NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

A new DHODH inhibitor, HOSU-53, developed at The Ohio State University, will undergo a clinical trial for cancer treatment, targeting key cellular metabolic processes essential for cancer growth.

The National Institute on Aging awards $15.5 million to a team led by Cari Levy, MD, PhD, to increase nursing home residents' participation in clinical trials through the NEXT STEPs project. The initiative aims to build a research infrastructure, focusing on recruitment, methods, and training, to better understand and improve care for the elderly.

Dr. Gregg Gonsalves and Dr. Joshua Warren receive $3.5 million NIH grant to develop new methods for identifying and mitigating HIV outbreaks among drug users, focusing on temporal pattern-recognition, refined outbreak detection, and adaptive case-finding strategies. The project involves a multidisciplinary team and aims to integrate front-line responders' insights for practical interventions.

UC Davis and UCLA researchers developed four sarcoma models using mesenchymal stem cells, identifying potential therapeutic targets and possibly leading to new treatments. The models, created by manipulating oncogenes, offer insights into tumor development and metastasis, aiding in the search for more precise treatment options.

Adjuvant pembrolizumab nearly doubles cancer-free time in high-risk, muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients post-surgery compared to observation, according to a large clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found pembrolizumab effective regardless of PD-L1 status, with patients remaining cancer-free for a median of 29.6 months versus 14.2 months with observation. The trial, led by the National Institutes of Health, suggests pembrolizumab as an alternative to cisplatin-based chemotherapy for these patients.

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab nearly doubles cancer-free survival time in high-risk bladder cancer patients post-surgery, according to an NIH clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Both PD-L1-positive and PD-L1-negative patients benefited, suggesting PD-L1 status should not dictate treatment eligibility.

The CABINET phase III trial showed cabozantinib significantly improved median progression-free survival (PFS) in previously treated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), with 13.8 months for pNET and 8.4 months for epNET compared to 4.4 and 3.9 months for placebo, respectively. The results, presented at ESMO 2024 and published in NEJM, support cabozantinib as a potential new standard of care for advanced NET patients.

Suffian et al. found racial and ethnic disparities in food oral immunotherapy (FOIT) clinical trials, raising concerns about generalizability. They suggest addressing structural and social determinants of health to achieve health equity in FOIT research and practice.

The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) are criticized for inaccurately modeling human depression, leading to ineffective antidepressant development. Despite being deemed invalid for 15 years, these tests continue to be funded and published, despite evidence suggesting they are not reliable predictors of human responses to antidepressants. The UK and Australia have banned the FST, and the NIH is shifting towards non-animal-based research methods. An upcoming advisory council meeting could be pivotal in ending the use of these outdated tests.

Final results from the CABINET phase III trial show cabozantinib significantly improves median progression-free survival (PFS) in previously treated advanced neuroendocrine tumors (pNET and epNET), with PFS of 13.8 months vs 4.4 months for pNET and 8.4 months vs 3.9 months for epNET. The study also demonstrated benefits across all clinical subgroups and a safety profile consistent with previous findings, leading to an early unblinding of the trial and a supplemental new drug application for cabozantinib.