PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Mass General Brigham researchers present key findings at ASCO

2025-05-30
(Press-News.org) Researchers from Mass General Brigham will present research discoveries and outcomes from clinical trials in cancer at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held May 30-June 3, in Chicago.

ASCO brings together leading experts in clinical oncology to share the latest breakthroughs in cancer research, science and medicine. Presentations from Mass General Brigham investigators include an update on the INCIPIENT trial (using CAR-T in patients with glioblastoma), advances in skin cancer and gynecologic cancer treatment, a new way to radiate multiple brain metastases at the same time, and an app created to help caregivers handle the psychosocial impacts of cancer treatment.

Below are a few highlights from this year’s presentations. All times are in Central Time (CT).

Psychosocial digital application for caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): A randomized controlled trial

When: Friday, May 30, 2025, 1:00-1:12 pm

Who: Jamie M. Jacobs, PhD, Mass General Hospital

What: This work will simultaneously be published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

Caregivers (i.e., relatives and friends) of patients undergoing HSCT struggle with considerable quality of life (QOL) impairments and psychological strain before, during and after HSCT. However, few interventions address the supportive care needs of these caregivers while prioritizing accessibility and scalability. The team assessed the efficacy of a self-guided digital application, called BMTCARE App, for improving HSCT caregivers' QOL, burden, mood symptoms, coping skills, and self-efficacy. The researchers conducted a single-center randomized trial of the BMT-CARE App for HSCT caregivers, compared with usual care. The team concluded that the BMT-CARE App, a psychosocial digital health intervention, led to substantial improvements in QOL, caregiving burden, depression and PTSD symptoms, and coping skills in caregivers of HSCT recipients.

 

Immunological correlates from phase I study of CARv3-TEAM-E in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM): INCIPIENT trial

When: Friday, May 30, 2025, 5:09-5:21 pm

Who: Bryan D. Choi, MD, PhD, Mass General Hospital

What: Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells for glioblastoma (GBM) have been limited by the challenge of targeting a single tumor antigen in a heterogeneous disease. To address this barrier, the team generated a novel engineered T-cell product (CARv3-TEAM-E) that targets the EGFRvIII antigen while also secreting T-cell-Engaging Antibody Molecules (TEAMs) against wild-type EGFR. The INCIPIENT clinical trial is a first-in-human study of CARv3-TEAM-E in patients with recurrent GBM (NCT05660369). Patients were treated with intraventricular CARv3-TEAM-E T cells (10E6 cells per infusion). The results found that CAR T cells were detected in the CSF of all patients for an average of 33.6 days (SD = 10.33). Granulocytes, NK cells, B cells, and monocytes appeared in the CSF immediately after infusion, decreasing to low levels over the course of several weeks.

 

Rapid Oral Abstract (2017) Session: Safety and tolerability of intraventricular CARv3-TEAM-E T cells following lymphodepleting chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma: INCIPIENT trial

When: Saturday, May 31, 2025, 3:42-3:48 pm

Who: Elizabeth R. Gerstner, MD, Mass General Hospital

What: CAR T therapy is a novel, promising approach in glioblastoma (GBM) but tumor heterogeneity can limit efficacy when a single antigen is targeted. The team designed a second-generation CAR T molecule that targets epidermal growth factor receptor vIII (EGFRvIII) and also secretes a T-cell–engaging antibody molecule (TEAM) against wild-type EGFR. In a phase 1, first-in-human study (INCIPIENT, NCT05660369), patients with recurrent GBM with EGFRvIII mutation and/or EGFR amplification were eligible to receive up to 6 intraventricular doses of 10x106 CAR T cells via Ommaya catheter after lymphodepleting chemotherapy (LDC) with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. The results found that CAR T manufacturing was successful for all patients.

 

Stereotactic radiation versus hippocampal avoidance whole brain radiation in patients with 5-20 brain metastases: A multicenter, phase 3 randomized trial

When: Sunday, June 1, 2025, 10:33-10:45 am

Who: Ayal A. Aizer, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

What: Radiation therapy forms the mainstay of management for patients with brain metastases. Published randomized trials have found improved quality of life with stereotactic radiation (SRS/SRT) over whole brain radiation (WBRT) in patients with ≤4 brain metastases; comparative trials in patients with >4 brain metastases are lacking. Accordingly, Dr. Aizer and team conducted a multicenter, phase 3 randomized trial comparing SRS/SRT to hippocampal avoidance WBRT (HA-WBRT) in patients with 5-20 brain metastases. The primary endpoint was the average of patient-reported symptom severity and interference in function over the first six months post-baseline relative to baseline. This trial found that patients with 5-20 brain metastases experience fewer symptoms and less interference in function after SRS/SRT as opposed to HA-WBRT, without compromise of survival, supporting SRS/SRT as the standard of care in this population.

