders result in 435,000 preventable deaths annually. Most people would be surprised, however, to learn that unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are catching up fast, currently causing an estimated 400,000 avoidable deaths a year. read more

• 'Junior nobelist' finds summer home at Dana-Farber

  Mason Hedberg's molecular biology project aimed at fixing a fundamental flaw in the chromosomes of cancer cells earned him first place in the nation's most prestigious science competition for high school seniors and helped him land a summer internship in the Dana-Farber laboratory of Ronald DePinho, MD. read more

• DFCI creates new post to foster collaboration among researchers

  Barrett Rollins, MD, PhD, a longtime and widely respected Dana-Farber researcher, has been named the Institute's first Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), charged with fostering collaboration among investigators and helping them obtain the resources they need to keep DFCI at the forefront of cancer research. read more

• Two DFCI studies examine quality of life issues for survivors of Hodgkin's disease

  Two research projects are now under way at Dana-Farber — one by oncology nurses and the other by a clinical psychologist — to examine and improve the experiences of Hodgkin's patients and survivors. read more

• More than skin-deep

  A growing program focuses on melanoma and other sometimes-deadly cancers. read more

• Stalking a stealthy disease: Hunting early warning signs in ovarian cancer

  Common sense (and years of research) tells us that any illness, when caught early, has a greater chance for a cure. read more

• New DFCI center to offer cutting-edge clinical research and care

  In a space carved out of Sidney Farber, MD,'s original clinic, the Institute has created a state-of-the-art facility for testing the newest cancer therapies, reflecting a renewed commitment to excellent clinical research. read more

• Eric Winer, MD, joins Lance Armstrong to spread message across 3,200 miles

  After years of being inspired by the athletic exploits of cycling star and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, Eric Winer, MD, of Dana-Farber is joining the five-time Tour de France champion on his latest ride: a week-long trek across the United States to increase awareness of cancer research and clinical trials. read more

• Dana-Farber and affiliates garner SPORE grants in myeloma, lung cancer

  Grants from the National Cancer Institute's highly competitive SPORE program have been awarded to Dana-Farber and affiliated institutions of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) to speed research on new treatments for multiple myeloma and lung cancer. read more

• Trial to test safety of radiating breast from the inside after lumpectomy

  Many doctors and patients are intrigued by a new procedure that delivers radiation from inside the breast following breast-conserving surgery for early-stage cancer. This innovation dramatically reduces the treatment period from several weeks to a matter of days, and it's hoped that it will prove as effective as standard external-beam radiation in preventing recurrence of cancer. read more

• The state of the art in stem cell transplantation

  Thirty years after Institute physicians performed the first bone marrow transplant, it is still the collaboration between investigators in the lab and clinic, as much as the ingenuity of the researchers themselves and the courage of patients in clinical trials, that has enabled Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's Hospital to offer transplant procedures that are truly state-of-the-art read more

• DFCI scientists, Harvard brain researchers find common ground in search for cures

  At least 11 Dana-Farber scientists have joined a novel, generously funded Harvard Medical School center aimed at discovering new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and multiple sclerosis. read more

• Joint study on protein-cancer connection underscores promise of targeted therapies

  In a new study, scientists found that a particular protein was defective in about 35 percent of GIST cases where the KIT enzyme was normal. The finding may lead to new therapies because drugs known as small molecule inhibitors are able to counteract flawed versions of the protein, called PDGFRA. read more

• Study aims to solve puzzle of ER-negative breast tumors

  Researchers from Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and two other institutions have launched a major effort to go after ER-negative breast tumors. read more

• Hormone replacement therapy and cancer: Balancing safety and quality of life

  For patients in the Women's Cancers Program at Dana-Farber, the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) decision is more complicated than for the average woman - and the stakes are higher. These women are at risk for developing cancer or have already been diagnosed with cancer, and they come to Dana-Farber with a battery of unique questions. read more

• April 20-26 is National Minority Cancer Awareness Week

  Recent published reports have indicated that African Americans and other medically underserved minorities have significantly higher cancer incidence and mortality rates than white Americans. read more

