lymphoma

HHS Awards Recognize IRP Cancer Researchers

Long Careers at NIH Yield Groundbreaking Achievements

from left to right: Dr. Robert Yarchoan, Dr. Elaine Jaffe, and Dr. Louis Staudt

When you work at the National Institutes of Health, major advances in health and science can seem like a regular occurrence. Yet not all advances are created equal; some change entire paradigms for understanding and treating disease, even disarming a disease’s lethal effects.

This fall, three IRP senior investigators received Departmental Awards from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for their exceptional contributions to science: Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., Elaine S. Jaffe, M.D., and Robert Yarchoan, M.D. Dr. Staudt received the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for his revolutionary work on the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); Dr. Jaffe received the Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Service for her pioneering discoveries about lymphomas and blood cancers; and Dr. Yarchoan received the HHS Career Achievement Award for his role in developing the first effective drugs for AIDS and developing treatments for HIV-associated cancers.

New Lasker Scholars Are Coming for Cancer

IRP Program Supports Cutting-Edge Cancer Research

Dr. Rosa Nguyen

The cumulative years of experience among the IRP’s large cadre of cancer researchers is truly astounding, with numerous scientists having spent half a century or more studying the disease at NIH. As incredibly valuable as their hard-earned wisdom is to finding new treatments for cancer, any scientific field also benefits tremendously from a constant influx of young talent. That’s where the IRP’s Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program comes in.

The Lasker program identifies extremely promising early-career physician-scientists in a wide variety of fields and provides them with funding and resources to start their own independent labs at NIH. Over the past year, purely by coincidence, all of the Lasker Scholars selected happen to specialize in the study and treatment of cancer. Read on to learn more about the new ideas and bounding enthusiasm these fresh faces are bringing to NIH’s fight against the disease.

IRP Research Yields Life-Changing Treatments

Highlighting Drugs and Vaccines Stemming from NIH Discoveries

syringe and vials of medicine

On May 3, more than six decades of IRP research culminated in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving the world’s first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease that puts tens of thousands of Americans in the hospital each year and kills thousands. While the new vaccine, called Arexy, has been getting all the headlines recently, it is only the latest example of a slew of FDA-approved medications and vaccines that might never have existed without the tireless efforts of scientists at NIH.

Indeed, a recently published study led by Mark Rohrbaugh, Ph.D., J.D., a special advisor in the NIH Office of Science Policy, found that inventions developed at NIH have contributed to more FDA-approved products than those created at any other nonprofit research institution in the world over the past five decades. NIH tops the study’s list with 27 FDA-approved products, six more than the study attributed to the combined efforts of all the schools in the University of California system.

Dog Genome Yields Clues to Human Cancer

IRP Research Identifies Genetic Risk Factors for Highly Lethal Disease

flat-coated retriever

We may share our food and even our beds with them, but despite what many dog lovers might like to believe, our canine companions are not humans who just happen to walk on four legs. One thing we do have in common, though, is the array of genetic diseases that afflict both man and man’s best friend. As a result, scientists can learn a great deal about human illnesses by studying dogs. Using this approach, IRP researchers recently discovered genetic variants that likely play an important role in a rare and poorly understood form of cancer.

IRP’s Cynthia Dunbar Elected to National Academy of Medicine

Studies of Blood Stem Cells Stimulate Pioneering Therapeutic Approaches

Dr. Cynthia Dunbar

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), first established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences as the Institute of Medicine (IOM), is comprised of more than 2,000 elected members from around the world who provide scientific and policy guidance on important matters relating to human health. Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have not only made critical scientific discoveries but have also demonstrated a laudable commitment to public service.

IRP Distinguished Investigator Cynthia E. Dunbar, M.D., was elected to the NAM last year for her pioneering research into hematopoietic stem cells, the cells in bone marrow that develop into oxygen-carrying red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells, and clot-forming platelets. Her work has led to valuable insights into the production of those blood cells, called hematopoiesis, and its role in human health. Her discoveries have also resulted in new approaches to treat disease by improving stem cell functioning or manipulating stem cells with gene therapy.

Scientists Douse Fat Burning to Combat Cancer

Inhibiting Energy Production Pathway Delays Tumor Formation in Mice

fire truck driving by a birthday party

Despite the common misconception that sugary treats send kids bouncing off the walls, fat actually provides more than twice as much energy as sugar and other carbohydrates. This energy can be a double-edged sword, fueling not just healthy cells but also cancerous ones. A new IRP study in mice suggests that reducing the body’s ability to burn fat molecules for energy could slow the formation of tumors, potentially extending the lives of individuals with strong genetic predispositions to cancer.