Oncology
Oncology: timeline of key events
Date | Event | People | Places |
---|---|---|---|
17 Aug 1798 | Thomas Hodgkin born | Thomas Hodgkin | St Thomas's Hospital, Guy's Hospital |
13 Oct 1821 | Rudolf Virchow was born in Schivelbein, Pomerania, Prussia (now Poland) | Virchow | |
20 Jul 1839 | Julius F Cohnheim born Demmin, Pomerania, Germany | Cohnheim | University of Kiel, University of Breslau, University of Leipzig |
5 Apr 1866 | Thomas Hodgkin died | Thomas Hodgkin | St Thomas's Hospital, Guy's Hospital |
23 Apr 1867 | Johannes A G Fibiger was born in Silkeborg, Denmark | Fibiger | Silkeborg, Denmark |
5 Oct 1879 | Francis Peyton Rous was born in Baltimore MD, USA | Rous | Rockefeller University |
15 Aug 1884 | Julius F Cohnheim died | Cohnheim | University of Kiel, University of Breslau, University of Leipzig |
May 1893 | First successful treatment of cancer patient with immunotherapy | Coley | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
1895 | Humans treated with antiserum prepared against human cancer. This established the principle of using serotherapy to fight cancer | Hericourt, Richet | College de France |
1899 | First commercial vaccine developed for treatment of sarcoma | Coley | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Parke Davis & Co |
1901 - 1903 | First successful transplants of tumours in animals reported, providing a new experimental system for studying the role of the immune system in cancer | Leob, Jensen | University of Pennsylvania, Agriculture and Veterinary Institute |
22 Sep 1901 | Charles B Huggins was born Halifax, Canada | Huggins | University of Chicago |
1902 | First attempt to vaccinate against cancer with a patient's own tumour tissue | von Leyden, Blumenthal | |
5 Sep 1902 | Rudolf Virchow died | Virchow | |
29 Dec 1902 | George Wallace Kidder was born in Eugene, OR, USA | Kidder | City College of New York, Brown University, Amherst College |
11 Sep 1904 | Ludwig Gross born in Krakow, Poland | Gross | Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Centre |
4 Oct 1906 | Alice M Stewart was born in Sheffield, UK | Stewart | Oxford University |
1910 | Austrian physicians Ernest Freund and Gisa Kaminer observed that something in blood serum from cancer patients pervents the destruction of cancer cells | Freund, Kaminer | Rudolf-Stiftung Hospital |
1911 | First cancer-causing virus discovered | Rous | Rockefeller University |
1914 | Experiments by James B Murphy demonstrate that lymphocytes help animals reject grafted tumours | Murphy | Rockefeller Intitute |
22 Feb 1914 | Renato Dulbecco was born in Catanzaro, Italy | Dulbecco | Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratory |
1915 | James B Murphy puts forward hypothesis that the nonspecific stimulation of lymphocytes could provide a cure for cancer based on experiments he and John J Morton carried out on mice | Murphy, Morton | Rockefeller Institute |
19 Sep 1915 | Elizabeth Stern was born in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada | Stern | University of California Los Angeles |
1916 - 1922 | Disappointing results reported from clinical trials treating breast cancer patients with low doses of X-ray radiation following tumour removal, discrediting the theory that stimulation of lymphocytes could help cure cancer. | Murphy | Rockefeller Institute |
7 Feb 1918 | Ruth Sager was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA | Sager | Rockefeller University |
18 May 1921 | Anthony Epstein was born in the UK | Epstein | University of Bristol |
1924 | Austrian physicians Ernest Freund and Gisa Kaminer discover a substance in intestines of cancer patients that reduce ability of normal serum to dissolve cancer cells. | Freund, Kaminer | Rudolf-Stiftung Hospital |
30 Jan 1928 | Johannes Fibiger died | Fiber | |
16 Dec 1928 | Bruce N Ames was born in New York, USA | Ames | University of California Berkeley |
1929 | First molecular marker, antigen, identified on a tumour, laying foundation for use of antibodies to diagnose and treat cancer | Witebsky | University of Heidelberg |
1929 | Jackson Memorial Laboratories established to develop inbred strains of mice to study the genetics of cancer and other diseases | Jackson Memorial Laboratoroies | |
April 1929 | Autopsies carried out on tuberculosis patients show them less likely to have contracted cancer | Pearl | Johns Hopkins University |
23 Jan 1930 | Beverly Griffin was born in Delhi, Louisiana, USA | Griffin | Imperial College |
10 Dec 1934 | Howard M Temin was born in Philadelphia, PA, USA | Temin | University of Wisconsin |
22 Feb 1936 | John Michael Bishop born in York, PA, USA | Bishop | University California San Francisco |
7 Mar 1938 | David Baltimore was born in New York City | Baltimore | New York City |
18 Dec 1939 | Harold E Varmus was born in Oceanside NY, USA | Varmus | University of California San Francisco |
1940 | Inbred strains of mice bred at Jackson Memorial Laboratory showed that resistance to transplanted tumours were due to body's resistance to genetically different tissue | Barrett | Jackson Memorial Laboratoroies |
6 Dec 1941 | Ronald Levy was born in Carmel, California, United States | Levy | Stanford University |
11 Oct 1945 | Robert P Gale was born in New York City, USA | Gale | University of California Los Angeles |
25 Jan 1949 | Paul M Nurse was born in Norwich, United Kingdom | Nurse | Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Francis Crick Institute |
1953 | FDA approved 6-mercaptopurine as treatment for childhood leukaemia | Elion, Hitching | Wellcome Research Laboratories |
1957 - 1959 | Concept developed that the immune system naturally protects against cancer | Burnet, Lewis | |
1957 | Leukaemia virus found, reinforcing idea that viruses can cause cancer | Friend | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
1959 | Bone marrow transplants in two sets of identical twin girls fails to eradicate leukaemia | Thomas, Ferrebee, Sahler | Bassett Medical Center |
25 Jul 1959 | First direct evidence of the immune system's ability to prevent cancer provided by Lloyd Old and colleagues | Old, Clarke, Benacerraf | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
December 1961 | Normal cell population discovered to only be able to divide a limited number of times before it stops | Hayflick | Wistar Institute |
1963 | First report linking a specific virus (herpes simplex virus) to a specific cancer (cervical cancer) | Stern | University of California Los Angeles |
December 1966 | Scientists detect antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer which suggest the cancer is caused by a virus. | Old, Boyse, Oettgen | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
