Researchers at WashU Medicine shrink gastrointestinal tumors in mice using a yeast probiotic to deliver immunotherapy to the gut, offering a potentially novel strategy to target hard-to-reach gut cancers.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), BC Cancer, Harvard Medical School and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have pinpointed what could be the early genetic origins of breast cancer—cancer-like mutations appearing in the cells of healthy women.

In a new study, the international collaborators analyzed the genomes of more than 48,000 individual breast cells from women without cancer, using novel techniques for decoding the genes of single cells. While the vast majority of cells appeared normal, nearly all of the women harboured a small number of breast cells—about 3 per cent—that carried genetic alterations commonly associated with cancer.

The findings, published today in Nature Genetics, suggest that these rare genetic anomalies may represent some of the earliest steps in a series of events that could culminate in breast cancer development.

A new study by researchers from Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University and Purdue University presents their low cost, scalable methodology for the early identification of individuals at risk of developing dementia. While the condition remains incurable, there are a number of common risk factors that, if targeted and addressed, can potentially reduce the odds of developing dementia or slow the pace of cognitive decline.