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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of human viruses known to cause various malignancies. Of the group, HPV-16 is the most prevalent strain – an estimated 90% of adults have been exposed. HPV-16 is also the strain most commonly associated with malignancy, causing the vast majority of cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers. Currently, HPV-positive malignancies non-responsive to surgery or radiation are incurable and poorly palliated by existing systemic therapies. Thus, an alternative therapeutic approach for HPV-positive malignancies is needed. 

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures systems are important for studying cell biology because they provide in vivo-like microenvironments more physiologically relevant than two-dimensional (2D) culture systems. In 3D culture systems, cells are grown in culture matrixes and turn into spheroids and organoids later processed for downstream analysis by microscopy and histology techniques. The processing of 3D cultures for analysis by microscopy or histology is laborious and time-consuming due to incompatibility of the 3D culture vessels and the microscopy and pathology blocks.

Topoisomerase poisons, such as quinolone antibiotics, are widely used as anticancer drugs and antibiotics. Quinolone antibiotics act by trapping prokaryotic type IIA topoisomerases (DNA gyrase and TOPO IV), resulting in irreversible topoisomerase cleavage complexes. However, current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance reserves the use of quinolones for the most serious bacterial infections due to their associated side effects and to limit the occurrence of drug-resistant bacterial strains.

POTE is a novel tumor antigen expressed in a variety of cancers including breast, prostate, colon, lung, ovary, and pancreas cancers.  POTE has limited expression in normal tissues and therefore a specific target for cancer treatments, including immunotherapy.  The researchers seek statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize immunogenic peptides. 

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of human viruses known to cause various malignancies. Of the group, HPV-16 is the most prevalent strain – an estimated 90% of adults have been exposed. HPV-16 is also the strain most commonly associated with malignancy, causing the vast majority of cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers. Currently, HPV-positive malignancies non-responsive to surgery or radiation are incurable and poorly palliated by existing systemic therapies. Thus, an alternative therapeutic approach for HPV-positive malignancies is needed. 

Advanced stage cancers are typically marked by metastases of the primary cancer to secondary sites such as lungs, liver, and bones. Such metastatic cancers result in strikingly low 5-year survival rates, underscoring the need for novel therapeutics. For example, bone metastasis of primary breast cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 13%, lung cancer only 1%. There is a need for targeted therapy options specific to metastases. One approach to targeting metastases is to reduce cancer cell migration and invasion.

Due to the large degree of homology among dopamine D2-like receptors, discovering ligands capable of discriminating between the D2, D3, and D4 receptor subtypes remains a significant challenge. The development of subtype-selective pharmaceutical small molecules to activate (agonists) signals regulated by D2-like receptors has been especially difficult. 

Chemotherapy resistance in a wide array of cancers is often associated with enhanced glucose uptake and dysregulation of the insulin signaling pathway.  Therapeutics capable of inhibiting insulin signaling would be valuable as a stand-alone treatment and for sensitizing resistant tumors to standard chemotherapy regiments.  Researchers at NCI’s Genitourinary Malignancies Branch have synthesized and developed a series of Englerin-A ana

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major global health challenge despite the advancement made in development of effective antiretrovirals (ARVs). ARVs are effective at limiting replication and spread of the virus, and progression to acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, ARVs often lead to emergence of drug-resistant virus strains insensitive to treatment and with toxic effects following long-term usage.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a new method of improving the efficacy of vaccines in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by activating Ras. This method can be used to develop more efficacious vaccine compositions by activating Ras before, during, or after vaccination. Additionally, the researchers discovered that modulation of the Ras pathways could be a predictive biomarker of protection against HIV.