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Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are developing new methods to investigate whether an antibiotic causes hair cell death and irreversible hearing loss in humans.

In a paper published recently in Developmental Cell, the researchers described how they discovered an autophagy pathway in hair cells that is connected to persistent hearing loss caused by aminoglycosides, a kind of antibiotic. In addition, the researchers created one of the first laboratory models resistant to aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss.

“This work identifies multiple potential therapeutic targets for preventing hearing loss caused by aminoglycosides,” said Bo Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery.

Ototoxicity–hearing loss caused by medication–is one of the humans’ main causes of hearing loss. More than 48 million people in the United States experience trouble hearing.

Aminoglycosides for nearly a century have been used to treat severe infections. Although the drug is a first-line treatment for life-threatening infections–particularly in developing countries–due to its low cost and low incidence of antibiotic resistance, it has been reported to cause hair cell death and subsequent permanent hearing loss among 20-47 per cent of patients, but the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Hair cells are responsible for sound reception in the inner ear.

Zhao, whose lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying hearing loss, used biochemical screening to identify proteins found in hair cells. They first discovered that aminoglycosides are bound to the protein RIPOR2, which is required for auditory perception.

“As aminoglycosides specifically trigger a rapid localization change of RIPOR2 in hair cells, we hypothesize that RIPOR2 is essential for aminoglycoside-induced hair cell death,” Zhao said.

The researchers developed a model in the lab that has normal hearing but significantly decreased RIPOR2 expression. Through these experiments, Zhao said the model had neither significant hair cell death nor hearing loss after treatment of aminoglycosides.

“We then discovered RIPOR2 regulates the autophagy pathway in hair cells. Knowing this, we developed other laboratory models without the expression of several key autophagy proteins that did not exhibit hair cell death or hearing loss when treated with the antibiotic,” said Jinan Li, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Zhao lab and first author of the paper.

According to the research’s authors, the proteins discovered in this study might be exploited as therapeutic targets in future studies to prevent aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss.

Also Read: American scientists find new Covid variant in Russian bats that can infect human beings

Three accused were granted bail by the Rouse Avenue court in the national capital for allegedly impersonating genuine candidates in order to assist them pass the NEET entrance exam for undergraduate medical degrees.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Deepak Kumar while granting bail to three accused in the case on Monday, also slammed CBI’s Investigation officer and said, “It appears that the investigation in the present case is being conducted at the whims and fancies of the IO (Investigating Officer) without any supervision by his superior officers.”

The court said,” till date, literally no investigation has been conducted from the actual candidates who had been impersonated by the co-accused persons in the present case FIR by appearing in NEET-UG Exam, 2022 on July 17.

Only investigation has been conducted on one Arshad Malik and Smriti Rai who were the actual candidates and Arvind Kumar Rai i.e. father of Smriti Rai who was supposed to appear in the NEET-UG Exam, 2022.”

The court further pointed out that “no investigation has been conducted qua the hawala operators as disclosed in the statement of accused Pappu Singh neither any effort has been made by the IO to locate/trace /seize the computer system from which he allegedly used to take the printouts of the morphed pictures sent to him by co-accused Sushil Ranjan.”

The ACMM while granting bail to three accused noted that, “Considering the aforesaid facts and circumstances including a period of judicial custody of the accused and grant of regular bail to co-accused persons, lapses as pointed above and also considering that the investigation is complete qua them as nothing is required to be recovered from them or at their instance. Therefore, no purpose would be served by keeping the accused/applicants in judicial custody any further.

Accordingly, instant applications seeking a grant of bail is allowed and applicants namely Sushil Ranjan, Pappu Singh and Uma Shankar Gupta are admitted to bail on their furnishing of personal bond in the sum of Rs 50,000 each with one surety.

Accused Uma Shankar was represented by advocate Hemant Shah in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in July busted a rigging racket during National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) 2022 for undergraduate medical courses conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) and arrested several members including the alleged kingpin from Delhi and Haryana. NEET UG-2022 was conducted on July 17 in offline mode.

