mRNA vaccines alter immune response, not DNA, to combat diseases like cancer.

mRNA vaccines teach the immune system how to respond to a threat, using a molecule called messenger RNA.

A scientist successfully treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumor with lab-grown viruses.

COVID-19 vaccine breakthroughs are driving efforts toward a universal flu shot

mRNA and other technologies used for COVID-19 vaccines are being applied to influenza research. Scientists hope these advances will lead to a universal flu vaccine that protects against multiple strains and reduces the need for yearly shots.

What is cancer bioengineering?

While new treatments for cancer are under continuous development, researchers are increasingly using engineering principles to find wholly new strategies to combat the disease. Directions include nanoparticle drug delivery, advanced imaging tools, developing new materials to interact with cells, tissue engineering, robotic surgeries, and more. Such interdisciplinary efforts are expected to unlock new tools and therapies beyond traditional drug formulation.

Combining two cancer drugs increased the life space of mice by 30%

A study shows trametinib and rapamycin, two drugs used for cancer treatment in humans, increased mouse lifespan when used together. The medications delayed the onset of cancer and reduced chronic inflammation, results that will be explored in future research.

How medical robots could cure cancer

Medical robots are on the verge of being able to be injected into the body, where they will be responsible for semi-autonomous behavior, such as detecting cancer cells and distributing medication. This six-minute video dives into the science of these nanorobots, which are smaller than blood cells. Applications of these nanobots could range from disease discovery and condition monitoring to tissue repair and artificial blood delivery.

How personalized gene-editing saved a baby's life

KJ Muldoon had a 50% chance of surviving a genetic mutation until doctors developed a one-of-a-kind gene-editing therapy. In an interview with one of the researchers behind the treatment, learn what it will take to make personalized genetic medicine possible for everyone.

The basics behind mRNA vaccines

In this video, Yale experts Saad Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD; Onyema Ogbuagu, MBBCh; and Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, explain the science behind COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

Gene therapy treats a disease by editing the disease's underlying DNA, replacing it with a functional variant.

See how the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine's mRNA instructions teach your own cells to trigger an immune response against the coronavirus's spike protein.

A new type of immunotherapy focuses on healthy cells hijacked by tumors

Purdue University scientists are at work on a new cancer treatment that attacks immune system cells that feed and protect cancer cells rather than attacking them. The immunotherapy process promises to become a universal treatment for solid tumors. Thus far, the treatment has been tested and shown to work on human tumor cells in the laboratory and animal models.

Lung cancer advances are making a big difference

Lung cancer deaths are declining faster than new cases due to advances in treatment. The progress illustrates what is possible, even for a cancer that has long had a poor prognosis.

The difference between standard cancer treatments and emerging immunotherapies

If you've ever wondered what the difference was between immunotherapy and chemotherapy, this short video takes you through the steps. Briefly, chemotherapy attacks cancer in tumor cells directly, while immunotherapy encourages your immune system to fight it. There's more to it than that, but this delightful two-and-a-half-minute video provides a good primer.

Precision medicine, offering the right treatment at the right time for individuals, integrates genomics, data analytics, and AI to predict risks, personalize treatments, and improve patient outcomes.

What is immunotherapy and how does it work?

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that harnesses the body's immune system to combat cancer. This video explainer from the American Cancer Society discusses various types of immunotherapies and their roles in targeting cancer cells. Still a new and quickly evoliving field, immunotherapy represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment and offers new options for patients.

Advanced drugs are closing in on cancer's deadliest mutations

The protein KRAS, mutated in many cancers, was deemed ‘undruggable’. Now scientists are hoping to save lives with a batch of new compounds that target it.

Tumor genetic profiling can lead to targeted treatments

Genetic profiling of tumors—based on a sample from the tumor, a patient's blood, or both—can help clinicians determine if targeted therapies known to block the growth of certain types of tumors would be appropriate for specific patients.

Many cancers arise from genetic mutations inherited from your parents

These mutations may happen in response to environmental or lifestyle factors, or may be passed down through family members. Genetic testing can be important in catching certain family cancers early and ensuring patients receive the right treatment for their disease.

Frequently asked questions on immunotherapy

The Cancer Research Institute takes a close look at immunotherapy and its potential for treating cancer. Immunotherapy teaches the patient's own immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. It's especially promising as an alternative for cancers that resist chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Have all your questions about the process and its promise here.

Immunotherapy focuses on boosting the immune system to fight cancer

The immune system detects and destroys abnormal cells, curbing the growth of many cancers. Immunotherapy works to boost the body’s immune system to target and kill cancer cells. There are many ways to accomplish this, including adaptive cell therapy, checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies.

How is immunotherapy used to fight cancer?

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides a delightful Science Illustrated animation explaining PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy and how it fights cancer. Briefly, the treatment helps T-cells recognize cancerous cells that would ordinarily be "disguised" by proteins and attack. The fight is made more fair and effective by immunotherapy and similar cancer treatments.