 

Rapid Oral Abstract (5511) Session: Primary results of a phase 2 study of cisplatin-sensitized radiation therapy and pembrolizumab for unresectable vulvar cancer.

When: Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 8:12-8:18 am

Who: Oladapo O. Yeku, MD, PhD, Mass General Hospital

What: Locally advanced vulvar cancer is a rare but lethal disease more common in underserved populations. In contrast to other gynecologic cancers, the incidence and mortality of this disease has increased over the past decade. This research team hypothesized that immune checkpoint inhibitors could synergize with chemotherapy and improve outcomes for this disease.  In this single-arm phase II trial (NCT04430699) patients with primary unresectable, incompletely resected, recurrent, or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva undergoing radiation therapy (RT) were eligible. Of the 24 patients enrolled, twenty-two patients (92%) had primary unresectable disease and two (8%) had recurrent disease. All patients were treated with definitive intent RT. The team found that the study met its primary endpoint – concurrent treatment with chemoradiation and pembrolizumab improved overall response rate and 6-month recurrence free survival in vulvar cancer.

 

Randomized phase II study of neoadjuvant (neoadj) anti-PD-1 dostarlimab (D) vs. D + anti-TIM-3 cobolimab (C) in high-risk resectable melanoma (mel) (NEO-MEL-T): Primary analysis

When: Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 10:57-11:09 am

Who: Meghan Mooradian, MD, Mass General Hospital

What: This late-breaking abstract is embargoed until 7 am on June 3, 2025.

 

# # #

About Mass General Brigham

Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic health care system, uniting great minds to solve the hardest problems in medicine for our communities and the world. Mass General Brigham connects a full continuum of care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a nonprofit organization committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations with several Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals. For more information, please visit www.massgeneralbrigham.org.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Student researchers put UTA on national stage

2025-05-30
University of Texas at Arlington biochemistry major Debby Sunday showcased her research at a recent American Chemistry Society conference at East Texas A&M in Commerce. Her findings on photosynthesizers and bacteria earned second place in the undergraduate competition. “This was the first research conference I ever attended, and my experience was very educational,” said Sunday, a graduate of Lake Ridge High School in Mansfield. “Other chemists from across the metroplex presented their various research, from inorganic chemistry to physical chemistry to biochemistry. Not ...

Hertz Foundation and Breakthrough Energy partner to advance climate and energy solutions

2025-05-30
The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the nation’s most promising innovators in science and technology, and Breakthrough Energy Discovery, a Breakthrough Energy platform focused on pre-venture, early-stage clean technology, have announced a new partnership to advance transformative climate and energy solutions. This collaboration brings together two organizations with a shared commitment to advancing scientific innovation and supporting exceptional talent. By connecting Breakthrough Energy’s innovation platform with the Hertz Foundation’s renowned community of scientific leaders, the partnership will create new opportunities ...

New study reveals how tiny insects detect force

2025-05-30
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A newly published study in the Journal of Neurophysiology reveals how blow flies (Calliphora vicina)—despite their minimal body weight—reliably detect forces through specialized sensory organs in their legs. The research offers new insights into insect biomechanics and presents promising applications for the design of next-generation walking robots.  Researchers at Marshall University and West Virginia University examined the behavior of campaniform sensilla—strain-detecting ...

New 3D genome mapping technology sheds light on how plants regulate photosynthesis

2025-05-30
Chinese researchers have developed a groundbreaking technology that sheds light on how the three-dimensional (3D) organization of plant genomes influences gene expression—especially in photosynthesis. The research, which was led by Prof. XIAO Jun at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with BGI Research, was published in Science Advances on May 30.   The innovative method not only provides a more precise tool for understanding the intricate 3D interactions between genes, but also highlights the critical role of long-range chromatin interactions ...

Dinosaur eggshell study confirms biogenic origin of secondary eggshell units

2025-05-30
The calcitic layers of the eggshells of archosaurs (including crocodilians and birds) and turtles are composed of distinctive crystalline structures known as eggshell units. Those growing from the shell membrane are called primary eggshell units (PEUs), while those forming within the calcitic layer are called secondary eggshell units (SEUs). Although rare in modern bird eggs, SEUs are common in dinosaur eggs. Due to the lack of in-depth research on this structure, however, scientists are uncertain whether they are biogenic or abiogenic in origin. To tackle this issue, an international ...