According to CBI, one Sushil Ranjan, a resident of Delhi, Brij Mohan Singh, Pappu, Uma Shankar and several unidentified others, were involved in arranging solvers who will impersonate as real candidates in the said exam at several exam centres in Delhi and Haryana. The impersonators were to appear in the NEET UG Exam, 2022 in place of actual candidates and give the exam in lieu of large sums of money.

Also read: American scientists find new Covid variant in Russian bats that can infect human beings

A team of American scientists have found another Covid variant, namely Khosta-2, in Russian bats, which is capable of infecting humans. According to Senior Scientist of the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Pune, Dr Pragya Yadav there are no cases of human infection from the Khosta virus, so far.

“There are no cases of human infection with Khosta viruses have been reported yet. Seifert et al. reported that Khosta-2 could infect cells expressing human ACE2,” the Senior Scientist told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

“However, the probability of the Zoonotic spillover of the sarbecoviruses from animals to humans could not be denied like, it happened earlier with SARS-CoV-1 and 2 viruses,” she said further.

Dr Pragya Yadav further explained about Khosta-2 virus, “Khosta-2 virus is a SARS-like coronavirus belonging to the subgenus Sarbecovirus of the genus Betacoronavirus of the family Coronaviridae. The virus was identified in horseshoe bats from Russia.”

This virus which has been reported as vaccine restraint, Dr Pragya said, “In a recent study by Seifert et al., chimeric SARS-CoV-2-based spike with the RBD from the Khosta viruses have shown resistance to neutralization with SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific monoclonal antibody, Bamlanivimab and serum of individuals who received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Further studies would be required to determine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against Khosta-2 virus.”

On India’s preparedness to deal with the reemergence of such viral pathogens, she said, “As an apex virology institute, ICMR-National institute of Virology along with the wide network of Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) will be able to handle public health emergency situation related to the emergence or reemergence of any viral pathogen in India. We have already exhibited this strength in past as during the times of Zika, Nipah, and Monkeypox viruses, and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Also read: ‘India – pharmacy of the world’, health minister Mandaviya echoes PM Modi’s statement

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lay the groundwork for a modern 750-bed hospital in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.
Kutch Radiology and Imaging Centre is building the hospital (KRIC). Shah also placed the hospital’s foundation stone on Tuesday at 10.30 a.m. at the KRIC College Campus in Gandhinagar’s Kalol city.

The hospital is said to contain numerous contemporary facilities, such as an outpatient department, indoor facilities, X-ray, radiology, a laboratory, an operating theatre, obstetrics, ICU, and ultrasound.

The laying of the foundation stone of the hospital is part of various programmes of the Home Minister in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.

Shah offered prayers at ‘Rupal Vardayini Mata’ temple and inaugurated the newly-constructed ‘Golden Garbhagriha’ at 12 pm in Gujarat’s Rupal.

He attended an event on an underpass inaugurated by Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation around 12.25 pm.
He also laid down the foundation stone of the new building of Gujarat Technological University (GTU) around 3.30 pm in Lekawara.

Besides, the Home Minister offered prayers in the Mahakali temple of Ambode and laid the foundation stone of various works for the development of the temple by the holy ‘Yatradham Development Board’ at around 5 pm.

Shah also attended the Bhoomipujan of Martyrs Memorial and Library in a Primary School in Samau, in Gujarat’s Mansa later.

Also Read: Life expectancy tool may improve quality of life for dementia patients

India’s pharmaceutical exports climbed 146% between April and August 2022-23, compared to the same period in 2013-14, when the nation became the world’s pharmacy. In a tweet that included an infographic illustrating India’s pharmaceutical exports over the years, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated that the country’s medications were saving valuable lives around the world.

“PM Narendra Modi Ji rightly said, “India’s pharma industry is an asset not just for but the entire world.” Huge increase of 146 per cent in pharmaceutical products exports in April-August 2022-23 over same period in 2013-14,” the minister tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January while addressing the Davos Summit said that India was now a pharmacy to the world and is the third-largest pharma-producer in the world, adding that India saved crores of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic by supplying vaccines and essential medicines to many countries under ‘One Earth One Health’ vision.