February 1969 | Team led by Karl and Ingegerd Hellstrom observe serum from mice with chemically induced tumours can block reaction of lymphocytes | Hellstrom, Evans, Heppner, Pierce, Yang | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center |
7 Nov 1969 | Fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) published | Herzenberg, Hulett, Bonner, Barrett | Stanford University |
1 Dec 1970 | First oncogene (SRC gene) discovered in a virus | Duesberg, Vogt | University of California San Francisco |
June 1971 | Hellstom team suggest that antibodies bound to tumour cells mask their detection by the immune system | Sjogren, Hellstrom, Bansal | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center |
1972 | US National Cancer Institute recommended creation of international registry of immunotherapy trials | ||
1972 | Wistar Instute named National Cancer Institute - first research institution to gain such a title | Wistar Institute | |
16 Feb 1972 | Francis Peyton Rous died | Rous | Rockefeller University |
1973 | First successful bone marrow transplant from unrelated donor | Good, O'Reilly | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
1 Mar 1973 | Ames test developed that identifies chemicals that damage DNA | Ames, Lee, Durston | University of California Berkeley |
8 Feb 1974 | Immune surveillance theory that immune system provides protection against cancer discredited by research showing that 'Nude' mice lacking immune system function no more likely to develop tumours than normal mice | Stutman | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
February 1975 | Natural killer cell identified in mice and shown to be important part of immune system | Kiessling, Klein, Pross, Wigzell | Karolinska Institute |
15 Apr 1975 | Human natural killer cell isolated | Jondal, Pross | Karolinska Institute |
24 Apr 1975 | Discovery of unique molecular marker, idiotype, on blood cancer cells, opening new avenue for cancer diagnosis and therapy | Stevenson | Tenovus Research Laboratory |
25 Apr 1975 | Unique 'idiotype' marker discovered on the surface of proteins in cancer cells, providing target for treating cancer with antibodies | Stevenson | Southampton University |
September 1975 | Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) was discovered. It was the first immune molecule shown to kill cancer cells | Carswell, Old, Kassel, S.Green, Fiore, Williamson | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
11 Mar 1976 | Proto-oncogenes suggested to be part of the genetic machinery of normal cells and play important function in the developing cell | Bishop, Varmus, Stehelin, Vogt | University of California San Francisco |
10 Sep 1976 | Discovery of first T cell growth factor, later named Interleukin-2 (IL-2) | Morgan, Ruscetti, Gallo | Litton Bioethics Research Laboratories, National Cancer Institute |
February 1977 | Scientists find a way to generate T cells in thymic tissue in test tubes, paving the way study mechanisms underlying the regulation of T cell development | Robinson, Owen | University of Newcastle upon Tyne |
1 Apr 1977 | Development of first anti-idiotype antibodies. These are shown to activate immune defense cells to attack tumour cells in guinea-pigs | Stevenson, Elliott | Tenovus Research Laboratory |
July 1977 | T cell growth factor, later named Interleukin-2 (IL-2), discovered in mice, providing a means to grow and expand normal lypmphocytes in test tubes | Ruscetti, Morgan, Gallo | National Cancer Institute |
1978 | T cell-mediated immunity shown to aid tumour regression | Berendt, North, Kirstein | Trudeau Institute |
1979 | The first tumour suppressor gene was discovered, known as p53 | Crawford, Lane, Deleo, Old, Levine | |
1980 | US National Cancer Institute added $13.5 million to its budget for new Biological Response Modifiers, igniting search for agents able to modify host's response to tumour cells | ||
18 Aug 1980 | Elizabeth Stern died | Stern | University of California Los Angeles |
10 Jul 1981 | Complete library of overlapping DNA fragments of Epstein Barr Virus cloned | Griffin, Arrand, Walsh, Bjorck, Rymo | Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories, University of Gothenberg |
1982 | Azacitidine fails to win FDA approval for treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia due to lack of controlled studies showing clinical benefit | ||
June 1982 | Steven Rosenberg and colleagues first describe lymphokine-activated killer cells | Grimm, Mazumder, Zhang, Rosenberg | National Cancer Institute |
November 1982 | James Allison and collegues use monoclonal antibody to provide first biochemical description of tumour specific antigen of murine T-lymphoma | Allison, McIntyre, Bloch | University of Texas System Cancer Center |
1 Dec 1982 | First molecular markers, antigens, identified in melanoma tumours. These markers are now targeted by cancer drugs | Houghton, Eisinger, Albino, Cairncross, Old | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
1983 | Link drawn between immune deficiency and cancer | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | |
1983 | Murine p53 gene cloned | Levine, Oren | Weizmann Institute, State University New York |
1983 | WHO argued hepatitis B virus second only to tobacco as cause of cancer | ||
10 Feb 1983 | Discovery of mouse strain with severe combined immune deficiency, providing valuable research model for investigating diseases like cancer and HIV | Bosma, Custer | Fox Chase Cancer Center |
24 Mar 1983 | First cloning of Interleukin 2 (Il-2) | Taniguchi, Matsui, Fujita, Takaoka, Kashmina, Yoshimoto, Hamuro | Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Ajinomoto Co Inc |
June 1983 | Harald Zur Hausen identifies the human papillomavirus as the causative agent of cervical cancer | zur Hausen | University of Freiberg |
November 1983 | A team of researchers including Philippa Marrack, John Kappler and James P Allison identified the first T cell antigen receptor | Kappler, Kubo, Haskins, Hannum, Marrack, Pigeon, McIntyre, Allison, Trowbridge | University of Colorado, University of Texas System Cancer Center, National Jewish Hospital and Research Cener, Salk Institute |
1984 | p53 inactivated in tumour cells for first time | Wolf, Rotter | Weizmann Institute |
1984 | Human p53 gene cloned | Matlashewski, Lamb, Pim, Peacock, Crawford, Benchimo | Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories, Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto |
June 1984 | First clinical experiments demonstrate the possibility of training T cells to attack tumours | Knuth, Danowski, Oettgen, Old | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
1985 | T cell surface proteins CD4 and CD8 cloned | Maddon, Littman, Godfrey, Maddon Chess, Axel | Columbia University |