Transforming immunotherapy design

2025-05-30
The University of Pittsburgh’s Natasa Miskov-Zivanov, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has received a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award of $581,503 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her project titled “Artificial Intelligence-Driven Framework for Efficient and Explainable Immunotherapy Design.” Through her novel approach and the development of an automated system that leverages AI and knowledge graphs to design more effective lymphocytes, she hopes to transform the ...

New book with a global view of men’s experiences with partner violence

2025-05-30
More than two decades ago, Denise Hines began investigating a topic most researchers wouldn’t touch: men as victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). She and collaborator Emily Douglas were the first in the U.S. to earn federal funding for this line of research, publishing studies that challenged entrenched gender assumptions and provoked debate in the field.  Their new book, The Routledge Handbook of Men’s Victimization in Intimate Relationships, offers the most thorough international synthesis ...

New research recovers evidence for lost mountains from Antarctica’s past

2025-05-30
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH – A new study led by University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh geologist Timothy Paulsen and University of Colorado Boulder thermochronologist Jeff Benowitz advances the understanding of the geologic history of Transantarctic Mountains bedrock, with implications for understanding the evolution of landscapes lying beneath the ice sheets covering Antarctica.  The team of researchers analyzed the chemistry of mineral grains commonly found in igneous rocks, like granite, from the Transantarctic Mountains. The research team includes other scientists from the University of Arizona, St. Louis University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Alaska ...

Scientists discover new evidence of intermediate-mass black holes

2025-05-30
In the world of black holes, there are generally three size categories: stellar-mass black holes (about five to 50 times the mass of the sun), supermassive black holes (millions to billions of times the mass of the sun), and intermediate-mass black holes with masses somewhere in between. While we know that intermediate-mass black holes should exist, little is known about their origins or characteristics—they are considered the rare “missing links” in black hole evolution. However, four new studies have ...

Predicting underwater landslides before they strike

2025-05-30
Below ocean wind farms, oil rigs and other offshore installations are mammoth networks of underwater structures, including pipelines, anchors, risers and cables, that are essential to harness the energy source. But much like terrestrial structures, these subsea constructions are also vulnerable to natural events, like submarine landslides, that can hamper the productivity of installations below the sea. Researchers at Texas A&M may now be able to accurately predict the occurrence of marine landslides using underwater site characterization data.  “One ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Endophytic fungi from halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum enhance maize growth and salt tolerance

Quality of kids’ diets linked with dad’s eating habits as a teen

Alliance trial shows dual immunotherapy improves progression-free survival in advanced squamous cell skin cancer

Insights from immunotherapy trial inform new approaches to treating advanced skin cancer

Genome breakthrough reveals secrets behind rapid growth and invasiveness of tropical vine Merremia boisiana

Transforming the certification process of 3D-printed critical components

UC Davis clinical trial shows biomarkers hold clue in treating aggressive prostate cancer

UT Health San Antonio researchers discover new links between heart disease and dementia

AADOCR announces new SCADA/Dentsply Sirona Research Award

Mass General Brigham researchers present key findings at ASCO

Student researchers put UTA on national stage

Hertz Foundation and Breakthrough Energy partner to advance climate and energy solutions

New study reveals how tiny insects detect force

New 3D genome mapping technology sheds light on how plants regulate photosynthesis

Dinosaur eggshell study confirms biogenic origin of secondary eggshell units

Transforming immunotherapy design

New book with a global view of men’s experiences with partner violence

New research recovers evidence for lost mountains from Antarctica’s past

Scientists discover new evidence of intermediate-mass black holes

Predicting underwater landslides before they strike

What will it take to reduce primary care doctor burnout?

Small currents, big impact: Satellite breakthrough reveals hidden ocean forces

Single-atom catalysts change spin state when boosted by a magnetic field

Integrated metasurface for quantum analog computation: A new scheme to phase reconstruction

PolyU research reveals rising soil nitrous acid emissions driven by climate change and fertilisation accelerate global ozone pollution

The EU should allow gene editing to make organic farming more sustainable, researchers say

At-home heart attacks and cardiac deaths on the rise since COVID-19 pandemic

Projected outcomes of removing fluoride from U.S. public water systems

Parental education, own education, and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults

Sacred moment experiences among internal medicine physicians

[Press-News.org] Mass General Brigham researchers present key findings at ASCO