• Researchers 'Slug' it out with cell death

  Cancer cells' ability to become resistant to powerful chemotherapy and radiation treatments has long frustrated, and fascinated, physicians and scientists. Now, researchers at Dana-Farber have found that certain cancer cells share an element of their "survival kit" with cells in the bone marrow - raising the possibility that it may one day be possible to protect healthy marrow cells from some chemo and radiation therapy. read more

• Dana-Farber staff, families attend hearing to advocate for pediatric palliative care bill

  Quality end-of-life care is every dying child's right. So spoke Christine Reilly, whose 5-year-old son, Mikey, was a Jimmy Fund Clinic patient who died of cancer in March 1999. She emphasized the point during a public hearing in support of a pediatric palliative care bill held at the Massachusetts State House June 4 ? what would have been Mikey's 10th birthday. read more

• DFCI and BWH reach major milestone in unrelated donor transplants

  When Don Dockerty searched the Internet for the best treatment for his cancer, he spotted Dana-Farber as a great potential site. What he didn't know then was that he would wind up being part of a DFCI milestone. read more

• Lenny Lecture traces link between diet and health

  Research in the emerging science of "molecular nutrition" is revealing the precise ways that substances within food - vitamins, nutrients, and a host of lesser-known compounds - interact with genes and alter the behavior of cells. The result, according to the presenter of this year's "Lenny Lecture" at Dana-Farber, is a new appreciation of diet's far-reaching impact on health and disease. read more

• Dana-Farber launches new consultation service to help patients and families resolve ethical issues

  Going through cancer treatment often raises vexing questions. A new service at Dana-Farber aims to help patients find the answers. read more

• A Closer Look at the Hematologic Malignancies Program

  The Hematologic Malignancies program at DFCI is, in many ways, the direct descendant of work begun by Institute founder Sidney Farber, MD. And as it has grown, it has become - in its mix of caregivers, basic scientists, and administrators, its sources of funding, and emphasis on bench-to-bedside research - a microcosm of the cancer center as a whole. read more

• Early studies show promise for multiple myeloma treatment

  Normally hard-to-impress scientists are using phrases like "remarkable" and "more effective than anything I've seen before" to describe a new medication being tested in patients with advanced multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow. read more

• Saying "You're cured" is not enough; DFCI researchers study quality of life for pediatric brain tumor survivors

  The side effects of brain tumor treatment have been apparent for some time, but in the past parents and doctors alike were mainly concerned with saving young lives. Now, survivors and their families want help overcoming obstacles to their life journeys. "It's a club you don't want to belong to," attests Maria Ternullo, whose son, Justin, is battling complications from brain tumor treatment nine years ago. read more

• Genetic paradox provides new insight into cancer development

  There is no molecular magic by which a normal cell suddenly turns cancerous. The process is, instead, a gradual one, as genetic mistakes (or mutations) accumulate in successive generations of cells until they become fully malignant. read more

• Attacking tumors from within: Cancer-vaccine research advances at Dana-Farber

  At Dana-Farber, vaccine research has brought a shrewd ingenuity to the fight against cancer. Scientists using the tools of molecular biology are developing techniques that cause cancer cells to betray themselves as a potential enemy and, in effect, invite their own destruction. read more

• SPORE grant targets prostate cancer

  Genome-age technology meets clinical care in a $15 million, five-year grant for prostate cancer research awarded this month to the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). read more

• DCIS: A breast cancer dilemma

  When a woman hears "breast cancer," no matter how small or treatable her disease, the words pack a wallop. Last year, a biopsy revealed that Lois Tibbetts, a 52-year-old woman from Scituate, Mass., had a form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. It is a very early form of breast cancer confined to the milk ducts in which it formed. With proper treatment, the chances of curing DCIS are nearly 100 percent. Still, Tibbetts panicked. read more

• Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center seeks candidates for three breast cancer prevention clinical trials

  Researchers at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center are conducting three breast cancer prevention studies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: the STAR Trial, the WISE Trial, and the TAM/MRI Study. The studies' directors are currently looking for candidates for the trials. read more

• Drug found in sea squirts shows promising activity in treating certain cancers

  A powerful cancer drug found in the tissues of sea squirts is being tested on a variety of cancers. Trials conducted in the United States and Europe show that the compound has promising activity against connective tissue, breast, ovary, and prostate tumors. read more

