Category Archives: Progress

Security experts agree that zero trust architecture (ZTA) is critical to securing communications networks. While many companies argue that they have made progress adding the technology into their 5G operations, a new report from ATIS says more needs to be done.

"5G is the most secure generation of standardized mobile technology available commercially today," the trade association wrote in a 48-page report. "5G is specified with many features of a ZTA but it does not embody a full implementation of a ZTA."

ATIS is a North American partner to 3GPP, the global standards body for 5G. ATIS argued that 3GPP needs to look at ways to insert ZTA into 5G devices and radio access networks (RANs), rather than just the 5G core.

That's one of the many action items outlined in its report, which is noteworthy considering the group has previously addressed issues including secure supply chains, robocalls and hearing aid compatibility for cellphones. It launched its Next G Alliance effort targeting 6G in 2020.

Implementing zero trust

A zero-trust network architecture is based on the notion that each network element needs to be individually protected from attack.

"By starting from the assumption that the attacker is already inside the network, the zero trust model enhances security by both blocking unauthorized access to network resources and preventing internal lateral movement by an attacker," 5G equipment vendor Ericsson wrote two years ago.

(Source: NicoElNino/Alamy Stock Photo)

As ATIS notes in its report, zero trust is also the security framework recommended by most US government agencies. For example, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) both support the ZTA implementation from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for 5G.

But ATIS notes that this is no small task. "Creating a ZTA for 5G requires careful consideration of the 5G architecture's unique aspects," the association wrote. It explained that security must be addressed from a variety of angles across different traffic planes (user, control and management) and domains including core network, RAN and user equipment like smartphones.

According to ATIS, 3GPP has been working to implement zero trust broadly, but only in the Service Based Interface (SBI) and not in other aspects of the 5G network like the RAN.

The O-RAN Alliance also has been working to implement ZTA in its open RAN specifications. Security has been a hot topic in the early discussions around open RAN.

ZTA across the ecosystem

The interest in ZTA doesn't come as a surprise to 5G equipment vendors and network operators.

"Nokia's products and services support a zero-trust approach to network security the premise that trust cannot be assumed and must continually be validated," the company told the NTIA earlier this year.

Indeed, Nokia said its focus on security extends to its new ASTaR (Advanced Security Testing and Research) lab in Dallas, Texas. The company and the lab will serve as a lead technology provider and collaborator for NIST's National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) 5G Cybersecurity Project.

Mavenir told the NTIA earlier this year that it has "already qualified its open RAN product offerings through the NESAS qualification process, which includes development and supply of products on a zero-trust basis."

The Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS) is a program from the global GSMA trade association to provide "one universal and global security assurance framework."

Finally, operators ranging from Verizon to Dish Network have discussed the technology.

"Verizon's Zero Trust Dynamic Access provides a zero trust cloud security solution for secure access to the open Internet, cloud applications, private applications and data and public cloud services," the company wrote on its Verizon Business website. "That helps you defend your business."

And Dish has made ZTA a core part of its early 5G sales story. Indeed, the company touted its zero trust approach to 5G deployment as part of Hughes Network Systems' work with the US military.

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Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano

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5G players tout progress toward ZTA, but more work ahead - Light Reading

Its the IRAs First Birthday. Here Are Five Areas Where Progress Is Piling Up. The Inflation Reduction Act promised an unprecedented wave of clean energy investment. One year in, heres where were seeing progress.

Unprecedented. A landmark. The Super Bowl of clean energy.

Those are just a few of the superlatives that hit the airwaves when the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law on August 16, 2022.

The acts passage came as a surprise both politically emphasizing lower energy costs helped the bill clear years of oppositional brinksmanship and for its unprecedented scale. Toward the goal of shifting the US grid to 80 percent clean electricity and cutting climate pollution by 40 percent by 2030, the act mobilized an estimated $370 billion in federal incentives.

A year in, the early fanfare has resolved into unprecedented progress. Twelve months after passage, the IRAs impact in industrial investment, new jobs, and other economic activity already exceeds early estimates. To date, we have seen:

And while politics could yet alter its trajectory, the impact to date has been weighted towards traditionally Republican-leaning regions, a bias which may ensure its longevity in years to come. Given the rapid uptake, Goldman Sachs earlier this year upped their estimate of public IRA investment over the next decade to more than $1 trillion, with private sector spending potentially a multiple of that.

