Onco Actu du 5 octobre 2017

	1. Biologie
A Nobel for Cryo-EM [In the Pipeline] Every research program around the world with an interest in structural biology is paying close attention to the field – the Nobel for it is certainly deserved.
Three win Nobel Prize in chemistry for finding a way to peer deep into the molecules of life [STAT] Biologists hope that by actually seeing what their drugs have to target, they might develop more effective medications more quickly: a study last year, for instance, showed the atomic-level structure of an enzyme that, if disrupted, might fight cancer.
	3.3 Prévention - Vaccins
School vaccinations 'cut cervical cancer alerts by 41%' [BBC News] The number of young women in Scotland showing early signs of potential cervical cancer has dropped by 41% since a school vaccination programme was introduced, researchers have said.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
Why don’t more breast cancer patients receive genetic testing or genetic counseling? [Stanford Medicine] The cost isn’t the issue. Genetic screening that cost about $4,000 five years ago is now about $250 and is widely accessible, cancer geneticist Allison Kurian, MD, said in a recent interview. The “new bottleneck,” Kurian said, is doctors.
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
Amgen pens CytomX I-O pact with major biobucks promise [FierceBiotech] On the biobucks side, CytomX can look forward to $455 million for the EGFR program, and while Amgen will lead global sales activities, CytomX can opt into a profit share in the U.S. and receive tiered, double-digit royalties on net product sales outside of the U.S.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Startup Palleon has a sweet plan for cancer immunotherapy [FierceBiotech] The company isn’t giving away anything about specific targets other than to say it has three lead programs and certainly isn’t speculating about when it will be able to start clinical trials.
Palleon Lands $48M to Develop New Type of Checkpoint Cancer Drug [Xconomy] Palleon Pharmaceuticals is developing three antibodies that aim to reactivate immune system activity after having been tricked into passivity by glycans, sugar molecules present on tumor cells. If it sounds similar to other cancer research, it is.
	5.12.8 Immunothérapies - Economie
Peter Thiel and Sean Parker are financing a secretive cancer-fighting start-up, source says [CNBC] A stealth start-up called 3T Biosciences quietly raised more than $12 million from Sean Parker, Peter Thiel and others, according to a source familiar. The company is in the cancer immunotherapy space.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
MD Anderson and BridgeBio Pharma launch Navire Pharma to develop targeted therapy for patients with difficult-to-treat cancer [MD Anderson Cancer Center] SHP2, encoded by the PTPN11 gene, links growth factor signaling with the downstream RAS/ERK/MAPK pathway to regulate cell growth and division. Over-activity of this pathway, often driven by distinct gene mutations, causes or contributes to many human cancers. Inhibiting SHP2 offers a new approach to treat tumors relying on this pathway.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Most new cancer meds haven't proved they can improve or extend lives: study [FiercePharma] What’s more, in many situations where new meds did show benefits over existing therapies, those benefits were marginal, researchers from King’s College London and the London School of Economics said.
Majority of recent cancer drugs approved for use in UK show no survival benefits, study finds [The Telegraph] Researchers said patients were being given “false hope” by drugs which claimed major “breakthroughs” when there was no evidence they could increase survival or quality of life.
Over half of new cancer drugs 'show no benefits' for survival or wellbeing [The Guardian] The team found that after a follow-up period of between three to eight years, 49% of approved uses were linked to no clear sign of improvement in survival or quality of life. Where survival benefits were shown, the team said these were clinically meaningless in almost half of the cases.
Cancer drugs: high price, uncertain value [BMJ] A study published in The BMJ this week shows how most new cancer drugs are failing to deliver any clinically meaningful benefit. It’s time for Europe to raise the evidence bar before market approval.
Do cancer drugs improve survival or quality of life? [BMJ] You don’t need to know, according to our broken regulatory system.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Drug industry fails to win judicial review of new UK cost curbs [Reuters] The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) had sought to challenge the additional hurdle to drug uptake that was implemented by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) earlier this year.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Availability of robotic prostate cancer surgery could be a bigger draw for patients than quality of hospital [Cancer Research UK] The researchers behind the study say competition between hospitals has resulted in the closure of some hospitals and the adoption of robot-assisted surgery at others, even though such techniques aren’t proven to improve outcomes.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
California Bill Would Compel Drugmakers To Justify Price Hikes [NPR] Drugmakers have spent $16.8 million on lobbying since January 2015 to kill an array of drug legislation in California, according to data from the Secretary of State's Office. The industry has hired 45 lobbyists or firms to fight the price transparency bill alone.
	6.5 Médecines alternatives
Why a case report being circulated by advocates doesn’t show that the ketogenic diet combats cancer [Respectful Insolence] That this patient is alive now tells us nothing about whether the treatment used will prolong her life, and it certainly tells us nothing about whether everything larded onto the chemotherapy had anything to do whatsoever with her outcome.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
Countdown to launch of new EudraVigilance System [EMA] The new system will have enhanced features for the reporting and analysis of suspected adverse reactions to support a better safety monitoring of medicines and a more efficient reporting process for stakeholders.
IBM to Congress: Watson will transform health care, so keep your hands off our supercomputer [STAT] Now, as federal regulators prepare to weigh in on that issue, a STAT examination shows the lengths to which IBM has gone to shield its prized machine from government scrutiny.
	6.8 Communication
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: How do we end up pink-washed every October? [HealthNewsReview] Breast cancer doesn’t need a color. Nor a catchy slogan. Or ribbons of fabric. Breast cancer needs patients and doctors working together to make informed choices with the best information available. That’s medicine. Not marketing.