2023 Medicine and Science News

Damon Runyon launches new pediatric cancer fellowship in partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

06/08/2023

$9 million initiative addresses shortage of top young scientists entering pediatric cancer research careers.
St. Jude finds NLRP12 as a new drug target for infection, inflammation and hemolytic diseases

06/01/2023

NLRP12 bridges hemolysis, inflammation and multi-organ damage. Learn how this ‘on’ switch for innate immune cell death could be a drug target to prevent pathology.
Genetic change increased bird flu severity during U.S. spread

05/30/2023

Find how H5N1 avian influenza viruses increased disease-causing abilities & gained the capability to enter mammalian brains as they spread west across North America.
SWI/SNF complexes “bookmark” cell identity during division

05/24/2023

Read about how Scientists at St. Jude determined how the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex helps cancer cells remember how to be cancerous after division.
Epigenetic landscape modulates pioneer transcription factor binding

05/24/2023

St. Jude scientists are studying how pioneer transcription factors access tightly wound DNA. Learn about how their findings may impact therapeutic development.
Capturing transporter structure paves the way for drug development

05/23/2023

Learn how St. Jude scientists captured six new structures of the Spns2 transporter, providing insights to aid therapeutic design for cancer and other diseases.
St. Jude scientist M. Madan Babu elected to the Royal Society of London

05/10/2023

Director of the St. Jude Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery named a fellow of the 360-year-old British scientific organization.
St. Jude tool gets more out of multi-omics data

05/04/2023

NetBID2 finds hidden drivers by extracting more from multi-omics data. Learn how the computational tool can find druggable targets in cancer and other diseases.
Study shines light on impact of environment on neurocognitive outcomes

04/28/2023

Find how the neighborhood economic hardship index predicts baseline and long-term outcomes in pediatric brain tumor patients treated with radiation therapy.
Clinical trial improves neurocognitive outcomes for childhood craniopharyngioma

04/18/2023

Proton therapy for craniopharyngioma had better neurocognitive than & similar survival outcomes as historical photon therapy. Read the phase 2 clinical trial.
Prime editing shows proof of concept for treating sickle cell disease

04/17/2023

Genomic prime editing, a new DNA-changing technology, fixed sickle cell disease mutations in patient cells. Learn how it could lead to cure for genetic anemias.
St. Jude scientists to receive coveted awards at AACR annual meeting

04/11/2023

Two St. Jude investigators will receive awards at the 2023 AACR meeting. Learn about their careers & the science they & their St. Jude peers will be sharing.
Combination therapy overcomes BET inhibitor resistance

04/10/2023

St. Jude scientists found that combination of BET and GSK3 inhibitors can overcome treatment resistance in a type of childhood leukemia. Read about the study.
Healthy lifestyle associated with reduced mortality risk in childhood cancer survivors

04/05/2023

A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) provides strong evidence of the importance of a healthy lifestyle for adults who were treated for cancer as children
Humans vs. Bacteria: Differences in Ribosome Decoding Revealed

04/05/2023

St. Jude scientists found that human ribosomes decode mRNA slower but more accurately than bacteria. Read about the study’s implications for drug development.
St. Jude tool targets cancer-causing fusions’ weak spot

04/05/2023

Learn how St. Jude research cataloguing the oncogenic fusions in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) could lead to cures using genome editing (CRISPR-Cas9).
Greg Armstrong, M.D., MSCE, named Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

04/04/2023

National leader in the field of childhood cancer survivorship will spearhead research and advancements.
Method for improving seasonal flu vaccines also aids pandemic prediction

03/29/2023

Influenza (flu) vaccines and pandemic predictions can be improved; learn how St. Jude scientists found impactful hemagglutinin mutations contributing to both.
Integrated structural biology provides new clues for cystic fibrosis treatment

03/22/2023

Learn about how the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator works and how findings from St. Jude will help therapeutic development.
Kevin Krull, Ph.D., promoted to chair of the Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences

02/28/2023

The renamed department will investigate the biological mechanisms underlying the effects of catastrophic disease on the brain.
St. Jude approach prevents drug resistance and toxicity

02/27/2023

Explore how St. Jude scientists overcame drug resistance and drug toxicity, using X-ray crystallography to avoid the detoxification pregnane X receptor (PXR).
Octavio Ramilo, M.D., named chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

02/16/2023

Internationally renowned expert will focus on growing St. Jude into a global leader in infectious diseases research.
St. Jude expands patient education resource on childhood cancer

02/15/2023

This free online resource of information and education for families facing childhood and adolescent cancer has a truly global reach.
A molecular ticket to ride: St. Jude scientists capture the cellular train that enables transport in cilia

02/13/2023

Find out how Scientists at St. Jude solved the 3D structure of a cellular train in cilia, IFT-A, at nearly ten times the resolution of previous efforts.
Access matters: lack of resources is associated with increased mortality in childhood cancer survivors

02/10/2023

Find how increased mortality in childhood cancer survivors is independently associated with local resource deprivation and certain chronic health conditions.
Detect minor clones in blood cells: St. Jude looks deep to find source of accelerated aging in childhood cancer survivors

02/08/2023

Explore how deep sequencing childhood cancer survivors found the mutational fingerprint of a toxic chemotherapy associated with a marker of accelerated aging.
St. Jude scientists create more efficient CAR immunotherapies using a molecular anchor

02/02/2023

Discover how chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with a new anchor domain increased anti-cancer activity of cellular immunotherapies in cancer models.
Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, Ph.D. named 2022 AAAS Fellow

01/31/2023

Immunologist recognized for her achievements in innate immunity, developing new concepts in inflammasome biology, inflammatory cell death.
Catherine Corbin named chief business innovation officer at St. Jude

01/30/2023

Expert in human-centered design to lead new St. Jude department focused on advancing strategic plan.
St. Jude names leading researcher as new chair of oncology department

01/26/2023

Julie R. Park, M.D., to succeed longtime chair Ching-Hon Pui, M.D.
Pioneering approach advances study of CTCF protein in transcription biology

01/25/2023

Scientists at St. Jude used an innovative degradation system on CTCF, learning more about this protein’s role in transcription. Read about the findings.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital unveils 45,000-square-foot Family Commons

01/23/2023

Made possible by a $50 million donation from AbbVie, Family Commons is a space for patients and their families to relax and gather in between clinic appointments.
Structural insights reveal how SPOP protein contributes to cancer

01/23/2023

St. Jude scientists have captured the 3D structure of the SPOP protein, revealing how it contributes to cancer. Read about the implications for therapeutics.
Pharmacotyping of childhood leukemia provides a blueprint for ‘true precision medicine’

01/05/2023

St. Jude scientists performed the largest study yet examining drug sensitivity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia across genomic subtypes and its association with treatment response.