Onco Actu du 23 septembre 2016

	1. Biologie
Creative Minds: Making a Miniature Colon in the Lab [NIH Director's Blog] Once complete, their reproduction will allow an unprecedented look at the colon in health and in disease. It will become possible to regrow cells obtained in biopsy samples from individual patients, pair them with microbes, and explore the effects of particular drugs or drug combinations.
Breast cancer’s spread may be influenced by circadian gene [Reuters] In mouse studies, researchers showed how having slightly different versions of gene called Arntl2 can aid the spread of cancer cells. When they analyzed the genes of breast cancer patients, they also found that at least one version of Arntl2 was indeed linked to how long the women survived disease-free.
	3.1 Tabac
Ever-Use and Curiosity About Cigarettes, Cigars, Smokeless Tobacco, and Electronic Cigarettes Among US Middle and High School Students, 2012–2014 [CDC] The proportion of US students who are never users and are not curious about cigarettes and cigars increased. However, many young people remain curious about tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
	5. Traitements
New triple therapy could boost treatment and prevent relapse in head and neck cancer [The Institute of Cancer Research] Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust found that treating human tumour cells, grown in the laboratory and in mice, with the CHK1 inhibitor CCT24474 and paclitaxel chemotherapy made them more susceptible to radiotherapy.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
Biotech School: How to Spot Hidden Danger Signs in Clinical Trial Data [The Street] Using Northwest Bio as an example, I'm going to teach you how to read clinical trial data to find red flags and bad stuff biotechs don't want you to see.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
The next checkpoints? Immuno-oncology upstart looks to find new ways to unleash T cells [EndPoints] Just don’t ask yet what his first new targets are. This is a hotly competitive field, and iOmx wants to maintain silence on its first programs as the CEO sorts through the first round of partnering interest.
German next-gen checkpoint inhibitor startup reels in €40M [FierceBiotech] The German startup is based on systematic screening of human tumor cells to find new targets and then analyze their mechanism of action. It is basing its research efforts on 6 immune-oncology targets. The idea is to create "organ-specific tumor evasion strategies" as the basis of next-gen cancer immunotherapy.
	5.2 Pharma
In Turnaround Saga, Ignyta Nears Crucial Phase in Cancer Drug Trial [Xconomy] If the results of what Lim calls Startrk-2 confirms the data from a prior clinical trial, in which 24 patients with different solid tumors showed a 79 percent response rate, Ignyta would likely seek FDA approval for entrectinib, its lead drug candidate.
Novartis announces positive top-line results from ASCEND-4, a Phase III trial of Zykadia® in untreated adult ALK+ NSCLC patients [Novartis] The multicenter, randomized trial (NCT01828099), which assessed the efficacy and safety of Zykadia (ceritinib) in previously untreated adult patients, met its primary endpoint, demonstrating clinically significant improvement in progression free survival (PFS) compared to standard chemotherapy, including maintenance.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA,...
Sarepta Wins Controversial FDA Approval for First DMD Drug [RAPS] That approval followed a contentious scientific disagreement inside of FDA pitting Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (who was in favor of approval) against Ellis Unger, director of the Office of Drug Evaluation.
The FDA Did The Right Thing By Approving a Novel Drug For A Disabling Disease [Forbes] This fretting about the role of advocacy groups is just plain wrong. Besides, as anyone who’s ever delved into the world of patient advocacy could tell you, there are opinions on all sides, for every disease and treatment option. Just like doctors, “advocates” have varied viewpoints. Patients’ perspectives do matter.
	5.6 ESMO
Precision medicine trial first of its kind to show benefit to patients [ESMO] Results from the trial, which took place at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in Paris, found that 199 out of 1110 patients with advanced cancer, who had their genes mapped and their treatment tailored, had around 30 per cent longer before their cancer started growing again compared to any of the previous therapies the patients had tried. This ranged from between five and 32 months.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Forging Collaborations to Spur Global Progress against Cancer [NCI] In addition to Australia, proteogenomics MOUs were signed with research institutions in Canada, Germany, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Switzerland. The United Nations General Assembly meetings also offered an opportunity to discuss other potential collaborations with health leaders from many countries.
	6.11 Patients
One dying patient taught me that doing nothing can be brave [The Guardian] I don’t remember learning much about end-of-life care at medical school. Or perhaps I didn’t pay much attention. After all, I went into this job to keep my patients alive.
	6.3 Associations/Fondations
New research effort taking the long view with Facebook founder’s $3 billion [STAT] DeRisi said the project will underwrite “the best, riskiest, most innovative work,” including exploratory efforts that might not be attractive to traditional funders, and to “fund people, not just projects.”
Sorry, Mark Zuckerberg. Your plan to put an end to disease is a sickeningly bad idea [The Telegraph] Steve Jobs, the original tech giant, understood this – even as he fought the cancer that eventually killed him. “No one wants to die,” he wrote, yet “death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”
The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative [In the Pipeline] Zuckerberg is quoted as saying “We have to be patient. This is hard stuff.” and I like that a lot more than Microsoft’s pronouncements the other day.
	6.7.1 Bioinformatique
Microsoft vows to “solve cancer” in a decade. Hubris ensues. [Respectful Insolence] Well, cancer is complicated. Microsoft will find out how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly complicated it is. I mean, you might think it’s complicated to trick people into upgrading to Windows 10, but that’s peanuts compared to cancer.
	6.9 Controverses
The NIH has shifted from being an investor in research to a consumer of research [Drug Monkey] NIH isn't investing in risky science. It is purchasing science once it looks like most of the real risk has been avoided.