RWJBarnabas Health, Rutgers open $225M cancer center
Elizabeth Gregerson / beckershospitalreview - On June 22, West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health and New Brunswick, N.J.-based Rutgers Cancer Institute opened the Melchiorre Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. The cancer center cost $225 million, according to a …
AI Summary: Results presented at ASCO for daraxonrasib delivered practice‑changing evidence in pancreatic cancer, prompting clinicians to offer the drug off‑trial within weeks. The data generated excitement across conferences and clinical teams, fueling early adoption discussions and raising hopes for a tangible advance against a historically stubborn disease.
- ASCO shockwave: Daraxonrasib survival curve draws standing ovation (3)
- Competing KRAS strategies: zoldonrasib, HRS‑4642 and blood testing (4)
- Conference context: RAS momentum and expert reflections (5)
- Rapid off‑trial rollout and early patient access (4)
- All Other Stories
ASCO shockwave: Daraxonrasib survival curve draws standing ovation
Competing KRAS strategies: zoldonrasib, HRS‑4642 and blood testing
Conference context: RAS momentum and expert reflections
Rapid off‑trial rollout and early patient access
All Other Stories
FDA Approves Gilead’s Trodelvy, Alone and With Merck’s Keytruda, in First-Line Metastatic TNBC
oncodaily - Decision delivers the first ADC-based regimens for previously untreated triple-negative breast cancer across PD-L1 status, a PD-L1-positive Keytruda combination plus a monotherapy option for immunotherapy-ineligible patients. The U.S. Food and […]
AI Summary: The FDA approved sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) as both monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for first-line treatment of metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer, expanding options for a hard-to-treat population. Regulators cited clinical benefit in appropriate patients, reshaping treatment sequencing and payer discussions.
FDA Approves Datopotamab Deruxtecan-dlnk for Unresectable or Metastatic TNBC
esmo -
AI Summary: Regulators have approved datopotamab deruxtecan for patients with unresectable or metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer, offering a new targeted option where few exist. The decision follows trial evidence of meaningful anti‑tumor activity and expands the treatment toolkit for aggressive TNBC subtypes, with clinicians weighing sequencing and toxicity management.
Ashok Sebastian Komaranchath: Delighted to Speak at the 5th International Oncology Forum on 20–21 June 2026
oncodaily - Ashok Sebastian Komaranchath, Consultant Medical Oncology and Clinical Lead for Oncology Services at Burjeel Cancer Institute, Oman, shared on LinkedIn: “I was delighted to speak at the 5th International Oncology Forum […]
AI Summary: The FDA (and HHS) launched Operation TrialBlazer, an initiative to accelerate and modernize clinical development by streamlining trial design, data sharing and regulatory pathways. The program aims to reclaim trial competitiveness and reduce time‑to‑market, promising faster patient access — if stakeholders can agree on what “modernize” actually means.
Medical Journal Retracts Study Claiming Cancer Therapy Is More Effective When Given in the Morning
Rebecca Robbins / nytimes - In a notice flagging a series of problems with a clinical trial, the journal Nature Medicine said its editors “no longer have confidence in the integrity of the results.”
AI Summary: A high‑profile medical journal retracted a paper that claimed cancer immunotherapy is significantly more effective when administered in the morning. The reversal follows scrutiny over methods and data integrity, prompting clinicians to pause any scheduling changes until robust evidence actually materializes.
Bruce Levine: Ten-Year Outcomes Reinforce the Durability of CD19 CAR T-Cell Therapy
oncodaily - Bruce Levine, Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, shared a post on X: “NEW – Ten-Year Outcomes after CAR T-Cell Therapy for […]
AI Summary: Long‑term data reveal that CD19 CAR‑T therapy produces durable remissions in a subset of B‑cell lymphoma patients, with ten‑year outcomes reinforcing the treatment's long‑term benefit for some. The findings bolster CAR‑T’s curative potential while underscoring the need to identify who will enjoy durable responses.
