A Preclinical Orthotopic Model for Glioblastoma Multiforme that Represents Key Pathways Aberrant in Human Brain Cancer

Description of Technology:

Current therapies for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the highest grade malignant brain tumor, are mostly ineffective, and better preclinical model systems are needed to increase the successful translation of drug discovery efforts into the clinic. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed and characterized an orthotopic genetically engineered mouse (GEM)-derived model of GBM that closely recapitulates various human GBM subtypes and is useful for preclinical evaluation of candidate therapeutics.

Small Molecule Inhibitors of Histone Demethylases for Treating Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and Other Cancers

Description of Technology:

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma in children and makes up 3% of all childhood cancers. Aveloar Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most aggressive subtype and is primarily established through a chromosomal translocation resulting in the fusion protein PAX3-FOXO1. Despite aggressive therapy, the 5-year survival rate for patients with high risk or recurrent Fusion Positive RMS (FP-RMS) is low (~30% and ~17%, respectively). Therefore, new therapies targeting the PAX3-FOXO1 oncogenic driver are urgently needed.  

Reporter Assay for Detection and Quantitation of Replication-Competent Gammaretrovirus

Description of Technology:

Gammaretroviral vectors were the first viral gene-therapy vectors to enter clinical trials and remain in use. One potential hazard associated with the use of such vectors is the presence of replication-competent retroviruses (RCR) in the vector preparations – either as a result of: 1) recombination events between the plasmids used for vector production, 2) interactions between the plasmids and endogenous retroviral sequences in the packaging cell lines, or 3) as a result of contamination in the laboratory.

Use of Cucurbitacins and Withanolides for the Treatment of Cancer

Description of Technology:

Certain members of the cucurbitacin and Withanolide family have been identified that can sensitize some tumor cell lines to cell death (apoptosis) on subsequent exposure of the cells to pro-apoptotic receptor agonists (PARAS) of the TRAIL "death receptors". These PARAS include TRAIL itself, and agonist antibodies to two of its receptors death receptor-4 (DR4 or TRAIL-R1) and death receptor 5 (DR5, TRAIL-R2). 

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