Onco Actu du 9 janvier 2018

	1. Biologie
CRISPR hits a snag: Our immune systems may attack the treatment [STAT] But researchers not involved with the study said its findings, if substantiated, could be worked around. Many of the first planned CRISPR clinical trials, for example, involve removing cells from patients, fixing their DNA, and then returning them to patients. In that case, it’s possible that there will be few or no CRISPR proteins remaining for the immune system to detect.
How the immune system could stymie some CRISPR gene therapies [Nature] Researchers hoping to treat diseases caused by genetic mutations may have to seek alternative enzymes.
	2. Etiologie
Female Night Shift Workers May Have Increased Risk of Common Cancers [AACR] After stratifying the participants by location, Ma found that an increased risk of breast cancer was only found among female night shift workers in North America and Europe.
	3.1 Prévention - Tabac
Drugs, gums or patches won’t increase your chances of quitting [The Conversation] The US researchers followed two groups of people 2002/03 and 2010/11 and found at the end of the 12-month period, those using varenicline (sold in Australia as Champix), bupropion (Zyban), or nicotine-replacement therapy (gums, mints or patches) were no more likely to have quit smoking for 30 days or more than those who didn’t use these drugs.
India top court sets aside order canceling larger tobacco health warnings [Reuters] The court’s decision comes as a relief for health advocates and federal health ministry who say bigger health warnings deter tobacco consumption. More than 900,000 people die each year in India due to tobacco-related illnesses, the government estimates.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Could finding more cancer lead us to understand risk factors less? [HealthNewsReview] In short, Welch and Brawley firmly believe that screening should be based on rigorously tested evidence. In some cancers that evidence is clear, while for other cancers (‘scrutiny-dependent’ ones) the evidence is lacking. Media messages about cancer screening need to do a better job communicating that uncertainty.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
Improved blood stabilization should expand use of circulating tumor cell profiling [Mass. General Hospital] The team highlights the universal nature of this stabilization approach by pointing to its compatibility with the highly demanding microfluidic CTC-iChip device, which isolates tumor cells by rapid removal of blood cells, implying the potential impact of this work extends beyond cancer detection.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
500,000 Britons’ Genomes Will Be Public by 2020, Transforming Drug Research [MIT Technology Review] The joint project is not only big news for biomedical science, however. It also widens an already yawning gap between Britain and the U.S., whose own large population study is far behind. According to the National Institutes of Health, the million-person “AllofUs” study has recruited 10,000 people, but has not yet sequenced anyone’s DNA.
Drug Company Consortium To Sequence The Genes Of 500,000 Britons Over Next Two Years [Forbes] Regeneron will handle the sequencing, and AbbVie, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Biogen, and Pfizer will all contribute $10 million each to create the genetic data, which the pharmaceutical firms will have access to for a year before they make it available for free to any researcher who wants it.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
Scientists identify breast cancer patients who may develop incurable secondary cancers [EurekAlert!] By applying sophisticated mathematical models, researchers were able to analyse morphological changes of the lymph nodes and develop a score to predict an individual's risk of breast cancer spread. Of the patients whose lymph node status was known, 143 had cancer cells present in their lymph nodes and were therefore thought to have a higher risk of developing cancer in distant organs.
	5. Traitements
Last Month in Oncology with Dr. Bishal Gyawali: December 2017 [ecancernews] Why conduct post approval studies at all? - Biomarkers for PD-1 inhibitors - (Im)precision in precision oncology - New questions with Neoadjuvant therapy - Avastin is not for adjuvant - No GOLD in the Olympiad - Let me take a selfie.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Cracking Tumor Defiance [Harvard Medical School] Two research groups from Harvard Medical School based at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have independently discovered a genetic mechanism in cancer cells that influences whether they resist or respond to immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors.
‘Immunomap’ Suggests More is Better When it Comes to Immune Cell Receptors and Patients’ Response to Immunotherapy [Johns Hopkins] Schneck says some scientists have emphasized that response to immunotherapy is largely dependent on whether T-cells are infiltrating the tumor site, but his research suggests that while, “infiltration is important, it’s not enough to explain patients’ variable responses to immunotherapy drugs.”
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
Sanofi, Regeneron up the ante on PD-1 I/O program by a billion dollars [EndPoints] Sanofi and its partners at Regeneron are boosting their development budget for cemiplimab to a minimum of $1.65 billion — a cool billion dollars more than they had pencilled into their development agreement three years ago.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Significantly Improved Recurrence-Free Survival Compared to Placebo as Adjuvant Therapy in Patients with Stage 3 Resected High-Risk Melanoma (EORTC1325/KEYNOTE-054) [Merck] In accordance with the trial protocol, the study will continue in order to evaluate other key endpoints, including overall survival.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Exelixis and StemSynergy Enter into Exclusive Licensing Agreement for the Discovery and Development of Novel Anticancer Therapies [Exelixis] Exelixis will partner with StemSynergy to conduct preclinical and clinical studies with compounds from StemSynergy’s CK1α Activator Program.
Pfizer Establishes New Partnering Model for Early-Stage Academic Research [Pfizer] The model is designed to identify academic research projects that have the potential to deliver innovative therapeutic targets and mechanisms of action within Pfizer’s core areas of expertise. University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and University of Texas Southwestern are the first institutions to participate.
	5.2.2 Pharma - Fusions & Acquisitions
$11 billion biotech binge fuels forecasts of 2018 M&A surge [Reuters] For large drugmakers, as well as big biotech businesses like Gilead and Celgene, small and innovative upstarts are now a vital source of experimental drugs with which to top up in-house development pipelines.
Celgene's $7 Billion Purchase Is Great For Drug Inventors. Is It Great For Celgene? [Forbes] Why do investors want something better than that call option? They're worried about the eventual patent expiration for Revlimid, which is forecast to account for $8.1 billion of Celgene's $13 billion in annual sales for 2017.
	5.9.4 AACR - poumon
Fostering New Advances in Lung Cancer Research [Cancer Research Catalyst] The focus of this Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference is “Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic,” and attendees will hear about the most up-to-date advances across the spectrum of lung cancer research.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Acupuncture May Reduce Treatment-Related Joint Pain for Breast Cancer Patients [NCI] Roughly half of the study participants (110) received true acupuncture twice a week for 6 weeks, followed by once-a-week maintenance sessions for 6 more weeks. The other half were in one of two control groups: 59 received sham acupuncture on the same schedule as the true acupuncture group, and the remaining 57 received no treatment.