Purdue Researchers Develop Next-Generation Automated Platform to Accelerate Drug Discovery – Purdue Institute for Cancer Research
oncodaily - Purdue Institute for Cancer Research shared a post on LinkedIn: “Purdue researchers, including Nicolás Morato and R. Graham Cooks, have developed a next-generation platform that integrates chemical synthesis, biological testing, […]
AI Summary: Purdue researchers unveiled an automated mass‑spectrometry platform that compresses key steps of small‑molecule drug discovery into a matter of hours, promising faster lead identification and screening. The system couples high‑throughput chemistry with rapid readouts to accelerate iteration cycles, potentially shrinking timelines and costs for early oncology drug development — welcome news for impatient scientists.
Deep learning–enabled discovery of antibiotics effective against Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Melis N. Anahtar, Jacqueline A. Valeri, Seyed Majed Modaresi, Aarti Krishnan, Nina M. Donghia, Saman / science - Science Translational Medicine, Volume 18, Issue 854, June 2026.
AI Summary: Researchers used deep‑learning screening of millions of compounds to identify two promising leads active against drug‑resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The AI‑driven approach accelerated hit discovery and produced chemical scaffolds now entering preclinical follow‑up, offering a potential new avenue in an area desperate for novel antibiotics.
Teclistamab Significantly Improves Survival Among Patients with Multiple Myeloma Who Previously Received One To Three Lines of Treatment
esmo - Findings from the MajesTEC-9 study
AI Summary: Clinical data show teclistamab significantly improves survival for patients with multiple myeloma after one to three prior therapies. Those results have ignited discussions about moving the bispecific antibody earlier in treatment algorithms and prompted labs and clinicians to reassess sequencing strategies across relapsed and refractory myeloma.
FDA approves Welireg with pembrolizumab for renal cell carcinoma
medicalxpress - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck's Welireg (belzutifan) in combination with pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph (Keytruda Qlex) for the adjuvant treatment of renal cell carcinoma in adults with a clear ce…
AI Summary: The FDA cleared Welireg (belzutifan) in combination with pembrolizumab for adjuvant treatment of renal cell carcinoma at high risk of recurrence after surgery. The approval expands belzutifan’s indications, offering a new post‑nephrectomy option intended to lower recurrence risk and reflecting regulators’ willingness to endorse targeted therapy combinations in kidney cancer.
Hibernation-like cooling after stroke may reduce brain damage
medicalxpress - Our body loves the state of homeostasis, where everything is in perfect equilibrium, from temperature to pH levels to fluid balance. As soon as the body's core temperature drops below 95°F (35°C) and stays there for a long time, the heart, nervous system …
AI Summary: Researchers report that inducing a hibernation-like state via drugs and controlled cooling can reduce brain damage after ischemic stroke in preclinical and early clinical work, limiting infarct size, dampening inflammation and improving functional outcomes. The approach shows translational potential but requires carefully designed trials to confirm safety and efficacy.
Rishabh Jain: What ALTAIR Teaches Us About ctDNA-Positive CRC
oncodaily - Rishabh Jain, Medical Oncologist at AIIMS, shared a post on X: “ctDNA-positive CRC after curative surgery sounds like the perfect place to intervene. But ALTAIR says: not so fast. Phase 3, double-blind […]
AI Summary: Coverage examines ALTAIR, a randomized phase‑3 trial testing post‑adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resected colorectal cancer who are ctDNA‑positive. Experts dissect trial design, endpoints and implications for ctDNA‑guided treatment decisions, debating whether circulating tumor DNA should steer adjuvant therapy or remain an elegant biomarker with stubborn practical hurdles.
E. Anders Kolb: Blood Cancer United Preserves Access to Luveltamab Tazevibulin for Children with AML
oncodaily - E. Anders Kolb, Chief Executive Officer of Blood Cancer United, shared a post on LinkedIn: “Today we announced a first‑of‑its‑kind intervention from a nonprofit. Blood Cancer United has stepped up […]
AI Summary: A nonprofit stepped into a supply crisis and purchased the remaining stock of an experimental agent to preserve access for children with acute myeloid leukemia. The emergency buy protects current patients from treatment interruption while stakeholders scramble for a durable manufacturing or regulatory fix, illustrating how charities sometimes act like pharma’s safety net.