December 1985 | IL-2 based immunotherapy shown to reduce tumours in patients with melanoma and renal cell cancer | Rosenberg | National Cancer Institute |
12 Dec 1985 | New transgenic mouse model announced for studying cancer | Adams, Harris, Pinkert, Corcoran, Alexander, Cory, Palmiter, Brinster | Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
December 1986 | Anti-tumour responses observed in 3 out of 10 patients given high-doses of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) | Rosenberg, Lotze, Chang, Seipp, Simpson, Vetto | National Cancer Institute |
1987 - 1989 | Scientists lay the foundation for the cloning of human tumour antigens recognised by cytotoxic T lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that kills cancer cells | De Plaen, Boon | Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research |
15 Mar 1987 | First stable human anti-tumour cytotoxic T cell clones isolated and maintained in culture | Herin, Lemoine, Weynants, Vessiere, Van Pel, Knuth, Devos, Boon | Ludwig Institute |
April 1987 | CD8 coreceptor proven to be actively involved in antigen recognition by killer T cells | Dembic, Haas, Zamoyska, Parnes, Steinmetz, von Boehmer | Basel Institute of Immunology |
July 1987 | Identification of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) | Brunet, Denizot, Luciani, Roux-Dosseto, Suzan, Mattei, Golstein | INSERM-CNRS |
November 1987 | First evidence provided for the interaction between the surface molecule CD4 and major histocompatibility class II | Doyle, Strominger | Harvard University |
12 Apr 1988 | OncoMouse patent granted | Leder, Stewart | Harvard University |
May 1988 - Oct 1989 | Cytotoxic T lymphocytes shown to recognise distinct surface markers on human melanoma | Wolfel, Knuth, Degiovanni, Van den Eynde, Hainaut, Boon | Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research |
July 1988 | Biochemical initiators of T Cell activitation, CD4 and CD8-p56, discovered | Rudd, Trevillyan, Dasupta, Wong, Schlossman | Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Tech University |
1988 - 1989 | First evidence discovered of a physical link between oncoproteins and tumour suppressors | ||
December 1988 | Scientists report cloning the gene for the human cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen (CTLA-4) | Dariavach, Mattei, Golstein, Lefranc | INSERM-CNRS |
1989 | p53 demonstrated to be a tumour suppressor gene | Baker, Fearon, Nigro, Hamilton, Preisinger, Jessup, vanTuinen, Ledbetter, Barker, Nakamura, White, Vogelstein, Eliyahu, Michalovitz, Pinhasi-Kimhi, Oren, Finlay, Hinds, Levine | Johns Hopkins University, Weizmann Institute, Princeton University |
1989 | Mutations in p53 found in germline of cancer-prone families | Malkin, Srivastava, Zou, Pirollo, Blattner, Chang | Massachusetts General Hospital, Uniformed Services University |
February 1989 | Scientists demonstrate the importance of CD28, a cell surface molecule found on T-cells, for the activation and survival of T cells | Thompson, Lindsten, Ledbetter, Kunkel, Young, Emerson, Leiden, June | Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
September 1989 | Giorgio Trinchieri and colleagues identified interleukin-12 (IL-12), a cytokine that helps regulate the body’s resistance to infections and cancer | Kobayashi, Fitz, Ryan, Hewick, Clark, Chan, Loudon, Sherman, Perussia, Trinchieri | Wistar Institute |
September 1989 | DNA methylation suggested to inactivate tumour suppressor genes | Greger, Passarge, Hopping, Messmer, Horsthemke | Institute of Human Genetics |
December 1989 | First use of genetically engineered T cells to redirect T cells to recognise and attack tumour cells | Gross, Waks, Eshhar | Weizmann Institute |
7 Dec 1989 | Mutations in p53 gene found to play role in development of many common cancers | Vogelstein, Nigro | Johns Hopkins University |
1990 | US FDA approved BCG, a bacterial vaccine against tuberculosis, to treat early stage bladder cancer. It was the first FDA approved immunotherapy | Herr, Oettgen | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
August 1990 | p53 found to arrest cell cyle | Michalovitz, Halevy, Oren, Mercer, Shields, Amin, Sauve, Appella, Romano, Ullrich | Weizmann Institute, Temple University |
21 Dec 1990 | BRCA1 gene linked with inherited predisposition to cancer | King | University of California Berkley |
1991 | p53 found to induce apoptosis, self destruction of a cell | Yonish-Rouach, Resnitzky, Lotem, Sachs, Kimchi, Oren | Weizmann Institute |
1992 | MDM2, an oncogene product, found to negatively regulate p53 | Momand, Zambetti, Olson, George, Levine | Princeton University |
1992 | Mice genetically modified to be deficient in p53 shown to be prone to cancer | Donehower, Harvey, Slagle, McArthur, Montgomery, Butel, Bradley | Baylor College |
1 Oct 1992 | First experimental evidence showing links between diet and DNA methylation and its relationship with cancer | Zapisek, Cronin, Lyn-Cook, Poirier | FDA, National Center for Toxicological Research |
1993 | Wistar Institute patented Bcl-2, the first of a family of genes associated with different types of cancer | Wistar Institute | |
15 Apr 1993 | Immune molecule, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor or GM-CSF, discovered to strengthen immunity against tumours | Dranoff, Jaffee, Lazenby, Golumbek, Levitsky, Brose, Jackson, Hamada, Pardoll, Mulligan | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
September 1993 | p21 shown to be a p53 target gene | el-Deiry, Tokino, Velculescu, Levy, Parsons, Trent, Lin, Mercer, Kinzler, Vogelstein | Johns Hopkins University, National Center for Human Genome Research, Thomas Jefferson University |
9 Feb 1994 | Howard M Temin died | Temin | University of Wisconsin |
1994 - 1995 | Identification and characterisation of the natural killer T cell, a lymphocyte able to bind and kill certain tumour and virus-infected cells | Bendelac | University of Chicago |
July 1994 | DNA structure of p53-DNA elucidated | Cho, Gorina, Jeffrey, Pavletich | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
1 Apr 1995 | mRNA vaccine vector shown to stimulate immune response against human cancer antigen | Conry, LoBuglio, Wright, Sumerel, Pike, Johanning, Benjamin, Lu, Curiel | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
21 Apr 1995 | First evidence published to demonstrate reduced DNA methylation contributes to formation of tumours | Laird, Jackson-Grusby, Fazeli, Dickinson, Jung, Li, Weinberg, Jaenisch | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts General Hospital |
1 Feb 1996 | Paper published indicating thymus-leukaemia antigen, a cell-surface marker, stimulates T cells to destroy specific target cells | Sharma | Pennsylvania State University |
17 Mar 1996 | George Wallace Kidder died | Kidder | City College of New York, Brown University, Amherst College |