“In this time of Corona, we have seen how India following the vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’ is saving crores of lives by giving essential medicines, vaccines to many countries,” PM Modi had said while delivering the ‘state of the world’ address virtually at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda.

‘India – pharmacy of the world’

Earlier, on Sunday, minister Mandaviya, in another tweet described how e-Rupi platform will play a crucial role in providing better healthcare to all in a more efficient and effective manner and enhance the ease of living for citizens.

e-RUPI is a digital solution launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a year ago to allow cashless payment solutions for various health care services, among others. The digital payment solution was developed with the support of DFS (Department of Financial Services) and NHA (National Health Authority) and is powered by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

This seamless one-time payment mechanism enables users to redeem the voucher without a card, digital payments app or internet banking access, at the merchants accepting UPI e-Prepaid Vouchers. The e-RUPI would be shared with the beneficiaries for a specific purpose or activity by organizations via SMS or QR code, as per the india.gov.in website.

This contactless e-RUPI is simple, safe, and secure since it keeps the beneficiaries’ information fully secret. Because the needed amount is already saved in the voucher, the entire transaction procedure is significantly faster and more trustworthy.

Also Read: Life expectancy tool may improve quality of life for dementia patients

On Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu will lay the groundwork for the National Institute of Virology in Bengaluru, according to Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

Mandaviya tweeted, “President Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji will lay the foundation stone of the National Institute of Virology at Bengaluru tomorrow. It will feature state-of-the-art facilities, undertake dedicated research on regional priority diseases & play a critical role in improving health outcomes.”

Last week, ANI reported that the government will start a network of regional BSL-3 labs to brace for future pandemics.
“At the time of any disease outbreak, it is important to step up quick surveillance and ensure timely diagnosis. The government of India is working towards developing four virology regional biosafety labs BSL- 3 and ICMR-NIV Pune will be steering the project and research work. These labs will work as regional labs and ICMR-NIV Pune will look after their research work,” official sources told ANI.

The centre lab will be at Jabalpur, the Northeast lab will be at Dibrugarh, the lab for the North will be at Mohali and for South in Bangalore.

“These labs will be physical labs and will be useful for future preparedness if any disease outbreak or Pandemic is reported in future as strengthening of lab infrastructure is crucial and will help spread and detection of virus faster. The project of these labs comes under the PM Ayushman Bharat Health infrastructure Mission (PM- ABHIM),” added the official sources.

Also Read: Life expectancy tool may improve quality of life for dementia patients

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Quality Council of India to reply to a petition asking it to explore developing a new national accreditation policy that assures all National Accreditation Board for Institutions (NABH) hospitals adhere to the best patient-to-doctor and patient-to-nurse ratios.

On the suit filed by the Indian Professional Nurses Association, a bench of Justices AS Bopanna and PS Narsimha issued notice to the Quality Council of India and others.

The Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) has filed a petition asking concerned authorities to consider developing a new national accreditation policy that ensures adherence to the best patient-to-doctor and patient-to-nurse ratios in all NABH hospitals and hospitals that apply for NABH accreditation, as well as to record the documents that it scrutinises before granting accreditation to hospitals, and to form a committee to monitor this.

The petition was submitted by Dhiraj Abraham Philip, an advocate-on-record, and was supported by Robin Raju, Deepa Joseph, and Blessan Mathews.

IPNA, who claimed to be a Non-Governmental registered body working for the welfare of the nurses across India, submitted that the instant petition was moved on knowing that National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) healthcare quality standards are basic standards for healthcare quality and patient safety does not assess the patient to doctor, patient, to nurse ratio.

“It is astounding to note that the respondent which is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India and is considered to be the apex national healthcare accreditation and quality improvement body, does not assess the patient-nurse ratio and it has no norms in that regard,” the petition said.

