Xiongbin Lu, Ph.D.

Cancer cells delete DNA when they go to the dark side, so a team of doctors and engineers targeted the ‘backup plans’ running critical cell functions

The way that tumor cells enable their uncontrolled growth is also a weakness that can be harnessed to treat cancer, researchers at the University of Michigan and Indiana University have shown.

Their machine-learning algorithm can identify backup genes that only tumor cells are using so that drugs can target cancer precisely… Continue reading.

Evading the immune system is the go-to survival strategy for cancer cells. One primary mechanism by which they do so is to downregulate their antigen presentation. New research shows that breast cancer cells bearing high levels of the MAL2 protein on their surfaces do just that. As a consequence, they are therefore more adept at hiding from immune system attack.

In a study from researchers at the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research and Indiana University researchers found that MAL2 in breast cancer cells inhibited the level of tumor-specific antigens which attract immune cells. As a result, the tumors are immunologically ‘cold’, or less visible to destruction by the immune system… Continue reading.

Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified how breast cancer cells hide from immune cells to stay alive. The discovery could lead to better immunotherapy treatment for patients.

Xinna Zhang, PhD, and colleagues found that when breast cancer cells have an increased level of a protein called MAL2 on the cell surface, the cancer cells can evade immune attacks and continue to grow. The findings are published this month in The Journal of Clinical Investigation and featured on the journal’s cover.

The lead author of the study, Zhang is a member of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant professor of medical and molecular genetics at IU School of Medicine.

Considered the future of cancer treatment, immunotherapy harnesses the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Understanding how cancer cells avoid immune attacks could offer new ways to improve immunotherapy for patients, explained Xiongbin Lu, PhD, Vera Bradley Foundation Professor of Breast Cancer Innovation and cancer center researcher… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Xiongbin Lu, Ph.D., Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Vera Bradley Foundation Chair in Breast Cancer Innovation, Strategic Research Initiative Distinguished Investigator, School of Medicine, Indiana University, to its College of Fellows.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Dr. Lu was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for “leading contributions in developing nanoscale biomaterials to safely and effectively deliver drugs in targeted cancer therapy and precision medicine.”