22 Mar 1996 | Mice experiments published demonstrating that blocking the CTLA-4 molecule on immune cells can cure cancer | Leach, Krummel, Allison | University of California Berkeley |
August 1996 | Dendritic cells modified with mRNA shown to elicit strong immune response against tumours in mice | Boczkowski, Nair, Snyder, D, Gilboa | Duke University |
November 1996 | Experiments demostrate antigen-specific CD4+ and T cells become tolerant during tumour growth in test tubes | ||
1997 | Merix Bioscience founded as spin-out to develop mRNA for cancer vaccines | Gilboa | Duke University |
12 Jan 1997 | Charles B Huggins died | Huggins | University of Chicago |
March 1997 | p53 shown to be linked to senescence, biological aging | Serrano , Lin, McCurrach, Beach, Lowe | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory |
29 Mar 1997 | Ruth Sager died | Sager | Rockefeller University |
1998 | FDA approved Trastuzumab (Herceptin) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer | ||
January 1998 | Seattle Genetics founded | Fell, Siegall | Seattle Genetics |
1998 | Seattle Genetics licensed patents from Bristol-Myers Squibb | Seattle Genetics | |
1999 | Seattle Genetics and Genentech partnership signed | Seattle Genetics, Genentech | |
19 Jul 1999 | Ludwik Gross died | Gross | Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Centre |
20 Jul 1999 | DNA methylation of CpG islands shown to be linked to colorectal cancer | Toyota, Ahuja, Ohe-Toyota, Herman, Baylin, Issa | Johns Hopkins University |
2000 | First clinical trials launched to test first immune checkpoint inhibitor drug containing a monoclonal antibody against CTLA-4 (ipilimumab, Yervoy®) | Allison | Medarex, University of California Berkley |
October 2000 | mRNA encoding for HIV reported to activate potent T cell immune response | Drew Weissman, H Ni, D Scales, Dude, Capodici, McGibney, Abdool, SN Isaacs, Cannon, Kariko | University of Pennsylvania |
2001 | Seattle Genetics began licensing out its technology to other companies | Seattle Genetics | |
3 Jun 2002 | Alice Stewart died | Stewart | Oxford University |
14 Sep 2002 | Regulatory T cells discovered to restrain cytolytic T cells attacking cancer via messanger chemical called TGF-beta | Herlyn, Somasundaram | Wistar Institute |
17 Sep 2002 | Cancer cells shown to be capable of hijacking PD-1 protein to evade destruction by immune system | Iwai , Ishida, Tanaka, Okazaki, Honjo, Minato | Japan Science and Technology Corporation |
1 Jan 2003 | Sharma received ASCO Young Investigator Award to carry out clinical trials with NY-ES0-1 cancer vaccine | Sharma | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
19 Mar 2003 | Mutant mouse discovered capable of warding off aggressive cancer and its offspring found to confer resistance to cancer in 40% of his offspring | Cui, Willingham, Hicks, Alexander-Miller, Howard, Hawkins, Millier, Weir, Du, DeLong | Wake Forest University |
13 Dec 2003 | Sharma discovered some bladder cancer cells expressed the marker NY-ESO-1 providing means for cancer vaccine | Sharma | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
December 2005 | p53 found to have antioxidant function | Sablina, Budanov, Ilyinskaya, Agapova, Kravchenko, Chumakov | Lerner Research Institute |
28 Mar 2006 | Normal mice shown to become resistant to cancer when injected with white blood cells taken from mutant mice known to ward off aggressive cancer. | Hicks, Redlinger, Willingham, Alexander-Miller, Kap-Herr, Pettenati, Sanders, Weir, Du, Kim, Simpson, Old, Cui | Wake Forest University, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research |
6 Oct 2006 | FDA approved first histone deacetylase inhibitor, Vorinostat (Zolinza), for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma | ||
15 Nov 2006 | New enzyme identified as suppressor of p53 protein, a key molecule for controlling cancer in humans | Berger | Wistar Institute, Vienna Biocenter |
15 Dec 2006 | Method published to produce mRNA with increased stability and translational efficiency | Holtkamp, Sebastian Kreiter, Abderraouf Selmi, Petra Simon, Koslowski, Christoph Huber, Tureci, Sahin | Johannes-Gutenberg University |
2007 | p53-induced senescence shown to prevent cancer | Ventura, Kirsch, McLaughlin, Tuveson, Grimm, Lintault, Newman, Reczek, Weissleder, Jacks, Xue, Zender, Miething, Dickins, Hernando, Krizhanovsky, Cordon-Cardo, Lowe | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory |
20 Sep 2007 | Experiments in mice indicate cancer-killing capacity of granulocytes, white blood cells taken from humans | Cui | Wake Forest University |
13 Nov 2007 | Inappropriate activation of telomerase, an enzyme, shown to be associated with uncontrollable proliferation of cells seen in human cancers | Skordalakes | Wistar Institute |
2008 | Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) founded to develop mRNA as personalised cancer immunotherapies | Sahin, Tureci, Huber | BioNTech |
2009 | First drug developed by Seattle Genetics, SG40, failed phase IIb trial | Seattle Genetics, Genentech | |
10 Jun 2009 | Stem cell transplants reported to improve survival for leukaemia patients | Koreth, Schlen, Kopecky, Honda, Sierra, Djulbegovic, Wadleigh, DeAngelo, Stone, Sakamaki Appelbaum, Dohner, Antin, Soiffer, Cutler | Dana Farber Cancer Institute |
October 2009 | Genentech ended its drug development partnership with Seattle Genetics | Seattle Genetics, Genentech | |
November 2009 | FDA approved second histone deactylase inhibitor, Romidepsin (Istodax), for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma | ||
December 2009 | Seattle Genetics partnered with Takeda Oncology Company | Seattle Genetics, Takeda | |
February 2011 | Seattle Genetics submitted a Biologics License Application to the FDA for the approval of brentuximab vedotin | Seattle Genetics | |
25 Mar 2011 | First immune checkpoint inhibitor drug targeting CTLA4 (ipilimumab, Yervoy®), approved by the FDA | Allison | Medarex, University of California Berkley |
July 2011 | Phase I clinical trials launched for enfortumab vedotin by Seattle Genetics with Agenys/Asterllas Pharma | Seattle Genetics, Astellas Pharma | |
August 2011 | Seattle Genetics won FDA approval for its first drug - brentuximab vedotin (Adecetris) | Seattle Genetics | |
19 Feb 2012 | Renato Dulbecco died | Dulbecco | Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratory |
April 2012 | First child with leukaemia treated with adoptive cell therapy (CAR-T therapy) | June, Whitehead | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania |
2012 | European approval of decatabine (Dacogen) for treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia | ||
September 2014 | FDA approved nivolumab (Opdivo®), an immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting PD1, for treating melanoma | ||