The petition further added that it is also imperative to note that the Respondent assesses if a hospital is complying with the patient-nurse ratio from the documents submitted by the hospitals.

As per the petition the quality Council of India was set up in 1997 by the Government of India jointly with the Indian industry as an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Department For Promotion Of Industry And Internal Trade and this Department comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The petitioner submitted that non-adherence to the best patient-to-doctor ratio and patient-to-nurse ratio causes immense physical and mental hardship to doctors and nurses presently employed in the NABH hospitals. The strict adherence of best nurses to patient and patient to doctor ratio is imperative in the current context of the new variant of Covid-19 and to avoid a situation akin to the second wave where doctors and nurses were overburdened and stressed out, the petition was submitted.

The petitioner requested that the court instruct Respondents to consider developing a new national accreditation policy that assures the best patient-to-doctor and patient-to-nurse ratios in all NABH hospitals and hospitals that apply for NABH certification.

The petition also asked the Respondent National Certification Board to make public the materials it reviews before awarding hospital accreditation.

The petition also requested that the Respondents form a committee to monitor the quality of patient treatment, patient safety, and patient satisfaction.

Also Read: IVF using frozen embryos may increase risk of high blood pressure

A dementia mortality prediction model may help doctors frame discussions with patients and families regarding end-of-life care alternatives such as at-home care and nursing facilities. Furthermore, the approach may help clinicians decide whether to continue routine cancer screening or withdraw drugs, such as insulin for Type 2 diabetes patients – measures that may cause more harm than good.

Researchers led by UC San Francisco followed 4,267 participants with probable dementia who were not residents of nursing homes in their study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine on September 26, 2022, and found that 81% of them had died by the end of the follow-up period. A prediction model was created based on a person’s age, gender, BMI, chronic conditions, smoking status, and ability to walk several blocks and engage in vigorous activity.

They also included the ability to perform daily living activities such as personal care, eating, and getting in and out of bed, as well as instrumental daily living activities such as meal preparation, grocery shopping, medication management, and money management. In approximately 75% of cases, the model correctly predicted who lived and who died over a 10-year period.

The participants, who were enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of adults over 50, had an average age of 82, 12% were Black, and 69% were female. A high accuracy algorithm determined their probable dementia diagnosis. The findings were validated in a separate group of people who took part in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

Model May Prompt Conversations About Financial Resources, Treatment Preferences of Dementia

According to the first author W. James Deardorff, MD, a geriatrician at UCSF and the San Francisco VA Health Care System, the prediction model can help guide discussions about what financial resources are required to support individuals with dementia.

“An estimate of an individual’s prognosis can be an important factor in financial planning for families, especially as many people with dementia require increased support at home and are eventually admitted to nursing homes,” he said, noting that previous studies have shown the average survival time from time of diagnosis to be between three and 12 years.

“Additionally, individuals with limited life expectancy may wish to focus on the quality of life and being comfortable, rather than trying to live as long as possible. This may lead them to forego certain interventions, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the event of a cardiac arrest. Information about an individual’s prognosis can help inform conversations about certain medical treatment preferences,” he said.

Older age, male sex, body mass index less than 18.5, former or current smoking status, chronic diseases, difficulty walking several blocks, and performing activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living are all associated with death.

Colonoscopies, Insulin May No Longer Make Sense

“An estimate of an individual’s prognosis can be an important factor in financial planning for families, especially because many people with dementia require increased support at home and are eventually admitted to nursing homes,” he said, noting that previous studies have shown the average survival time from time of diagnosis to be between three and 12 years.

Patients with Type 2 diabetes may be advised to reduce or discontinue insulin, according to senior author Sei Lee, MD, UCSF professor of geriatrics and senior scholar for the San Francisco VA Quality Scholars fellowship. “Tight glycemic control in younger patients reduces the risk of vision loss and kidney failure 10 years later.” However, in older patients, these benefits may not be realised, and the risks of low sugars caused by too much insulin can be severe.”

