Onco Actu du 16 avril 2015

	1. Biologie
From snapshot to family tree – writing the evolutionary rule book of cancer [Cancer Research UK] It appears that many of the mutations that happen early on during cancer development are in genes that have proved to be extremely difficult to hit with targeted therapies, such as a gene called Ras. Although our scientists and others around the world are working hard on these ‘undruggable’ targets, they’re not there yet.
Scientists decipher key steps in cancer development to improve treatment [Cancer Research UK] "It’s only the tip of the iceberg but I’m optimistic that we’ll one day be able to use evolutionary theory to outsmart many cancers, using carefully orchestrated combinations of drugs, and therapies that harness the body’s immune system, at key time points.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
Personal Genome Diagnostics Study Highliths Limitations of Tumor-Only Sequencing for Cancer [PGD] Study in Science Translational Medicine Confirms that Many Genetic Alterations Identified by Tumor-Only Sequencing are ‘False Positives’
Study: Genetic Tests of Tumors Often Gives False Results [Scientific American] Nearly half of all cancer patients undergoing next-generation genetic tests could receive misleading results that guide them and their physicians toward improper treatment.
Personalizing Cancer Treatment With Genetic Tests Can Be Tricky [NPR] "What we found is, you essentially get a lot of inaccurate information," says Dr. Victor Velculescu, a professor of oncology and pathology and co-director of cancer biology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
Study: Genetic Tests of Tumors Often Gives False Results [Scientific American] Nearly half of all cancer patients undergoing next-generation genetic tests could receive misleading results that guide them and their physicians toward improper treatment.
U.S. study calls into question tests that sequence tumor genes [Reuters] The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, call into question the accuracy of increasingly popular tests that look for mutations within tumors that drive cancer growth.
	5. Traitements
Inhibitor for Abnormal Protein Points the Way to More Selective Cancer Drugs [Caltech] With additional design considerations to facilitate passage through the cell membrane, compounds of this sort could become the basis of new drugs for targeting and inhibiting abnormal protein molecules in living cells.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
WHO Joins the Push for Greater Disclosure of Clinical Trial Data [Wall Street Journal] Specifically, the WHO says companies should update information already provided to trial registries and submit findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals within 12 months of finishing studies. The agency also says companies should ensure there is so-called ‘open access’ publication, which refers to freely available access. Moreover, the WHO adds that results from past studies should also be disclosed.
WHO Statement on Reporting Clinical Trials [Science-Based Medicine] The WHO statement is a step in the right direction, although it needs to be backed up with more teeth. We now have the technology to make all clinical trial results transparent and accessible. This has the power to dramatically improve the science of medicine. The ethical imperative to do so seems clear.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Immunotherapy Opens Two Fronts, Innate and Adaptive, against Cancer [GEN] “This combination therapy induces an intratumoral ‘cytokine storm’ and extensive lymphocyte infiltration.”
	5.2 Pharma
Pfizer Announces PALOMA-3 Trial For IBRANCE® (Palbociclib) Stopped Early Due To Efficacy Seen In Patients With HR+, HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer Whose Disease Has Progressed Following Endocrine Therapy [Pfizer] Detailed efficacy and safety results from PALOMA-3 will be submitted for presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2015 Annual Meeting.
Pfizer's Ibrance shines in latest breast cancer study [FiercePharma] ISI Group analyst Mark Schoenebaum told investors today the new info will not do much to boost its sales estimates because most patients will receive Ibrance as a first-line treatment. It does, however, "add to what already appears a strong early launch."
Active Biotech and Ipsen announce their decision to discontinue the development of tasquinimod in prostate cancer [Ipsen] “We are disappointed for prostate cancer patients. Ipsen remains strongly committed to oncology. We are grateful to the clinicians, caregivers, patients and their families who were involved in this study."
Data in The Lancet show Novartis drug Arzerra® plus chlorambucil improved median progression-free survival by 71% in CLL patients [Novartis] In this clinical study, median PFS was improved by 71% in the group receiving ofatumumab plus chlorambucil compared to the chlorambucil alone group (22.4 months vs 13.1 months, respectively; HR 0.57 [95% CI 0.45, 0.72]; p<0.0001).
AstraZeneca science is on the move, one year on from Pfizer bid [Reuters] Yet Jefferies analysts argue it is effectively ahead of rivals when it comes to the big commercial opportunity of combining immuno-oncology drugs in lung cancer.
