Latest Research
All publications from the Cancer3.AI database, newest first.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence Algorithms in Challenging Diagnostic Cases - Between Potential and Real Clinical Support.
Doligalska-Dolina A, et al
This study evaluated eight publicly accessible AI-powered symptom assessment platforms for their ability to correctly identify extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), a rare and aggressive Epstein-Barr virus-associated cancer of the nasal cavity that is frequently misdiagnosed as an infectious condition. Researchers entered anonymized clinical data from a real 26-year-old male patient with confirmed ENKTL into each platform at both early and advanced stages of disease, analyzing the quality and accuracy of the diagnostic outputs. Six of the eight platforms produced differential diagnoses consistent with the clinical picture, with early-stage inputs predominantly triggering infectious diagnoses such as peritonsillar abscess, while advanced-stage data led platforms including Doctronic and Symptomate to explicitly suggest lymphoma. The AI tools demonstrated notably increased oncologic vigilance when Epstein-Barr virus laboratory results were included, underscoring how the completeness of clinical data directly shapes AI diagnostic performance. These findings suggest that AI diagnostic platforms can serve as valuable supplementary tools for clinicians confronting rare and diagnostically complex cases, helping to broaden differential thinking and prompt appropriate investigations such as biopsies and imaging. However, the authors caution that AI cannot replace trained clinical judgment, and that further rigorous validation is essential before these tools can be reliably embedded in routine medical practice.
Otolaryngologia polska = The Polish otolaryngology
Source →Active Rac1-Mediated Bone Marrow Retention Enhances CD33 CAR-T Cell Efficacy Against CD33+ Leukemia Cells.
Wang S, et al
Researchers investigated a new strategy to improve CAR-T cell therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by engineering immune cells to better penetrate and persist within the bone marrow, where leukemia cells often hide and resist treatment. The team modified human T cells carrying a CD33-targeting CAR construct to express a constantly active form of a protein called Rac1 (Rac1V12), which controls how cells move and extend their membranes. In laboratory and animal experiments, these engineered CAR-T cells migrated more effectively into the bone marrow, killed leukemia cells more efficiently, and significantly extended survival in mouse models of AML compared to standard CAR-T cells. Mechanistically, the Rac1-activated CAR-T cells showed a stronger memory immune profile and reduced tonic signaling in the bone marrow, two features that help T cells persist longer and fight tumors more effectively. These findings suggest that harnessing active Rac1 signaling could be a promising new approach to making CAR-T therapies more effective against AML, a disease with notoriously high relapse rates.
FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Source →In Vitro Evaluation of PARP1 Inhibitor Olaparib-Cyanine Dye Conjugate for the Treatment of Glioblastoma.
Dumo C, et al
Researchers have developed and tested a novel molecular conjugate that links olaparib — a clinically approved PARP1 enzyme inhibitor used in breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers — with a heptamethine cyanine dye known for its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), aiming to extend DNA-damage-repair inhibition therapy to glioblastoma, one of the most lethal and difficult-to-treat brain tumors. Currently, PARP1 inhibitors kill cancer cells by blocking their ability to repair damaged DNA, but strict structural requirements have prevented these drugs from penetrating the BBB and reaching brain tumors. In laboratory (in vitro) experiments, the new conjugate was successfully taken up by glioblastoma cells and demonstrated measurable inhibition of PARP1 enzyme activity inside those cells. Importantly, the conjugate exhibited greater cancer-cell-killing potency than olaparib alone, providing proof-of-concept evidence that attaching olaparib to a BBB-crossing carrier molecule can both deliver the drug to the brain and enhance its effectiveness. These findings represent a meaningful step toward developing PARP1-targeted therapies for glioblastoma patients, who currently have very limited treatment options.
ChemMedChem
Source →Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Indolin-2-One-Matrine Derivatives as Potential VEGFR-2-Targeting Agents for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Wang Z, et al
Researchers designed and synthesized a novel series of hybrid molecules that combine two pharmacologically active scaffolds — indolinone and matrine — with the goal of blocking VEGFR-2, a receptor tyrosine kinase that drives the formation of new blood vessels feeding liver tumors. The lead compound, designated J9, demonstrated potent antiproliferative activity against three human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, with IC50 values of 5.81, 2.14, and 3.03 μM, while showing substantially lower toxicity in two normal human cell lines, suggesting a favorable therapeutic window. In HuH7 liver cancer cells, J9 halted the cell cycle at the G1 phase, suppressed colony formation and cell migration, and triggered caspase-dependent programmed cell death, effects confirmed by elevated levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP on Western blot. J9 also directly inhibited purified VEGFR-2 kinase in a biochemical assay with an IC50 of 253.51 nM, and molecular docking combined with molecular dynamics simulations confirmed stable binding within the enzyme's ATP-binding pocket. These findings are clinically relevant because approved VEGFR-2 inhibitors for HCC, such as sorafenib, are increasingly limited by acquired drug resistance and systemic toxicity, making J9 a promising new chemical scaffold worthy of further preclinical development.
ChemMedChem
Source →Antiproliferative Activity and Acute Toxicity of α,β-Bis(diphenylphosphine Oxide)ethanes Obtained by Bisphosphorylation of Acetylenes: Electrosynthesis Under Mild Conditions Versus Improved Superbasic Medium Synthesis.
Tarasov MV, et al
Researchers synthesized a series of new phosphorus-containing compounds called bis(diphenylphosphine oxide)ethanes and evaluated their cancer-killing potential against multiple human tumor cell lines, including cervical, breast, intestinal, and lung cancers, alongside healthy cells to assess selectivity. The most potent compounds achieved IC50 values of 1.4 to 3.9 micromolar against cervical cancer cells, making them 9 to 25 times more effective than sorafenib, a widely used approved cancer drug. Two lead compounds, 3g and 3d, showed preferential toxicity toward cancer cells compared to normal liver cells, indicating a potentially safer therapeutic profile for future drug development. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that both compounds trigger cancer cell death through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M checkpoint independently of the p53 tumor suppressor protein, and disrupt microtubule assembly by reducing levels of tubulin polymerization-promoting protein. Compound 3d additionally inhibited cyclin-dependent kinase 2, a key enzyme controlling cell division, revealing a multi-target mode of action. These findings establish bis(diphenylphosphine oxide) derivatives as a chemically tractable and biologically promising scaffold worthy of further development as novel anticancer therapeutics.
ChemMedChem
Source →