22 Dec 2014 | First immune checkpoint inhibitor drug targeting PD-1 approved in US | Honko, Freeman, Lonberg | Medarex, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ono Pharmaceutical, Kyoto University |
April 2015 | Chinese regulatory authorities approved Chidamide, a histone deactylase inhibitor, for peripheral T cell lymphoma | ||
3 Jun 2015 | Irwin Rose died | Rose | University of California Irvine |
5 Jun 2015 | Two immunotherapy drugs reported to stop cancer cells avoiding destruction by immune system | Allison | |
27 Aug 2015 | Experiments with mice showed that azacytidine treatment enhanced the responsiveness of tumors to anti–CTLA-4 therapy | ||
October 2015 | First oncology gene therapy approved in US and Europe | Amgen | |
27 Nov 2015 | Experiments in mice indicate that a tumour's response to cancer immunotherapy using CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor can be improved by changing the gut microbiome | Zitvogel, Veitzou, | Institut Gustave Roussy |
25 Mar 2016 | Common tags discovered on the surface of cancer cells opening up new avenues for immunotherapy | McGranahan, Furness, Rosenthal, Ramskov, Lyngaa, Saini, Jamal-Hanjani, Wilson, Birkbak, Hiley, Watkins, Shafi, Murugaesu, Mitter, Akarca, Linares, Marafioti, Henry, Van Allen, Miao, Schilling, Schadendorf, Garraway, Makarov, Rizvi,m Snyder, Hellman, Mergh | University College London, Cancer Research UK, Francis Crick Insitute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Broad Institute, University Duisburg-Essen, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia Univertsity, Weill Cornell Medical College, Harvard Medical S |
15 Apr 2016 | Gene editing used to prompt immune cells to combat cancer | Quezada, Johnson, Menger, Sledzinska, Bergerhoff, Vargas, Smith, Poirot, Pule, Hererro, Peggs | University College London, Cancer Research UK, Cellectis |
1 May 2016 | FDA approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq®), an immune checkpoint inhibitor targeted at PD1, for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma, the most common form of bladder cancer | Genentech, Roche | |
13 Jun 2016 | Beverly Griffin died | Griffin | Imperial College |
August 2016 | Marker identified for myeloid-derived suppressor cells, a type of cell associated with tumour resistance to certain cancer treatments | Wistar Institute | |
24 Oct 2016 | FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 as determined by an FDA-approved test. | Merck | |
February 2017 | FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation and Priority Review for polatuzumab vedotin | Seattle Genetics, Genentech | |
24 Feb 2017 | Researchers report patients with greater diversity of gut bacteria have better response to cancer immunotherapy | Wargo, Gopalakrishnan | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
23 Mar 2017 | FDA granted accelerated approval to avelumab, a PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, to treat Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer treatment, in patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin disorder | EMD Serono, Merck KGaA, Pfizer | |
12 Jul 2017 | US FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended the approval of the first adoptive cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) for B cell acute leukaemia | June | Novartis, University of Pennsylvania |
30 Aug 2017 | USA FDA approved CAR-T therapy for certain pediatric and young adult patients with a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia | June | Novartis, University of Pennsylvania |
2 Nov 2017 | Cancer patients taking routine antibiotics before or soon after given PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor found to relapse quicker and have shorter survival time | Zitvogel, Kroemer | Institut Gustave Roussy |
2 Nov 2017 | Experiments with mice show tumour growth can be reduced by giving faecal transplants from patients who positively responded to cancer immunotherapy | Wargo, Gopalakrishnan | MD Anderson Cancer Center, Institute Gustave-Roussy |
3 Nov 2017 | Research showed simple blood test can identify patients at most risk of skin cancer returning | Lee, Gremel, Marshall, Myers, Fisher, Dunn, Dhomen, Corrie, Middleton, Lorigan, Marais | University of Manchester |
17 Jan 2018 | Blood test detecting mutated DNA and proteins released by tumours shown to pick up early signs of 8 common cancers | Cohen, Yuxuan Wang, Thoburn, Afsari, Danilova. Douville, Javed, Wong, Mattox, Hruban, Wolfgang, Goggins, Molin, Wang, Roden, Klein, Ptak, Dobbyn, Schaefer, Silliman, Popoli, Vogelstein, Browne, Schoen, Brand, Tie, Gibbs, Wong, Mansfield, Jen, Hanash, Falc | Johns Hopkins University |
March 2018 | FDA granted drug breakthrough therapy designation to enfortumab vedotin for treating metastatic urothelial cancer | Seattle Genetics, Astellas Pharma | |
March 2018 | Seattle paid $614.1 million to acquire rights to tucatinib from Cascadian Therapeutics | Seattle Genetics, Cascadian Therapeutics | |
July 2018 | Seattle Genetics and Astellas Pharma launched global phase III trials for enfortumab vedotin for treating bladder cancer | Seattle Genetics, Astellas Pharma | |
12 Jul 2018 | Genetic test shown to accurately predict which women benefit from chemotherapy | Sparano | Genomic Health |
1 Oct 2018 | James Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer therapy | Allison, Honjo | University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Kyoto University |
21 Dec 2018 | CRISPR-Cas9 editing helped restore effectiveness of first-line chemotherapies for lung cancer | Kmiec, Bialk, Wang, Hanas | Helen F Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute |
June 2019 | Genentech granted FDA approval for polatuzumab vedotin, an antibody drug conjugate developed using Seattle Genetics' technology | Seattle Genetics, Genentech | |
July 2019 | Seattle Genetics and Astellas Pharma submitted application to FDA for accelerated approval of enfortumab vedotin | Seattle Genetics, Astellas Pharma | |
18 Dec 2019 | FDA granted accelerated approval for Seattle Genetics drug for advanced urothelial cancer | Seattle Genetics | |
23 Dec 2019 | Seattle Genetics submitted New Drug Application to FDA for testing tucatinib in patients with locally advanced or metatastic HER2-positive breast cancer | Seattle Genetics | |
January 2020 | Seattle Genetics submitted marketing application for tucatinib to the European Medicines Agency | Seattle Genetics | |
17 Aug 1798
Thomas Hodgkin born
13 Oct 1821
Rudolf Virchow was born in Schivelbein, Pomerania, Prussia (now Poland)
20 Jul 1839
Julius F Cohnheim born Demmin, Pomerania, Germany
5 Apr 1866
Thomas Hodgkin died
23 Apr 1867
