A Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center researcher is exploring new ways to improve treatment options for kidney cancer patients . With funding from a Department of Defense (DOD) Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators Early Career Scholar Award, Aguirre de Cubas, Ph.D.
, will investigate how the immune system can be boosted to detect and kill kidney tumors. Congress established the award in 2017 to support research with high potential impact and exceptional scientific merit. De Cubas' approach focuses on reactivating the immune system to recognize and target cancer cells better, offering new possibilities for improving existing therapies.
De Cubas studies renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer, which is often diagnosed at an advanced stage with poor prognosis. At diagnosis, 30% of patients have metastatic disease with a 5-year survival rate of only 12%. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been a game-changer in cancer treatment, working by "removing the brakes" from the immune system to help it attack tumors.
Unfortunately, response rates remain modest, with only about 1 in 5 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma experiencing lasting improvements. To improve the detection of cancer cells by the immune system, de Cubas uses an innovative tool: mitochondrial DNA, or the genetic material inside the tiny powerhouses of our cells. When mitochondria are damaged, they can release DNA fragments into the cytoplasm in a way that is remini.