Approved Pfizer breast cancer drug impresses in latest study [Reuters] Pfizer said the Phase 3 study, called Paloma 3, was halted after an independent data monitoring board determined that Ibrance, also known as palbociclib, had proven its effectiveness among patients with advanced disease who had previously been treated with anti-estrogen drugs.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Cancer Research Technology and Medivir collaborate to develop new class of cancer drugs [Cancer Research UK] As part of the collaboration, CRT and Medivir will conduct a two-year research programme to optimize and develop small molecules targeting the cell surface protein ADAM8, which has been linked to tumour survival, cell invasion and metastasis.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA,...
Tremelimumab granted Orphan Drug Designation by US FDA for treatment of malignant mesothelioma [AstraZeneca] Tremelimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody, which stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells through binding to the protein CTLA-4, expressed on the surface of activated T-lymphocytes.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Innocrin Pharmaceuticals Lands $28M for Prostate, Breast Cancer Trials [Xconomy] The Innocrin drug targets an enzyme called CYP17 lyase, which is required for androgen production and is a validated target in prostate cancer that doesn’t respond to hormone-blocking drugs.
Xbiotech’s $76M Offering Sets Course for Late-Stage Cancer Studies [Xconomy] The company received fast-track designation for Xilonix from the FDA, and currently has Phase III clinical trials ongoing in the U.S. in Europe for colorectal cancer.
Cancer Immunotherapy Remains Hot as Aduro Biotech Doubles in Value On IPO Debut [TheStreet] Aduro's cancer immunotherapy platform tinkers with listeria, a common bacteria, to express proteins found on specific types of tumor cells. The re-engineered listeria is supposed to prime a patient's immune system to identify and kill the targeted cancer cells.
	5.9 AACR
American Assoc. for Cancer Research - What to look forward to [Behind the Bench] If you cannot attend AACR in person (or even if you are) we will posting video interviews and articles right here on Behind the Bench. Also be sure to follow our activity on Twitter using the hashtag #AACR15.
Bayer to Present New Data on Advancing Oncology Portfolio [Bayer] New preclinical and clinical data evaluating innovative compounds in drug development.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
New consortium to develop more personalised treatment for bowel cancer patients [PHG Foundation] Genome-based technologies will be used to analyse tumour samples and predict likely responses to treatment in over 2,000 newly-diagnosed bowel cancer patients
The Medical University of Innsbruck is coordinating the EU research project on personalised cancer immunotherapy [AlphaGalileo] -Ing. Dr. Zlatko Trajanoski, Director of the Innsbruck Division of Bioinformatics, is coordinating the APERIM “Advanced bioinformatics platform for PERsonalised cancer IMmunotherapy” project. -Prof Trajanoski from Innsbruck Biocenter is the only Austrian project coordinator in the “Personalising health and care” funding pool. Bioinformatics methods permit the evaluation and processing of the specific information on the molecular fundamentals of individual tumours, which in turn forms the basis for personalised cancer immunotherapy.
	6.10 Politiques
Bill Clinton Speaks About Science And Cancer Research At Charity Event [Forbes] Clinton emphasized rapid advances in human genomics, and how those will benefit cancer patients.
	6.6 Publications
Gynecologic cancer researcher earns eighth retraction [Retraction Watch] Noriyuki Takai, a gynecologic cancer researcher in Japan, has notched one more retraction — bringing the total to eight — due to figures that were “processed inappropriately” and did “not accurately report the original data.”
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
Revisiting The Central Dogma Of Precision Medicine [Forbes] If only as a thought exercise, it’s worth at least considering what it would mean if the careful study of phenotype, and the resulting integration with genetic data doesn’t turn out to be as useful as we presently anticipate – what if the expected clinically informative, biologically-based subgroups don’t emerge?
Big Data Key to Precision Medicine's Success [Weill Cornell Medical College] In his commentary, published April 15, Dr. Mark A. Rubin, director of the Institute for Precision Medicine, posits that searchable databases that compile information from a wide range of medical centers would allow researchers and clinicians to look for patterns and trends in cancer across a large patient population.
EMR 2015: The Market for Electronic Medical Records [Market Research Report] The report estimates the size of the market for the EMR hospital and EMR physician markets and reviews usage trends among hospitals and physicians. It also forecasts the market to 2018.
	6.9 Controverses
Battle over CRISPR Gene Editing Patents [MIT Technology Review] Lab notebooks could determine who was first to invent a revolutionary gene-editing technology.