Johannes A G Fibiger was born in Silkeborg, Denmark
5 Oct 1879
Francis Peyton Rous was born in Baltimore MD, USA
15 Aug 1884
Julius F Cohnheim died
May 1893
First successful treatment of cancer patient with immunotherapy
1895
Humans treated with antiserum prepared against human cancer. This established the principle of using serotherapy to fight cancer
1899
First commercial vaccine developed for treatment of sarcoma
1901 - 1903
First successful transplants of tumours in animals reported, providing a new experimental system for studying the role of the immune system in cancer
22 Sep 1901
Charles B Huggins was born Halifax, Canada
1902
First attempt to vaccinate against cancer with a patient's own tumour tissue
5 Sep 1902
Rudolf Virchow died
29 Dec 1902
George Wallace Kidder was born in Eugene, OR, USA
11 Sep 1904
Ludwig Gross born in Krakow, Poland
4 Oct 1906
Alice M Stewart was born in Sheffield, UK
1910
Austrian physicians Ernest Freund and Gisa Kaminer observed that something in blood serum from cancer patients pervents the destruction of cancer cells
1911
First cancer-causing virus discovered
1914
Experiments by James B Murphy demonstrate that lymphocytes help animals reject grafted tumours
22 Feb 1914
Renato Dulbecco was born in Catanzaro, Italy
1915
James B Murphy puts forward hypothesis that the nonspecific stimulation of lymphocytes could provide a cure for cancer based on experiments he and John J Morton carried out on mice
19 Sep 1915
Elizabeth Stern was born in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada
1916 - 1922
Disappointing results reported from clinical trials treating breast cancer patients with low doses of X-ray radiation following tumour removal, discrediting the theory that stimulation of lymphocytes could help cure cancer.
7 Feb 1918
Ruth Sager was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
18 May 1921
Anthony Epstein was born in the UK
1924
Austrian physicians Ernest Freund and Gisa Kaminer discover a substance in intestines of cancer patients that reduce ability of normal serum to dissolve cancer cells.
30 Jan 1928
Johannes Fibiger died
16 Dec 1928
Bruce N Ames was born in New York, USA
1929
First molecular marker, antigen, identified on a tumour, laying foundation for use of antibodies to diagnose and treat cancer
1929
Jackson Memorial Laboratories established to develop inbred strains of mice to study the genetics of cancer and other diseases
Apr 1929
Autopsies carried out on tuberculosis patients show them less likely to have contracted cancer
23 Jan 1930
Beverly Griffin was born in Delhi, Louisiana, USA
10 Dec 1934
Howard M Temin was born in Philadelphia, PA, USA
10 Dec 1934
John Michael Bishop born in York, PA, USA
7 Mar 1938
David Baltimore was born in New York City
18 Dec 1939
Harold E Varmus was born in Oceanside NY, USA
1940
Inbred strains of mice bred at Jackson Memorial Laboratory showed that resistance to transplanted tumours were due to body's resistance to genetically different tissue
6 Dec 1941
Ronald Levy was born in Carmel, California, United States
11 Oct 1945
Robert P Gale was born in New York City, USA
25 Jan 1949
Paul M Nurse was born in Norwich, United Kingdom
1953
FDA approved 6-mercaptopurine as treatment for childhood leukaemia
1957 - 1959
Concept developed that the immune system naturally protects against cancer
1957
Leukaemia virus found, reinforcing idea that viruses can cause cancer
1959
Bone marrow transplants in two sets of identical twin girls fails to eradicate leukaemia
25 Jul 1959
First direct evidence of the immune system's ability to prevent cancer provided by Lloyd Old and colleagues
Dec 1961
Normal cell population discovered to only be able to divide a limited number of times before it stops
1963
First report linking a specific virus (herpes simplex virus) to a specific cancer (cervical cancer)
Dec 1966
Scientists detect antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer which suggest the cancer is caused by a virus.
Feb 1969
Team led by Karl and Ingegerd Hellstrom observe serum from mice with chemically induced tumours can block reaction of lymphocytes
7 Nov 1969
Fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) published
1 Dec 1970
First oncogene (SRC gene) discovered in a virus
Jun 1971
Hellstom team suggest that antibodies bound to tumour cells mask their detection by the immune system
1972
US National Cancer Institute recommended creation of international registry of immunotherapy trials
1972
Wistar Instute named National Cancer Institute - first research institution to gain such a title
16 Feb 1972
Francis Peyton Rous died
1973
First successful bone marrow transplant from unrelated donor
1 Mar 1973
Ames test developed that identifies chemicals that damage DNA
8 Feb 1974
Immune surveillance theory that immune system provides protection against cancer discredited by research showing that 'Nude' mice lacking immune system function no more likely to develop tumours than normal mice
Feb 1975
Natural killer cell identified in mice and shown to be important part of immune system
15 Apr 1975
Human natural killer cell isolated
24 Apr 1975
Discovery of unique molecular marker, idiotype, on blood cancer cells, opening new avenue for cancer diagnosis and therapy
25 Apr 1975
Unique 'idiotype' marker discovered on the surface of proteins in cancer cells, providing target for treating cancer with antibodies
Sep 1975
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) was discovered. It was the first immune molecule shown to kill cancer cells
11 Mar 1976
Proto-oncogenes suggested to be part of the genetic machinery of normal cells and play important function in the developing cell
10 Sep 1976
Discovery of first T cell growth factor, later named Interleukin-2 (IL-2)
Feb 1977
Scientists find a way to generate T cells in thymic tissue in test tubes, paving the way study mechanisms underlying the regulation of T cell development
1 Apr 1977
Development of first anti-idiotype antibodies. These are shown to activate immune defense cells to attack tumour cells in guinea-pigs
Jul 1977
T cell growth factor, later named Interleukin-2 (IL-2), discovered in mice, providing a means to grow and expand normal lypmphocytes in test tubes
1978
T cell-mediated immunity shown to aid tumour regression
1979
The first tumour suppressor gene was discovered, known as p53
1980
US National Cancer Institute added $13.5 million to its budget for new Biological Response Modifiers, igniting search for agents able to modify host's response to tumour cells
18 Aug 1980
Elizabeth Stern died
10 Jul 1981
Complete library of overlapping DNA fragments of Epstein Barr Virus cloned
1982
Azacitidine fails to win FDA approval for treatment of acute myelogenous leukaemia due to lack of controlled studies showing clinical benefit
Jun 1982
