Onco Actu du 23 mai 2017

	1. Biologie
Taking a Closer Look at Genetic Switches in Cancer [Caltech] New research shows how a protein controls blood cell production in leukemia.
	2. Etiologie
Erectile Dysfunction Medicines Do Not Cause Melanoma, Analysis of Large Studies Finds [NYU Langone] While the researchers found an overall 11 percent increase in the risk of developing melanoma among erection medication users, they found no evidence that erectile dysfunction medicines cause melanoma.
	3. Prévention
Ditch alcohol and take up gardening to prevent breast cancer, experts say [The Telegraph] The study - the largest in a decade - shows the lifestyle impact of diet, alcohol and exercise on the most common form of cancer in women.
	3.1 Tabac
Cigarette filters may increase lung cancer risk [Reuters] In a review of research on changes in lung cancer rates, and changes in the types of lung cancer that are most common, the study authors argue that tiny ventilation holes in virtually all cigarettes sold today are creating a new health risk.
	3.1.1 Tabac - e-cigs
How e-cigarette ads might sway teens to try tobacco products [Reuters] For the study, researchers showed a nationally representative sample of 10,751 U.S. teens advertisements for a wide variety of tobacco products including traditional cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes. Overall, the teens were more receptive to ads for e-cigarettes than other products and television ads were most likely to prompt brand recall.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
High blood platelet count 'as good a cancer predictor as a lump in the breast' [The Guardian] Writing in the British Journal of General Practice, Bailey and colleagues report how they examined data from almost 50,000 individuals aged 40 or over who had been given a blood test by their GP. The patients were selected at random from a national database.
	5. Traitements
Study offers guidance for targeting residual ovarian tumors [MIT News] Cima believes that the findings may also help to explain some of the preliminary results of a recent, large clinical trial in which doctors found that intraperitoneal cisplatin delivery was no more effective than intravenous chemotherapy alone.
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
Nektar pens sweetened Takeda cancer drugs deal [FierceBiotech] NKTR-214 is an experimental immuno-stimulatory therapy, designed to boost specific cancer-fighting CD8+ effector T cells and natural killer (NK) cells directly in the tumor micro-environment and increase expression of PD-1 (something already targeted by a number of marketed I-O meds) on these immune cells.
On a deal spree, Takeda partners up with Nektar on a slate of cancer R&D combo studies [EndPoints] “We see significant potential in Nektar’s unique CD122-biased agonist in particular the ability to stimulate tumor-killing T-cells in the tumor micro-environment itself,” said Phil Rowlands, head of the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit for Takeda.
	5.2 Pharma
Puma Biotech Shares Are Roaring On An FDA Review. Here's What Could Still Go Wrong [Forbes] The FDA brought up several issues in the documents that could be deal-killers.
FDA review raises some serious questions for Puma, but shares rocket up on positive notes [EndPoints] Not only did the FDA review, out this morning, raise pointed questions about the many changes that were made to Puma’s study for early-stage ERBB2-positive breast cancer, it also highlighted — as expected — the high rate of serious diarrhea experienced by patients in the study.
Puma Biotech shares jump after initial FDA review of cancer drug [Reuters] Puma Biotechnology Inc's experimental breast cancer drug neratinib appears to be effective, though there is some uncertainty as to the magnitude of the benefit, a preliminary review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
EMA to Launch Revamped EudraVigilance System to Monitor Adverse Events [RAPS] In preparation for the new system, EMA said it will support national competent authorities, MAHs and sponsors of clinical trials in the EEA through targeted e-learning and face-to-face trainings, webinars and information days.
Medicine Is Going Digital. The FDA Is Racing to Catch Up [Wired] The FDA is creating a new unit dedicated strictly to digital health. Patel will be hiring 13 engineers—software developers, AI experts, cloud computing whizzes—to prepare his agency to regulate a future in which health care is increasingly mediated by machines.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
UK’s first cancer fighting proton beam therapy system arrives in Wales [European Pharmaceutical Review] Proton Partners International is building a number of oncology centres across the UK named The Rutherford Cancer Centres and will install the same proton beam therapy system at its other centres which are under development in Northumberland, Reading and Liverpool.
	6.10 Politiques
UK political parties promise science funding boost [Nature] Researchers welcome pre-election promises to raise R&D, implying billions more for science.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
Trump budget proposes massive cuts to Medicaid, science, and biomedical funding [STAT] The National Cancer Institute would receive $4.47 billion, down 19 percent.
Trump budget takes aim at university grants to cover ‘indirect’ research costs [STAT] Capping indirect costs at 10 percent, should that come to pass, “would seriously handicap the American research enterprise, in addition to immediately producing layoffs of thousands of fairly well-paid positions,” said Dr. Ross McKinney, chief scientific officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Trump Seeks $3.6 Trillion in Cuts to Reshape Government [Bloomberg] Trump’s fiscal 2018 budget proposal has already been declared dead on arrival by many of his Republican allies in Congress.
	6.6 Publications
Project Cupcake: Designing a New Type of Journal Metric. [The Scholarly Kitchen] Having DOIs, supporting ORCID, being a member of OASPA may all be useful indicators of quality and good practice. While many publishers make at least some of this information available, it’s not aggregated anywhere and it’s not validated.