A promising new development in cancer research could change how doctors fight melanoma, one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer. Moderna and Merck recently announced encouraging results from a Phase 3 clinical trial testing a personalized mRNA treatment designed to help prevent melanoma from returning or spreading after surgery. The treatment uses genetic information from an individual patient’s tumor to create a customized vaccine that trains the immune system to recognize and target cancer cells. The results mark an important milestone for the field of personalized cancer vaccines, with researchers now exploring whether this approach could be applied to other types of cancer. 

For Philly Fights Cancer, breakthroughs like this demonstrate the importance of investing in research and clinical trials that can translate scientific discoveries into new possibilities for patients. Our mission is rooted in supporting groundbreaking work at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, where researchers and clinicians are advancing innovative approaches to cancer treatment and care. Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, director of the Abramson Cancer Center, has shared his perspective on the significance of these findings and what they could mean for the future of cancer vaccines. Read more from Dr. Vonderheide and explore the full story at the link. 

Researchers at Penn Medicine and Penn Dental Medicine are exploring a promising new approach to treating oral squamous cell carcinoma, the most common form of head and neck cancer. The multidisciplinary team has developed a lipid nanoparticle-based treatment designed to deliver two cancer-fighting therapies at once. By combining p53, a protein that helps suppress tumor growth, with the FDA-approved antifungal drug ciclopirox, researchers hope to attack cancer cells while also strengthening the immune system’s ability to recognize and fight them. In preclinical models, the treatment reduced tumor growth and improved survival, offering encouraging evidence for a new approach to treating aggressive oral cancers. 

Research like this is at the heart of what Philly Fights Cancer supports: advancing innovative science and helping move promising discoveries closer to the patients who need them. By bringing together experts across cancer research, medicine, dentistry, and engineering, Penn researchers are exploring new ways to make cancer treatment more targeted and effective. Every breakthrough begins with the willingness to ask new questions—and support the research that could turn those discoveries into tomorrow’s treatments. 

Read the full Penn Today Article Here.

A groundbreaking study from researchers at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is offering new hope for patients with B-cell lymphoma. A long-term follow-up of one of the earliest clinical trials of CAR T cell therapy found that, after a median of 10 years, more than one-third of patients with large B-cell lymphoma and nearly half of patients with follicular lymphoma remained alive without a relapse following a single infusion of the personalized treatment. These findings provide some of the strongest evidence to date that CAR T cell therapy may lead to lasting remissions — and, for some patients, could represent a potential cure.  

Breakthroughs like this remind us why advancing cancer research remains so critical. By supporting innovation in cancer science and the researchers, physicians, and institutions leading the way, we help move discoveries from the laboratory into lifesaving treatments for patients and families. CAR T cell therapy is a powerful example of what’s possible when science, collaboration, and investment come together — transforming a patient’s own immune cells into a tool to fight cancer. While there is still more work to be done to make these therapies accessible to more people, each milestone brings us closer to a future where more cancers can be treated, controlled, and cured. Check out the Penn Today article to read more about the research being done at Abramson Cancer Center! 

Read the full Penn Today Article Here: CAR T cell therapy leads to 10-year remissions in B-cell lymphoma patients | Penn Today 

The implications of this research are significant, with the potential to accelerate the discovery of targeted therapies and better understand why some cancers become resistant to treatment. By bringing CRISPR tools closer to clinical application, this platform could one day help physicians tailor treatments based on each patient’s unique cancer biology. Philly Fights Cancer is proud to support this groundbreaking innovation, advancing research that moves us closer to more precise, effective cancer care. Read more about these exciting advancements in Penn Medicine News. 

At Philly Fights Cancer, we’re proud to support groundbreaking discoveries happening at the University of Pennsylvania — and sometimes innovation comes with four legs and a powerful nose. Researchers at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Cynthia M. Otto and Clara Wilson, have shown that trained dogs can detect hemangiosarcoma — a fast-moving, often fatal cancer in dogs — simply by scent. Because this disease is usually discovered only after sudden collapse, early diagnosis has long been nearly impossible. By identifying unique odor signatures made of volatile organic compounds in blood samples, detection dogs correctly recognized cancer about 70% of the time, offering a promising first step toward a reliable screening tool. 

Why does this matter beyond veterinary medicine? Cancer biology crosses species, and the ability to detect subtle molecular changes earlier is one of the most important frontiers in research. If scientists can translate these scent signatures into a machine-based test, veterinarians could screen dogs annually and intervene sooner — preventing spread, starting treatment earlier, and opening doors for clinical trials. Advances like this embody our mission: funding bold science that improves outcomes, accelerates therapies, and ultimately benefits both pets and people. Every breakthrough begins as a small signal — and sometimes, it takes a dog to help us smell the future of cancer detection. 

Read more about these amazing discoveries here: Sniffing out cancer: Trained dogs can detect hemangiosarcoma by scent | Penn Today

At Philly Fights Cancer, we believe the future of oncology depends on finding cancer earlier and guiding patients through treatment faster — and innovation at Penn Medicine is doing exactly that. Clinicians at Penn Medicine Princeton Health are using artificial intelligence alongside advanced imaging to detect disease before symptoms begin. AI now flags incidental lung nodules found during routine CT scans — often discovered when patients come to the emergency department for unrelated issues — ensuring they are reviewed by a multidisciplinary team instead of being overlooked. The same technology is improving colonoscopies by highlighting tiny or flat precancerous polyps that can be removed before they ever become cancer. Just as importantly, AI automatically alerts nurse navigators when a new cancer is identified, helping patients begin treatment sooner and reducing the anxiety of waiting. 

These advances build on Penn’s long history of medical imaging leadership and point toward a more personalized era of care. Next-generation CT, MRI, and PET/CT scanners will deliver clearer images with less radiation, shorter appointments, and faster scheduling — all while helping physicians tailor therapies to the biology of each patient’s tumor. Together, intelligent software and precision imaging are transforming cancer care from reactive to proactive: detecting earlier, coordinating faster, and treating smarter. Supporting research and innovation like this is central to our mission — accelerating breakthroughs that improve survival and quality of life for patients today while shaping a more hopeful future for everyone facing cancer tomorrow. 

Read the full article from Princeton Perspectives here: https://princetonperspectives.com/revolutionizing-cancer-care-with-ai-and-next-gen-medical-imaging/