In addition to the death prediction model, the researchers developed a customised mortality risk calculator for dementia patients, which is available on the ePrognosis website.

Other mortality calculators and risk-versus-benefit cancer screening calculators are available, as are movies to assist clinicians in discussing life expectancy and treatment goals with patients.

Also Read: IVF using frozen embryos may increase risk of high blood pressure

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) utilising frozen embryos may be associated with a 74% greater risk of hypertensive problems in pregnancy, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association publication.

According to the study, pregnancies from fresh embryo transfers (transferring the fertilised egg immediately after IVF rather than a frozen, fertilised egg) and natural conception had a similar chance of having a hypertension disease.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterised by persistently high blood pressure that might risk the mother’s and fetus’s health and life. Preeclampsia affects around one out of every 25 pregnancies in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.

In one IVF treatment procedure, frozen embryos are used: after an egg is fertilised by sperm in the lab, it is frozen using a cryopreservation process before being thawed and delivered to the uterus at a later date. According to the study’s authors, the process is becoming more prevalent as a result of greatly enhanced freezing technology or cryopreservation methods that began in the late 2000s, as well as more patients opting to preserve embryos.

Frozen embryo transfer, on the other hand, has been associated to a higher risk of hypertensive problems in pregnancy than both normal conception and fresh embryo transfer. Prior to this study, it was uncertain whether this was related to the freezing method or a risk factor from the parents.

“Frozen embryo transfers are now increasingly common all over the world, and in the last few years, some doctors have begun skipping fresh embryo transfer to routinely freeze all embryos in their clinical practice, the so-called ‘freeze-all’ approach,” said Sindre H. Petersen, M.D., the study’s lead author and a PhD fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.

Researchers evaluated national data from Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish medical birth registries on roughly 2.4 million women aged 20 to 44 who had single births and gave birth between 1988 and 2015. These findings formed the basis of a population-based study that also included a sibling comparison of women who had both IVF and spontaneously conceived pregnancies. This approach was utilised to identify whether parental factors or IVF therapy were the potential causes of the hypertension problems.

Over 4.5 million pregnancies were included in the study, of which 4.4 million were naturally conceived; over 78,000 were fresh embryo transfers, and over 18,000 were frozen embryo transfers.

More than 33,000 pregnancies were grouped for sibling comparison among all pregnancies – mothers who conceived using more than one of these methods. The study is the largest sibling comparison study to date. The odds of developing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy after fresh vs. frozen embryo transfers were adjusted for factors such as birth year and mother’s age.

“In summary,” Petersen said, “most IVF pregnancies are healthy and uncomplicated.” “This study discovered that the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy was significantly higher after frozen embryo transfer compared to fresh embryo transfer or natural conception.”

* In the population analysis, women whose pregnancy was the result of a frozen embryo transfer were 74% more likely to develop hypertensive disorders in pregnancy than those who conceived naturally.

* Among women who had both a natural conception and a frozen embryo transfer IVF conception (the sibling comparison), the risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy after frozen embryo transfer was twice as high as in pregnancies without frozen embryo transfer.

* Pregnancies resulting from fresh embryo transfer were not associated with a higher risk of developing hypertensive disorders when compared to natural conception, neither at the population level nor in sibling comparisons.

“Our sibling comparisons show that the increased risk is not due to factors related to the parents, but rather to some IVF treatment factors,” Petersen said. “Future research should look into which aspects of the frozen embryo transfer process may influence the risk of hypertension during pregnancy.”

IVF and preeclampsia

Among other findings, women in the study who gave birth after IVF pregnancies were 34 years old on average for frozen embryo transfer, 33 years old for fresh embryo transfer, and 29 years old for natural conception. Preterm birth occurred in approximately 7% of babies conceived through frozen embryo transfer and 8% of babies conceived through fresh embryo transfer, compared to 5% of babies conceived naturally.

The researchers classified prenatal hypertension, eclampsia (the onset of convulsions in patients with preeclampsia), and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia as a composite outcome in addition to preeclampsia.

