🧬 #ScienceSaturday ❓ Why does immunotherapy work so well for some cancers, but often fail in #glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain cancers? ➡️ A new study in @NatureCancer suggests the answer may depend less on how many DNA mutations a tumor has, and more on the tumor’s “cell state,” or what the cancer cells are actively doing. ➡️ Researchers studied 181 glioblastoma samples from patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade, a type of immunotherapy designed to help T cells recognize and attack cancer. ➡️ They found that glioblastomas in a mesenchymal, or MES, state were linked to better survival after immunotherapy. These tumors appeared more “immune-visible,” with higher levels of HLA class I, a signal that helps T cells recognize abnormal cells, and more T cell infiltration. ➡️ Surprisingly, #tumor mutational burden, a marker often used to predict immunotherapy response in other cancers, did not predict better outcomes in this glioblastoma group. ➡️ The study also revealed a possible escape route: after #immunotherapy, some tumors shifted away from the MES state toward non-MES states, which may make them less recognizable to the immune system and more resistant to treatment. 🧠 Why this matters: Glioblastoma has been extremely difficult to treat, and checkpoint immunotherapy has mostly been disappointing in this disease. This study suggests that future trials may need to look at a tumor’s RNA “activity pattern,” not just its #DNA mutations, to identify patients who may be more likely to benefit. ✨ Big takeaway: In glioblastoma, the tumor’s current “state of mind” may help predict whether immunotherapy can see it, attack it, and make a difference. Read more here: nature.com/articles/s43018-0… @Nature @DanaFarber @Harvard @harvardmed @MassGenBrigham @broadinstitute @IBMResearch @DanaFarberNews @EAChiocca @JackYGhannam

Right-Handedness Across primates, strong hand preference exists. However, a shared directional tilt toward the right does not exist. Roughly nine out of 10 people favor their right hand, a pattern so common it can feel almost invisible. No other primate species comes close to showing such a strong, consistent population-wide preference for right-handedness. #ScienceSaturday Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handed…

🧬 #ScienceSaturday ❓ What if a simple blood test could reveal that the lungs are becoming “cancer-friendly” years before #lung cancer is diagnosed? ➡️ In a new study published in @CellCellPress, researchers found a 14-protein signal in blood plasma that helped predict future lung cancer risk, sometimes more than 5 years before diagnosis. ➡️ These proteins were not just signs of an existing tumor. Instead, they seemed to reflect an inflamed lung environment, one that may help early cancer-prone cells survive and grow. ➡️ The team found that air #pollution, smoking-related inflammation, EGFR cancer-driving mutations, and a molecule called IL-1β could all raise parts of this protein signal. ➡️ They also studied a prevention trial involving canakinumab, a drug that blocks IL-1β. People with a high protein signature appeared more likely to benefit from this anti-inflammatory approach than people with a low signature. 🌟 This study suggests a future where cancer prevention could become more personalized: instead of treating everyone the same, doctors might use blood signals to identify who is most likely to benefit from prevention before #cancer fully develops. 🔗 Read the study: cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092… @CharlesSwanton @DrClareWeeden @TheMarkFdn @TheCrick @ucl @SwantonLab @uclcancer