By design, incentives are drawing this investment widely across the United States, with a focus on disadvantaged, low-income, and energy communities. RMI estimates that, if they take full advantage of the IRA and adopt clean energy at the pace and scale needed to meet national climate targets, by 2030, each state could see:

On the ground, IRA incentives have already translated into a rush of announcements and projects spanning regions and industries, including both legacy and cleantech sectors. On the advent of the IRAs first birthday, heres a rundown highlighting the breadth of this progress.

Nourished by the IRA, manufacturing announcements have mushroomed across the country. While heavy on electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries, the greenfield factories and upgrades also include wind and solar sites, along with semiconductors, electronics, and others. The new capacity promises to boost US energy security and independence by reshoring key supply chains and strengthening US competitiveness as global leader in clean energy technologies. To date, 272 new clean energy projects have been announced, including:

Globally, sales of internal combustion vehicles peaked in 2017, and are now in long-term decline, according to Bloomberg NEF. As older cars and trucks are retired, the worlds combustion vehicle fleet will start to shrink after 2025. In the United States, the IRA is supercharging this shift, with incentives that span from electric school buses to battery factories and new charging infrastructure:

Buildings account for around a third of US emissions, making it one of our largest, most complex sectors to decarbonize given the age, diversity, and costs to retrofit Americas stock of millions of buildings. The IRA is tackling this challenge on multiple fronts:

Clean electricity is essential to decarbonize the wider US economy, whether to charge EVs and power greening buildings (see above), or to decarbonize industry (below). The shift is advancing steadily. In the first five months of 2023, wind and solar produced more power than coal, a first for the US. The IRA is continuing this shift:

Steel, cement, petrochemicals, and other hard-to-abate heavy industries pose a special challenge to decarbonize. For now, many rely on raw materials and/or high temperatures that only fossil fuels can affordably deliver at scale. The IRA aims to scale up affordable alternatives such as hydrogen which, if implemented cleanly, offers a clean alternative along with greener raw materials and recycling options:

The act has also unlocked financing via the reform of tax credits and innovative financing that prioritizes climate-friendly investment in historically disadvantaged communities:

The IRA is not only the most ambitious climate bill in US history. It is one of the most ambitious and complex efforts at economic and industrial reinvestment ever. By these standards, the progress the act has already made is enormous, but years of work and meaningful obstacles remain to fully deploy the IRA at the pace and scale needed to reach climate targets.

Chief among these obstacles is permitting. As project timelines stretch into the years whether to connect renewables projects onto the grid, or site new critical mining and industrial facilities streamlining the thicket of overlapping regulatory and administrative approvals is emerging as a make-or-break challenge for the US energy transition.

Despite challenges in implementation, the hundreds of announced projects and hundreds of billions of dollars in investment show the energy transition is out of the starting gate and gaining speed.

The challenge is increasingly shifting to subnational players such as states and cities as well as businesses and non-profits to mobilize the funding the IRA has unlocked. Ultimately, the IRAs full potential will be limited only by our own ambition to realize a clean energy future.

Photo courtesy of The White House via Flickr.

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Its the IRAs First Birthday. Here Are Five Areas Where Progress Is ... - Rocky Mountain Institute

The Canada Pavilion at EPCOT is going through a refurbishment at the moment. The construction walls start by the Trading Post and go to Canada Far and Wide, which eliminates a lot of walking areas at the moment. It seems like this is all being done to refresh the area, which is desperately needed.

The Hotel du Canada is covered in scaffolding which is an eye-sore when looking at it from across World Showcase Lagoon. I have seen and noticed that they are painting sections of the building. On the lower part, fabric coverings can be seen, and construction walls cover most of Le Cellier.

Its not confirmed what they are doing to the Canada Pavilion, but Im sure this is just general maintenance. If it ends up being more than just that, then I am excited to see what the future holds. I know this pavilion doesnt look as beautiful as usual right now, but hopefully, everything will return to normal by the time the holidays roll around.

Hi, I'm Erica, and I write about all things Disney. Before working for The DIS, I was a theme park performer at SeaWorld, but I also performed at Disney. I have such an immense love for theme parks to the point I studied them in college.

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The Progress of EPCOT's Canada Pavilion Refurbishment - The DIS

ABOVE: Mayor Williams says the next step in the demolition of Bresee Tower will be a new intergovernmental agreement with Vermilion County, so as to include the old Court Annex Building in the demolition plans.

In Danville; lets look at updates on something coming down, something going up, and something getting gutted on the inside.

The item coming down, now certainly for sure, is Bresee Tower. The city order for demolition had been legally granted after owner Chris Collins had failed to show up in court on July 18th. However, Collins had until August 18th to appeal. No action was taken.

Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr says now its time to go back to the county, and obtain a new intergovernmental agreement, since the original idea had been to tear down Bresee Towner and and adjacent Vermilion County Court Annex building at the same time.

AUDIO: Then we will put that out for bid. The bid process will probably be 45 to 60 days. And then once weve received bids, we will take them to Council to be awarded. I dont expect that demolition would start before the beginning of next year.

The northwest corner of Vermilion and Fairchild, where a new SONIC drive-in and Jimmy Johns are planned.

In the something going up category, Mayor Williams says; dont worry, the plans for the new SONIC and Jimmy Johns northwest of Vermilion and Fairchild are going just fine. Even if ground hasnt been broken, theres work being done.

AUDIO: The reason why it hasnt broken ground is theyre working with IDOT on ingress and regress on to Route 1. So once they have that worked out, then theyll put together the final plans for them to be approved. As we said last year, this is a project where we dont expect it to be open until next fall.

Three new eating establishments are planned inside the old Downtown Danville Turk Furniture building.

Finally, the plans for three new eating establishments inside the old Turk Furniture building are progressing as well. Mayor Williams says the planned bakery is right now leading the way.

AUDIO: We received stamp plans for the bakery, those were approved I believe last week or the week before. So hopefully, well see some movement soon.

BBQ and Italian establishments are scheduled for inside the old Turk building as well.

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Mayor Williams Says Progress on SONIC is on Schedule; Next ... - Vermilion County First

Firefighters from multiple agencies quickly stopped a wildland blaze in the Latah Valley on Sunday that was determined to be caused by people who left a campfire unattended.

City and county fire crews were able to dig a dozer line around a 15-acre fire early Sunday afternoon that was reported just before 8:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Thorpe Road, said Justin de Ruyter, a spokesman for the Spokane Fire Department. The fire had been burning in hilly terrain, he said.

The concern is its on that hillside, getting it caught before it gets any bigger, he said. Especially if the winds pick up this afternoon.

As of 1 p.m., De Ruyter said a bulldozer line had been dug around the fire and efforts had been aided by a helicopter dumping water on the blaze from Latah Creek.

Well stay on it for at least another day, he said. Its looking good now, for the day. Crews will continue to look for hot spots and perform mop-up over the next several days.

The fire began at a transient camp, the Spokane Fire Department posted on social media Sunday afternoon.

Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said the fire was especially upsetting because it took time and resources away from other efforts.

Its ridiculous, we shouldnt have to deal with fires that are preventable in this kind of condition, Schaeffer told KHQ in an interview. Our community locally is completely stretched thin. Our people across all disciplines, DNR, volunteer, career, that doesnt matter when theres so much fire on the ground theyre exhausted.

The evacuation area is west of U.S. Highway 195, in an area bounded by Thorpe Road to the north, Merryweather Road to the west and 44th Avenue to the South, according to Spokane County Emergency Management. Level 2 evacuation orders were downgraded Sunday afternoon to Level 1, which indicates residents should remain on alert.

Firefighters and the Washington Department of Transportation closed the entrance to Thorpe Road off of 195 on Sunday morning.

No structures had been lost as of 11:50 a.m. Firefighters were attempting to battle the blaze from the air, but visibility is making that difficult, de Ruyter said. No injuries were reported.

Crews from the city of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Department of Natural Resources and fire districts 8, 9 and 10 helped battle the blaze.

Alicia Dolar, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, said she had two cats and was concerned about animals belonging to neighbors that werent home.

Im kind of waiting to see if theres a Level 3 so I can run up and grab my animals, because theyre the last pieces of precious cargo that I have, she said.

I pray for rain, she said. I really do.

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Firefighters stop progress of fast-moving, human-caused fire in ... - The Spokesman Review

FRONT ROYAL Skyline got a little bit of a jump on the football season, and it helped things go smoothly for the first day of practice on Thursday.

Skyline head football coach Heath Gilbert said 45 players from junior varsity and varsity attended the final day of the summer session offseason program on Wednesday without helmets or pads. He said they used some of that time to go over what they would be doing for Thursdays first practice, and it definitely helped.

It helped us hit the ground running a little bit, Gilbert said. And to help catch up the guys that havent been this consistent have an idea what theyre going to do. (Wednesdays) execution was pretty sharp and then today with the helmets and being out there a little bit longer wore on the kids a little bit. They were working really hard, and thats just something that theyre all going to have to fight through right now. Its nothing unusual, nothing that were worried about. Well hit our stride here pretty soon.

Gilbert said he had 57 kids between JV and varsity for Thursdays practice, and he plans to keep a little over 30 kids for varsity, which is the most hes had in a few years. Gilbert said they had to practice inside for the last part of their afternoon practice due to the heat.

