Leukemia

Researchers from The University of Osaka found that only a small subset of tumor-killing T cells undergoes extensive expansion during immunotherapy for multiple myeloma. By tracking individual cells, the team showed that the T-cell clones that later became dominant had already begun expanding shortly after the treatment started. The findings also suggest that highly proliferative immune cells show lower levels of exhaustion-related markers, offering new insights into why some patients respond better to immunotherapy.

Duke-NUS scientists investigated how an inherited genetic variation common among East Asians contributes to drug resistance in cancer cells, driving more aggressive cancer growth. The team trialled a precision therapy for this group by blocking the action of a protein called MCL-1, successfully killing many of the cancer cells in laboratory studies.