Steven Rosenberg and colleagues first describe lymphokine-activated killer cells
Nov 1982
James Allison and collegues use monoclonal antibody to provide first biochemical description of tumour specific antigen of murine T-lymphoma
1 Dec 1982
First molecular markers, antigens, identified in melanoma tumours. These markers are now targeted by cancer drugs
1983
Link drawn between immune deficiency and cancer
1983
Murine p53 gene cloned
1983
WHO argued hepatitis B virus second only to tobacco as cause of cancer
10 Feb 1983
Discovery of mouse strain with severe combined immune deficiency, providing valuable research model for investigating diseases like cancer and HIV
24 Mar 1983
First cloning of Interleukin 2 (Il-2)
Jun 1983
Harald Zur Hausen identifies the human papillomavirus as the causative agent of cervical cancer
Nov 1983
A team of researchers including Philippa Marrack, John Kappler and James P Allison identified the first T cell antigen receptor
1984
p53 inactivated in tumour cells for first time
1984
Human p53 gene cloned
Jun 1984
First clinical experiments demonstrate the possibility of training T cells to attack tumours
1985
T cell surface proteins CD4 and CD8 cloned
Dec 1985
IL-2 based immunotherapy shown to reduce tumours in patients with melanoma and renal cell cancer
12 Dec 1985
New transgenic mouse model announced for studying cancer
Dec 1986
Anti-tumour responses observed in 3 out of 10 patients given high-doses of Interleukin-2 (IL-2)
1987 - 1989
Scientists lay the foundation for the cloning of human tumour antigens recognised by cytotoxic T lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that kills cancer cells
15 Mar 1987
First stable human anti-tumour cytotoxic T cell clones isolated and maintained in culture
Apr 1987
CD8 coreceptor proven to be actively involved in antigen recognition by killer T cells
Jul 1987
Identification of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4)
Nov 1987
First evidence provided for the interaction between the surface molecule CD4 and major histocompatibility class II
12 Apr 1988
OncoMouse patent granted
May 1988 - Oct 1989
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes shown to recognise distinct surface markers on human melanoma
Jul 1988
Biochemical initiators of T Cell activitation, CD4 and CD8-p56, discovered
1988 - 1989
First evidence discovered of a physical link between oncoproteins and tumour suppressors
Dec 1988
Scientists report cloning the gene for the human cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen (CTLA-4)
1989
p53 demonstrated to be a tumour suppressor gene
1989
Mutations in p53 found in germline of cancer-prone families
Feb 1989
Scientists demonstrate the importance of CD28, a cell surface molecule found on T-cells, for the activation and survival of T cells
Sep 1989
Giorgio Trinchieri and colleagues identified interleukin-12 (IL-12), a cytokine that helps regulate the body’s resistance to infections and cancer
Sep 1989
DNA methylation suggested to inactivate tumour suppressor genes
Dec 1989
First use of genetically engineered T cells to redirect T cells to recognise and attack tumour cells
7 Dec 1989
Mutations in p53 gene found to play role in development of many common cancers
1990
US FDA approved BCG, a bacterial vaccine against tuberculosis, to treat early stage bladder cancer. It was the first FDA approved immunotherapy
Aug 1990
p53 found to arrest cell cyle
21 Dec 1990
BRCA1 gene linked with inherited predisposition to cancer
1991
p53 found to induce apoptosis, self destruction of a cell
1992
MDM2, an oncogene product, found to negatively regulate p53
1992
Mice genetically modified to be deficient in p53 shown to be prone to cancer
1 Oct 1992
First experimental evidence showing links between diet and DNA methylation and its relationship with cancer
1993
Wistar Institute patented Bcl-2, the first of a family of genes associated with different types of cancer
15 Apr 1993
Immune molecule, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor or GM-CSF, discovered to strengthen immunity against tumours
Sep 1993
p21 shown to be a p53 target gene
9 Feb 1994
Howard M Temin died
1994 - 1995
Identification and characterisation of the natural killer T cell, a lymphocyte able to bind and kill certain tumour and virus-infected cells
Jul 1994
DNA structure of p53-DNA elucidated
1 Apr 1995
mRNA vaccine vector shown to stimulate immune response against human cancer antigen
21 Apr 1995
First evidence published to demonstrate reduced DNA methylation contributes to formation of tumours
1 Feb 1996
Paper published indicating thymus-leukaemia antigen, a cell-surface marker, stimulates T cells to destroy specific target cells
17 Mar 1996
George Wallace Kidder died
22 Mar 1996
Mice experiments published demonstrating that blocking the CTLA-4 molecule on immune cells can cure cancer
Aug 1996
Dendritic cells modified with mRNA shown to elicit strong immune response against tumours in mice
Nov 1996
Experiments demostrate antigen-specific CD4+ and T cells become tolerant during tumour growth in test tubes
1997
Merix Bioscience founded as spin-out to develop mRNA for cancer vaccines
12 Jan 1997
Charles B Huggins died
Mar 1997
p53 shown to be linked to senescence, biological aging
29 Mar 1997
Ruth Sager died
1998
FDA approved Trastuzumab (Herceptin) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer
Jan 1998
Seattle Genetics founded
1998
Seattle Genetics licensed patents from Bristol-Myers Squibb
1999
Seattle Genetics and Genentech partnership signed
19 Jul 1999
Ludwik Gross died
20 Jul 1999
DNA methylation of CpG islands shown to be linked to colorectal cancer
2000
First clinical trials launched to test first immune checkpoint inhibitor drug containing a monoclonal antibody against CTLA-4 (ipilimumab, Yervoy®)
Oct 2000
mRNA encoding for HIV reported to activate potent T cell immune response
2001
Seattle Genetics began licensing out its technology to other companies
3 Jun 2002
Alice Stewart died
14 Sep 2002
Regulatory T cells discovered to restrain cytolytic T cells attacking cancer via messanger chemical called TGF-beta
17 Sep 2002
Cancer cells shown to be capable of hijacking PD-1 protein to evade destruction by immune system
1 Jan 2003
Sharma received ASCO Young Investigator Award to carry out clinical trials with NY-ES0-1 cancer vaccine
19 Mar 2003
Mutant mouse discovered capable of warding off aggressive cancer and its offspring found to confer resistance to cancer in 40% of his offspring
13 Dec 2003
Sharma discovered some bladder cancer cells expressed the marker NY-ESO-1 providing means for cancer vaccine
Dec 2005
p53 found to have antioxidant function
28 Mar 2006
Normal mice shown to become resistant to cancer when injected with white blood cells taken from mutant mice known to ward off aggressive cancer.