• Joint study finds protein may hold promise for ovarian cancer detection

  Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber have found a link between osteopontin, a protein found in blood, and ovarian cancer. The discovery may help in the early detection of a disease that is often fatal if not caught in its early stages. The study's results are published in the April 3 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). read more

• Dana-Farber establishes Center for Patient Safety

  In a move to weave patient protection further into its system of clinical care and research, Dana-Farber is establishing an on-site Center for Patient Safety. read more

• Analyzing outcomes: Studying patients' quality of life after cancer therapies

  It seems to be a no-brainer. Surely a high-tech "minimally invasive" operation for colon cancer, using long-handled tweezer-like instruments inserted through small holes in the abdomen, would be easier on patients than the traditional method requiring a large incision in the belly for the surgeon's hands. read more

• Gene profiles expose cancer cells' weak points

  In their deadly quest to grow and spread, cancer cells are the ultimate stealth weapon. They hide from the body's immune defenses, hijack new blood supplies, and often evade the most toxic drugs thrown against them. read more

• Pediatric oncology: Enhancing the lives of cancer's youngest patients

  When Sidney Farber, MD, envisioned a Boston-based pediatric cancer institute in the 1940s, childhood leukemia was uniformly fatal. From the moment of diagnosis, all that families could hope for was minimal suffering in the remaining months of a child's life. read more

• Treatment with Gleevec at Dana-Farber

  The new cancer drug Gleevec - formerly known as STI571 or Glivec - is a welcome addition to treatment for people with CML and GIST. Visit this page to learn more about Gleevec, including contact numbers and DFCI and national clinical trials involving the drug. read more

• Herceptin: A model of change in patient care

  It was the sight of a mobile mammography van in her South Boston neighborhood that prodded Sonia Peña to take action and get a mammogram performed. She had felt a small lump in her breast two years earlier, but was led to believe that the chances it was cancer were low because she was only 38 years old. read more

• Symposium on cancer-survivor research looks at long-term health effects of disease

  When Christopher Recklitis, PhD, MPH, began his position as chief psychologist at the David B. Perini, Jr. Quality of Life Clinic in 1998 after previously working in the Jimmy Fund Clinic, he assumed that he would be able to educate himself about the psychology of adult survivors of childhood cancers by surveying scientific literature on the subject. He was in for a disheartening surprise. read more

• DFCI research project aims to ease patients' transition from active to "off-treatment"

  Being treated for cancer can be stressful. What some may not realize is that ending treatment can also cause anxiety - as patients begin wondering about the long-term side effects of their care. read more

• Scientists get straight skinny on fat cells

  The last link in the chain from food to fat has been found. Deep in human cells sits the master regulator of fat cells, a gene with the awkward name PPAR-gamma. When activated, this gene and the protein it produces drive the formation of fat cells that are part of the epidemic of obesity now sweeping the United States. read more

• Endostatin: The Dana-Farber Connection

  Endostatin™ is among the first of a new generation of cancer treatments that seek to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply. Known as "angiogenesis inhibitors," these agents represent one of the most promising new areas of cancer research. read more

• DF/HCC researchers part of national study on inequity of cancer treatment

  There has long been concern that not all Americans benefit equally from advances in cancer care. Solid evidence, however, is lacking. Now, three researchers from the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) are among seven U.S. scientists who will receive a combined $34 million over five years to put the spotlight on such inequities—and find out why they exist. read more

• SPORE grant promotes DF/HCC research into skin cancer

  Researchers at Dana-Farber and across the Harvard medical community will scrutinize the genetic fingerprint of skin cancer and test novel treatments with help from a new five-year, $14 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). read more

• Gleevec: The Dana-Farber connection

  Told she had only a year or so to live, Phyllis Carter flew from her Florida home to Boston last year, hoping that doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute could offer something - anything - to improve her odds. read more

• Angiogenesis and cancer: taming tumors by cutting off their blood supply

  If deprived of access to blood vessels through which essential nutrients and oxygen can be delivered and its cells can escape to other sites in the body, a malignant tumor is virtually harmless. In fact, without an adequate network of blood vessels, a tumor can grow no larger than a pea, trapped in a steady state of submission. read more