The study’s ability to determine which stage of the frozen cycle or frozen transfer may contribute to the elevated risk of hypertensive disorders was restricted by a lack of data on the type of frozen embryo cycle. Another issue is that the data from Scandinavian countries may limit the generalizability of the findings to persons in other countries.

“Our findings highlight the importance of carefully weighing all benefits and potential risks before freezing all embryos as a routine in clinical practice.” “A comprehensive, personalised discussion between physicians and patients about the benefits and risks of fresh vs. frozen embryo transfer is critical,” Petersen said.

Also Read: Study finds how immune cells function in patients with chemotherapy-resistant breast cancers

The researchers identified immune cell types that could be targeted to develop specialised immunotherapies in chemotherapy-resistant breast tumours.

Researchers from King’s College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, with funding from Breast Cancer Now, investigated the distinct immunological markers found in tumour tissues and blood samples from early breast cancer patients whose cancer did not respond to chemotherapy before surgery. The study, which was published today in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, sheds light on how immune cells behave in patients with chemotherapy-resistant breast cancer.

While chemotherapy may not eliminate cancer cells in these high-risk patients, immunotherapy, which aids the immune system in attacking cancer cells, may be beneficial.

Researchers used several and unique complementary technologies to examine at proteins and genes on both pre-treatment and post-treatment breast cancer tissue to investigate the immunological milieu that surrounds these chemotherapy-resistant tumours. They also looked at how chemotherapy altered 1,330 cancer and immune-related genes in cancer tissues.

They discovered that chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells were surrounded by very few immune cells, although chemotherapy did cause alterations in several immune cell types. They discovered an increase in the number of “innate” (first responder) cells such neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells in particular. NK cells aid the body in its battle against infection and cancer. However, the study discovered that the enhanced NK cells in chemotherapy-resistant patients lacked cytotoxic function – the ‘killing instinct.’

Researchers also discovered that immune-related genes linked to NK cells were linked to cell inhibition or exhaustion, implying that NK cells were unable to combat cancer cells. This new understanding of NK cell behaviour could be leveraged to build targeted immunotherapies for these high-risk patients. Future clinical trials would need to look into this.

These findings also suggest that blood monitoring throughout chemotherapy may aid in early prediction of chemotherapy response, thus allowing for treatment modification prior to surgery.

Lead author Dr Sheeba Irshad, Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist at King’s College London said: “Chemotherapy resistance in aggressive early breast cancers is a major reason why cancer regrows after treatment, contributing significantly to people not surviving their disease. In order to find the right targets for drug developments, it’s important to have a deep understanding of the complex mechanisms that allow some cancer cells to resist treatment, then hide from our immune system to only re-emerge later when they’re harder to eradicate.”

“Our work has identified several cell types that would be worth investigating further to understand how they are interacting with the resistant cancer cell and how we can tweak that for our benefit. I am excited to continue to investigate these findings further.”

Professor Andrew Tutt, Director of the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and of the Breast Cancer Now Research Unit at King’s College London, said: “Great strides have been made in harnessing immunotherapies to treat several types of cancer, but we need to do better to realise their potential for patients with breast cancer.

“This exciting work advances our understanding of the interaction between cancer cells and the immune system during treatment, and why existing treatments work well for some patients, but not others. I hope this research will help us to enhance the anti-cancer immune response in breast cancer, particularly for patients whose cancer has not responded well to chemotherapy.”

Advances in Breast Cancer Treatment

Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, Senior Research Communications Manager at Breast Cancer Now, said: “With an estimated 35,000 people living with incurable secondary (metastatic) breast cancer in the UK, it’s vital we develop smarter, more effective treatments to ensure fewer people hear the devastating news the disease has returned and spread to other parts of the body.

This exciting early-stage research, which has been part-funded by Breast Cancer Now, helps to lay the groundwork for discovering a way to target breast cancer cells that resist chemotherapy treatment. We hope by building on these findings, scientists will ultimately be able to develop immunotherapy treatments that may help more people survive breast cancer.”

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