6 Oct 2006
FDA approved first histone deacetylase inhibitor, Vorinostat (Zolinza), for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
15 Nov 2006
New enzyme identified as suppressor of p53 protein, a key molecule for controlling cancer in humans
15 Dec 2006
Method published to produce mRNA with increased stability and translational efficiency
2007
p53-induced senescence shown to prevent cancer
20 Sep 2007
Experiments in mice indicate cancer-killing capacity of granulocytes, white blood cells taken from humans
13 Nov 2007
Inappropriate activation of telomerase, an enzyme, shown to be associated with uncontrollable proliferation of cells seen in human cancers
2008
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) founded to develop mRNA as personalised cancer immunotherapies
2009
First drug developed by Seattle Genetics, SG40, failed phase IIb trial
10 Jun 2009
Stem cell transplants reported to improve survival for leukaemia patients
Oct 2009
Genentech ended its drug development partnership with Seattle Genetics
Nov 2009
FDA approved second histone deactylase inhibitor, Romidepsin (Istodax), for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Dec 2009
Seattle Genetics partnered with Takeda Oncology Company
Feb 2011
Seattle Genetics submitted a Biologics License Application to the FDA for the approval of brentuximab vedotin
25 Mar 2011
First immune checkpoint inhibitor drug targeting CTLA4 (ipilimumab, Yervoy®), approved by the FDA
Jul 2011
Phase I clinical trials launched for enfortumab vedotin by Seattle Genetics with Agenys/Asterllas Pharma
Aug 2011
Seattle Genetics won FDA approval for its first drug - brentuximab vedotin (Adecetris)
19 Feb 2012
Renato Dulbecco died
Apr 2012
First child with leukaemia treated with adoptive cell therapy (CAR-T therapy)
2012
European approval of decatabine (Dacogen) for treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia
Sep 2014
FDA approved nivolumab (Opdivo®), an immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting PD1, for treating melanoma
22 Dec 2014
First immune checkpoint inhibitor drug targeting PD-1 approved in US
Apr 2015
Chinese regulatory authorities approved Chidamide, a histone deactylase inhibitor, for peripheral T cell lymphoma
3 Jun 2015
Irwin Rose died
5 Jun 2015
Two immunotherapy drugs reported to stop cancer cells avoiding destruction by immune system
27 Aug 2015
Experiments with mice showed that azacytidine treatment enhanced the responsiveness of tumors to anti–CTLA-4 therapy
Oct 2015
First oncology gene therapy approved in US and Europe
27 Nov 2015
Experiments in mice indicate that a tumour's response to cancer immunotherapy using CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor can be improved by changing the gut microbiome
25 Mar 2016
Common tags discovered on the surface of cancer cells opening up new avenues for immunotherapy
15 Apr 2016
Gene editing used to prompt immune cells to combat cancer
1 May 2016
FDA approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq®), an immune checkpoint inhibitor targeted at PD1, for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma, the most common form of bladder cancer
13 Jun 2016
Beverly Griffin died
Aug 2016
Marker identified for myeloid-derived suppressor cells, a type of cell associated with tumour resistance to certain cancer treatments
24 Oct 2016
FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 as determined by an FDA-approved test.
Feb 2017
FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation and Priority Review for polatuzumab vedotin
24 Feb 2017
Researchers report patients with greater diversity of gut bacteria have better response to cancer immunotherapy
23 Mar 2017
FDA granted accelerated approval to avelumab, a PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, to treat Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer treatment, in patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin disorder
12 Jul 2017
US FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended the approval of the first adoptive cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) for B cell acute leukaemia
30 Aug 2017
USA FDA approved CAR-T therapy for certain pediatric and young adult patients with a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
2 Nov 2017
Cancer patients taking routine antibiotics before or soon after given PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor found to relapse quicker and have shorter survival time
2 Nov 2017
Experiments with mice show tumour growth can be reduced by giving faecal transplants from patients who positively responded to cancer immunotherapy
3 Nov 2017
Research showed simple blood test can identify patients at most risk of skin cancer returning
17 Jan 2018
Blood test detecting mutated DNA and proteins released by tumours shown to pick up early signs of 8 common cancers
Mar 2018
FDA granted drug breakthrough therapy designation to enfortumab vedotin for treating metastatic urothelial cancer
Mar 2018
Seattle paid $614.1 million to acquire rights to tucatinib from Cascadian Therapeutics
Jul 2018
Seattle Genetics and Astellas Pharma launched global phase III trials for enfortumab vedotin for treating bladder cancer
12 Jul 2018
Genetic test shown to accurately predict which women benefit from chemotherapy
1 Oct 2018
James Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer therapy
21 Dec 2018
CRISPR-Cas9 editing helped restore effectiveness of first-line chemotherapies for lung cancer
Jun 2019
Genentech granted FDA approval for polatuzumab vedotin, an antibody drug conjugate developed using Seattle Genetics' technology
Jul 2019
Seattle Genetics and Astellas Pharma submitted application to FDA for accelerated approval of enfortumab vedotin
18 Dec 2019
FDA granted accelerated approval for Seattle Genetics drug for advanced urothelial cancer
23 Dec 2019
Seattle Genetics submitted New Drug Application to FDA for testing tucatinib in patients with locally advanced or metatastic HER2-positive breast cancer
Jan 2020
Seattle Genetics submitted marketing application for tucatinib to the European Medicines Agency
Science links: Science home | Cancer immunotherapy | CRISPR-Cas9 | DNA | DNA extraction | DNA polymerase | DNA Sequencing | Epigenetics | Faecal microbiota transplant | Gene therapy | Immune checkpoint inhibitors | Infectious diseases | Messenger RNA (mRNA) | Monoclonal antibodies | Nanopore sequencing | Organ-on-a-chip | p53 Gene | PCR | Phage display | Phage therapy | Plasmid | Recombinant DNA | Restriction enzymes | Stem cells | The human microbiome | Transgenic animals |
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