Nvidia, Abridge collaborate to develop healthcare-specific AI model
fiercehealthcare - Chip giant Nvidia is working with startup Abridge to train a healthcare-specific artificial intelligence foundation model tailored to clinical conversations.
AI Summary: Abridge announced a string of commercial partnerships, including a collaboration with NVIDIA to develop a healthcare-specific generative AI model that understands clinical language and workflows. The deal aims to move Abridge beyond visit documentation into enterprise-grade AI tools for payers and life‑science partners — because apparently clinical notes needed more friends.
Ultrasensitive blood test predicts head and neck cancer relapse months earlier
medicalxpress - A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute has found that an ultrasensitive blood test called HPV-DeepSeek could help identify which people with HPV-associated head and neck cancer still had cancer cells in their bodies after …
AI Summary: Researchers validated an ultrasensitive HPV whole‑genome sequencing blood assay that detects minimal residual disease after surgery for HPV‑positive head and neck cancer, flagging relapse months before clinical signs. Early detection could enable earlier salvage therapy and closer surveillance, potentially changing follow‑up care and improving outcomes for this patient group.
First-Ever Dual Vaccine for Lassa Virus and Rabies Deemed Safe in Human Trial
discovermagazine - Learn more about Lassa virus, which continues to ravage parts of West Africa, and how combining a vaccine against it with rabies protection could address two major health concerns at once.
AI Summary: A first-in-human phase 1 trial of an adjuvanted, inactivated rabies virus–vectored Lassa vaccine met safety and tolerability endpoints in healthy adults, generating immune responses that support further development. The combined platform aims to protect against both Lassa fever and rabies, advancing toward larger trials and evaluation in regions where both diseases are endemic.
Apitegromab for lean mass preservation during tirzepatide-induced weight loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial
Richard E. Pratley / nature - Nature Medicine, Published online: 08 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04440-4In the phase 2 EMBRAZE study, participants receiving tirzepatide and apitegromab lost less lean mass compared to participants receiving tirzepatide and placebo.
AI Summary: A randomized, double‑blind phase 2 trial found apitegromab helped preserve lean mass in people losing weight on tirzepatide (a GLP‑1–class obesity medication). The drug reduced treatment‑associated muscle wasting without undermining weight loss, positioning apitegromab as a potential adjunct for patients worried about strength and frailty during aggressive metabolic therapy.
NRG-GY018 at ASCO 2026: Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Sustains Overall Survival Benefit in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
oncodaily - The NRG-GY018 trial returned to the ASCO 2026 stage with the question that matters more than any progression endpoint: do patients actually live longer? Presented by Ramez N. Eskander, MD […]
AI Summary: Updated results from the NRG‑GY018 trial show adding pembrolizumab to chemotherapy sustains an overall survival benefit in advanced endometrial cancer. The follow‑up confirms the durability of immunotherapy’s impact and supports integrating checkpoint inhibitors into standard regimens for eligible patients, potentially changing practice for a cancer type that’s long hungered for better systemic options.
Some tumors eliminate healthy neighboring cells to grow, study reveals
medicalxpress - Chromosomal instability is a common feature in many solid tumors and is associated with greater aggressiveness. For years, its main contribution to cancer was thought to be driving the evolution of tumor genomes, causing cells to gain chromosomes with gro…
AI Summary: Researchers found some tumors actively eliminate neighboring healthy cells to expand and thrive, revealing a brutal but precise survival strategy. Understanding the molecular signals that drive this local cell clearance exposes new therapeutic targets — flip the mechanism and you may stop tumors in their tracks, or at least make cancer's arrogance its downfall.
First AI-designed 'universal vaccine' tested in humans: UK researchers
medicalxpress - A vaccine targeting a broad range of viruses that was designed using artificial intelligence had a "modest" effect on immune systems in a small, early trial, according to a new study.
AI Summary: UK researchers have initiated the first human trial of a vaccine designed using artificial intelligence, aiming for broad protection beyond conventional strain-specific shots. Early-phase testing focuses on safety and immune responses, marking a novel fusion of machine learning and immunology that could speed vaccine design — if the algorithms behave.