Skyline senior offensive lineman John Marshall said he thought things went well for the first day of practice.

I feel like were growing as a team, Marshall said. Were doing pretty good. Were growing, and I feel like if we get some more practice in we should have a successful season and we should do pretty good.

Marshall is one of the few returners on the offensive line, where Skyline lost some key players to graduation.

Marshall said he has seen some positive things from some of the younger players on the offensive line.

We have a couple players coming up and filling in spots, and I feel like they will do well if they just put in the work, Marshall said. ...I am trying to teach them right, teach them to do good and the mental things. Thats what really messed us up last year. We just need to be better mentally and physically.

If the offensive line can perform well, there are plenty of skilled players who can have success, led by senior Aidan Vaught. Last season Vaught moved from running back to quarterback, but Gilbert said this season he will return to running back.

Gilbert said juniors Nate Ballard and Nick Mrad will be competing for the starting quarterback spot.

Theyve been competing through the 7-on-7 (competitions in the summer) really to get them settled in and just to know what theyre supposed to do, Gilbert said. But now that camp starts the true competition is going to begin. And when we put pads on and start get through these scrimmages well really see their true colors.

Gilbert said Vaught will still be taking snaps in their Wild Hawk package and can still throw the ball some.

He had a lot on his plate, Gilbert said. This is going to allow him to be freed up a little bit. Hes so dynamic as a receiver as well. We can use him in so many ways and still direct snap to him, where hes going to throw it at times too. Hes definitely not going to lose touches thats for sure.

Skyline begins its season on Aug. 25, by hosting Strasburg.

Gilbert said he saw a lot of positives from his squad on Thursday, and he said these first few practices are really important. He said teachers go back next week, so they cant practice for as long from that point on.

Gilbert said they always film parts of their practice and its helpful for the kids to be able to watch.

It helps their development so much, Gilbert said. To see what were saying and see film. And then try to update and fix the mistakes that may have been made.

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Skyline pleased with progress on opening day of practice - Northern Virginia Daily

It's been nearly one year since Congress passed the PACT Act, a law that expands Veterans Affairs health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, agent orange and other toxic substances.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on how the law is helping veterans.

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, aims to help toxic-exposed veterans with health care and benefits.

Some veterans say the V.A. is doing its best to implement the PACT Act and want to see continued oversight from Congress.

The reviews coming in are mixed, but the Senate expressed approval with what it heard from the V.A. at the hearing.

"Who knows what we put in those burn pits," said Randy Stiles, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Montana District 3 commander. "Everything went in there."

Stiles served in the U.S . Marine Corps and the U.S. Army and was deployed in Iraq in 2005 and 2006, when he was exposed to toxic burn pits.

Now as District 3 commander, he knows the veterans' medical needs.

"The PACT Act is very, very very important for the veterans now, for veterans in the past and the veterans in the future," Stiles said.

The committee, chaired by Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont., heard from the V.A. about the law.

"Veterans and their survivors have filed more than 772,000 PACT related claims since August 10," Joshua Jacobs, V.A. undersecretary for benefits, told Senators. "And thanks to the efforts of our dedicated staff, 425,000 of those claims have been completed with a nearly 79% approval rate for PACT related claims."

One veteran said on the phone that it has been difficult just logging into the system for PACT benefits, something other veterans have told Senator Tester.

"It's also critically important V.A. works to make its website easy to find and even easier to navigate," Tester said. "I've heard over and over again from veterans who say the VA website is complicated and unnecessarily."

And Senators heard from Undersecretary, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, about a commitment to a review of the Montana VA Health Care System, which has processed about 4,000 PACT claims from veterans in the state.

"I think this PACT Act is making a real difference in veterans," Tester said. "I hear from them all the time."

The Senator and the veterans say they will continue to hold the VA accountable and monitor the effectiveness of the pact act.

"I did that for the love of my country because I was a veteran," Stiles said. "And I think the country needs to love us back for what we did."

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Tester likes progress of law that helps veterans exposed to toxic ... - Q2 News

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Pennsylvanias priorities for the 2023 U.S. Farm Bill and other agricultural policy matters will be the focus of several events at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, set for Aug. 8-10 at Rock Springs.

State and federal government officials will be on hand to discuss and get stakeholder feedback on policies and issues affecting Pennsylvania and U.S. agriculture during the three-day expo, which draws as many as 50,000 agricultural producers, consumers and families from around the state for displays, workshops, tours and demonstrations.