• Institute explores less painful mammography options

  Although the American Cancer Society has recommended since 1997 that women over 40 years of age get annual mammograms, a significant percentage of women in this group still don't receive the proven-effective procedure every year. read more

• Oncology nursing: Patient care on the front lines

  When new patients come to the 10th floor of the Dana building at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for the first time, nurse Marie Zano can sense their anxiety and a wide range of other emotions. read more

• Dana-Farber study links obesity and lack of exercise to pancreatic cancer

  Chalk up another reason to exercise regularly and keep off the pounds. A new study by researchers at Dana-Farber, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found that pancreatic cancer rates are much higher in people who are substantially overweight and physically inactive than in those who are fit and maintain a normal weight. read more

• Researchers' discoveries yield new treatments for multiple myeloma

  When astrophysicist Joseph Schwarz, PhD, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1984, he may have been tempted to pin his hopes on stardust. read more

• Research aims to reduce impact of breast cancer in survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma

  Doctors know that young women treated with chest radiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma (also known as Hodgkin's disease) have an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life. But are patients themselves aware of the risk - and can education and regular mammograms help detect breast tumors at an early stage, when they're easiest to treat? A new study by Dana-Farber researchers aims to find out. read more

• Combination therapy found effective against early-stage prostate cancer

  A study by researchers at Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women's Hospital is changing the standard of care for some prostate cancer patients. read more

• Long-term fertility problems found in boys treated with high-dose chemotherapy

  It has long been known that men treated with chemotherapy medications known as alkylating agents experience declines in fertility. But what about boys who receive the agents before entering puberty? read more

• Study underscores the unknowns of research into inherited cancer risk

  The first analyses of the human genome, completed in February, may make it seem that scientists are on the brink of linking specific genetic defects with certain kinds of inherited cancers. A recent study by Dana-Farber researchers suggests it won't be nearly that simple. read more

• New technique enables scientists to isolate elusive cell proteins

  Dana-Farber researchers have devised a new way to pluck specific proteins from the membranes of cells and concentrate them in pure "nuggets" so their functions can be studied. read more

• Emphasize how patients can reduce cancer risk, study urges

  A recent study by Dana-Farber researchers contains some useful advice for staff at genetic-testing centers: In addition to informing women whether they are at risk for inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancer, let them know there is much they can do to protect themselves from other kinds of cancer. read more

• Study provides blueprint for treatment of liver disease

  Thanks to new research at Dana-Farber, scientists now have a better idea of why the human liver is such a resilient organ - and why it sometimes fails. read more

• Finding may lead to new approach for preventing HIV transmission during birth

  In Africa, where thousands of children infected with the AIDS virus are born each year, a drug or vaccine capable of preventing the virus from passing from mother to infant has the potential to save many lives. read more

• New role for protein suggests novel treatment for cancer

  A protein that normally serves as an "escort" to other proteins in cells has a second, equally important responsibility, Dana-Farber scientists have discovered: alerting the immune system to infection and cancer. read more

• Chromosome alignment may hold new clues to colon cancer

  Like a sailor who doesn't leave port until every piece of equipment is properly stowed, cells ordinarily do not divide until all their internal components are in the proper position. That is particularly true of the chromosomes, which carry cells' genetic instructions. read more

• Researchers obtain first 3-D pictures of key phase of human immune response

  Scientists have long known that the immune system's "helper" T cells identify cancerous or infected cells by latching onto the cells and probing protein fragments displayed there. If the fragments, called peptides, indicate the cell is diseased, the T cells order an immune attack to have it destroyed. read more

• Novel drug combination destroys human tumors by targeting key stages of cell division

  Cancer cells have a glitch in their quality-control system: signals that normally prompt cells to repair genetic damage - or commit suicide if the damage is irreparable - fail to function, causing tumor cells to pass defective DNA on to their offspring. In a recent study, investigators at Dana-Farber reported that a two-drug therapy that artificially rebuilds the quality-control system causes human tumors grown in laboratory animals to destroy themselves. read more

E-mail this page