Cancer Research:Viral gene therapy eradicates prostate cancer ♦ 80% of cervical cancers preventable ♦ Comprehensively identify anti-cancer drug targets

Discovery accelerates targeted cancer treatment When DNA is damaged, several different proteins start pouring in to repair the damage; their types depend on the damage done. Up until now, it has been common practice to study one protein at a time, but by way of so-called mass spectrometry, researchers are now able to simultaneously see all the proteins that help repair damaged DNA.

80% of cervical cancers preventable with latest 9-valent HPV vaccine The new 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine, can potentially prevent 80 percent of cervical cancers in the United States, if given to all 11- or 12-year-old children before they are exposed to the virus. The study also found the 9-Valent vaccine, under the trademark of Gardasil-9, has the potential to protect against an additional 8 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, which include the base of the tongue and tonsils.

Study links father's age, baby's risk of blood cancer as an adult The proportion of parents who delay having children until age 35 or older continues to increase, but the long-term health consequences for these children are still emerging. A father's age at his infant's birth is linked to the risk that his child will develop blood and immune system cancers as an adult.

Using CRISPR, biologists find a way to comprehensively identify anti-cancer drug targets Imagine having a complete catalog of the best drug targets to hit in a deadly form of cancer. Imagine having a master catalog of such targets for all major cancers. Scientists have now published a method of doing precisely this, using the revolutionary gene-editing technology called CRISPR.

Advanced viral gene therapy eradicates prostate cancer in preclinical experiments Even with the best available treatments, the median survival of patients with metastatic, hormone refractory prostate cancer is only two to three years. Driven by the need for more effective therapies for these patients, researchers have developed a unique approach that uses microscopic gas bubbles to deliver directly to the cancer a viral gene therapy in combination with an experimental drug that targets a specific gene driving the cancer's growth