Teaching immune cells to fight cancer

CAR T-cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy, which involves strengthening the immune system to attack cancer cells. Patient T cells, which manage immune responses and are responsible for killing pathogen-infected cells, are collected and re-engineered to produce surface-level proteins called chimeric antigen receptors. These CARs, now able to bind to specific proteins on cancer cell surfaces, are multiplied into the millions and infused back into the patient.

Gene therapy can occur inside the body, but it can also be completed outside the body—with scientists treating cells in the lab, and then those corrected cells are transplanted back into the body.

What are universal vaccines?

As viruses mutate and develop, vaccines have to adapt, leading to regular recommended injections like flu shots. Researchers are working to develop universal vaccines that aim to protect against multiple virus variants if not entire virus families. These vaccines work by creating broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that target aspects of viruses that don't typically mutate and are integral to the virus' survival.

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal, mutated cells that can spread throughout the body.

Scientists now know that Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose 'immortal' cancer cells were nonconsensually sampled and used for research, had been infected with human papillomavirus, a group of pathogens responsible for most cervical cancers.

A physician with a rare and deadly disease saved his own life by identifying an existing medication that he repurposed for his condition, and now he's using AI to try to do the same for other patients.

Turning nuclear waste into cancer medications

This video explores Terrapower, a company transforming nuclear waste into lifesaving cancer treatments. This is accomplished through the production and use of Actinium 225, a rare isotope derived from thorium, which is used in targeted alpha therapy to treat cancer.

Specific gut microbiome 'fingerprints' are associated with cancer recurrence, with up to 94% accuracy.

Roughly 1 in 5 cancers are caused by viruses

About 20% of cancers are caused by viruses, with seven specific oncoviruses causing between 10% and 15% of cancers worldwide. These include human papillomavirus and hepatitis B and C viruses, which can lead to diseases such as cervical and liver cancer. Understanding the mechanisms of these viruses is crucial for prevention and treatment strategies.

Can AI revolutionize cancer detection?

Scientists have developed a tool to evaluate the risk of lung cancer, the most deadly form of the disease. Named "Sybil," this AI program was trained using CT scans with clear cancer signs, followed by scans where cancer wasn’t obvious. The tool is able to review CT scan data to predict a patient's of developing a lung cancer within six years. See how it works here.

See how CAR-T cell therapy works to help fight cancer

Short for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, CAR-T Cell Therapy helps augment the body's own ability to attack cancer cells. It's a cell-based gene therapy that alters the genes in a person's T cells—which are a type of immune cell—to help them beat back cancerous growths.

The HPV vaccine reduces cervical cancer rates by about 90%.

See this list of FDA-approved gene therapies, including offerings for inherited conditions as well as some forms of cancer.

A snapshot of progress in cancer treatments

The American Association for Cancer Research's "Snapshot of a Year of Progress" offers an overview of significant advancements in cancer research and treatment over the past year. Take a quick look at the rapid pace of scientific discovery and the translation of research findings into clinical practice. In 2024 alone, health regulators approved 15 new anticancer therapies alone.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Explore the differences between healthy and cancerous cells using a DNA microarray

In this simulation, you will learn how scientists use microarrays to experiment on thousands of genes at the same time. By determining which genes are on or off, users can identify those that contribute to cancer formation.

At a 2026 cancer conference, news that a novel pancreatic cancer drug doubled survival times in clinical trials led to a standing ovation.

The seven viruses that cause human cancers

Certain viruses have been linked to the development of human cancers. These viruses account for up to 20% of cancers worldwide, causing cancer by interacting with host proteins, proliferating within weak immune systems, and commandeering susceptible human cells. Unlike other viruses, human tumor viruses don't kill host cells, allowing them to establish persistent infections. The seven viruses include the Epstein-Barr Virus, the Human Papillomaviruses, and more.

Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases.

Using deep learning to analyze tumors

The explosive growth of life sciences data is driving artificial intelligence methods to gain traction in biology and medicine — including cancer research.

Gene therapy, a hope of the Human Genome Project, has successfully treated a baby born with a rare urea cycle disorder that causes toxic ammonia level buildup.

Large animals like giraffes and elephants have evolved unique cancer defenses.

Genetic tests aren't always actionable, which is one reason genetic counselors are so vital

This podcast interview with a Harvard Medical School professor focused on cancer genetics and prevention discusses the specifics of genetic testing and insights and the challenges of processing the outcomes of the testing and what may be actionable—or not.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spurring new Ebola vaccine development for the Bundibugyo species.

In 2026, the FDA proposed a novel approach to expedite reviews of gene therapies for patients with rare genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, potentially bypassing the need for years-long clinical trials if approved.

CRISPR allows scientists to cut out and replace faulty or unwanted DNA, which can help treat genetic disorders, such as sickle cell disease, and create genetically modified organisms, such as allergen-free foods.

The immune system is in a constant fight to detect and eliminate cellular mutations.

Timeline of cancer research milestones

While cancer remains incurable, there's been so much progress in its treatment over the last two decades. Nature provides an abridged history of milestones and major triumphs in cancer research and treatment. Start in the year 2000, and see how much has changed in the first quarter of the new millennium

The 'Armamentarium' is a set of new gene therapy tools—including viruses that could shuttle therapies into the body—designed to fight brain diseases.