Scheduled events include the following:

College Connections: Town Hall Discussion on Pennsylvania Agriculture, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Red Barn Annex and via webinar.

In this session, part of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences College Connections webinar series, Dean Rick Roush and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding will discuss the current state of Pennsylvania agriculture, including emerging issues and opportunities. A question-and-answer session will take place after opening remarks. There will be limited space for a live audience, and those planning to attend online should register for the webinar to receive the link.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Panel Discussion: Growing the Next Generation, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 1-2:30 p.m., Red Barn Annex.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will host a panel discussion with young agriculturalists to hear their perspectives on opportunities and challenges in the ag industry. From education and workforce, to marketing and advocacy, to innovation and technological advancements, growing the next generation of leaders is critical to Pennsylvania's future. There will be limited space for a live audience.

Joint Informational Meeting of the Pennsylvania House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 10 a.m.-noon, Red Barn Annex.

This session focusing on the federal farm bill is open to the public.

Update from U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2-3:30 p.m., College Exhibits Building Theater.

Rep. Glenn GT Thompson (Pa.-15), chair of the House Agriculture Committee, will provide the latest updates from Washington and highlight the committees work to reauthorize the federal farm bill. This session will include a question-and-answer period.

Elsewhere on the grounds, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Building will house exhibits and presentations covering several state initiatives, such as programs in animal and plant health, food assistance, food safety, farmland preservation, PA Preferred, and urban farming.

Other exhibit areas will afford visitors opportunities to learn about governmental services and programs that may help them address production or economic challenges. Among state and federal agencies represented at the event will be the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; the state Department of Environmental Protection; the Pennsylvania Game Commission; and several U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, including the Agricultural Research Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Farm Service Agency, and National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Sponsored by Penn States College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, located 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 9; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 10; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 11. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can find and share information about the event by using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and the event also can be found on Facebook (@AgProgressDays).

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Farm bill, agricultural policy the focus of Ag Progress Days events - Pennsylvania State University

Bronny James is on the road to recovery, as he's been officially discharged from the hospital.

On July 27,Cedars-Sinai Medical Group released a statement giving an update on LeBron James' eldest son, who suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday, July 24.

"Thanks to the swift and effective response by the USC athletics medical staff, Bronny James was successfully treated for a sudden cardiac arrest," the medical center that treated theUniversity of Southern California basketball star said in a statement."He arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center fully conscious, neurologically intact and stable."

The update continued, "Mr. James was cared for promptly by highly-trained staff and has been discharged home, where he is resting."

As for howBronny, 18, is doing in the aftermath of the health scare? The statement noted, "Although his workup will be ongoing, we are hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support. "

This update comes hours after LeBron, the star of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, gave his own health update for Bronny. "I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers," he wrote on Twitter."We feel you and I'm so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love."

He added, "Will have more to say when were ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us!"

LeBron followed up this message on Instagram by sharing a sweet family photo from the 2023 ESPYS.

The upload garnered a positive reaction from LeBron's fans and famous friends. For example, Chance the Rapper dropped a simple heart emoji in the comments. ActressHolly Robinson Peetealso commented, "The Peetes Love Yall and are here for anything anytime."

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LeBron James' Son Bronny Is Finally Home After Cardiac Arrest - jacksonprogress-argus

Liquid biopsies have the potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and treatment decisions. Unlike biopsies that require removing tumor tissue, these tests use a simple blood draw to assess the molecular characteristics of cancer. Liquid biopsies can be done repeatedly and quickly, offering researchers a less invasive way to detect cancer earlier, watch how the disease is progressing, or predict which treatment may work best.

Liquid biopsies have been used primarily for lung, breast, and colorectal cancers. Recent research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) suggests these tests could soon be expanded to gynecologic cancers such as endometrial cancer (also called uterine cancer) and cervical cancer.

Our resources and molecular tests for the monitoring of gynecologic cancers remains limited,says MSK physician-scientist Sarah Kim, MD. Given our collective experience in using methods for liquid biopsies in other cancer types, we have a unique opportunity to improve the lives of people with gynecologic cancers.

Liquid biopsies usually involve the analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which are small fragments of DNA circulating throughout the body. The DNA is found in blood plasma as well as other bodily fluids, such as saliva and urine. In people with cancer, cfDNA shed from dying cancer cells can be analyzed to yield valuable information about the disease.

Liquid biopsies are challenging for some gynecologic cancers because the tumors do not shed nearly as much cancer DNA into the blood.

Since 2019, MSK has used its own in-house liquid biopsy test, MSK-ACCESS, to determine the genetic mutations (changes) driving the growth of a patients tumor. Doctors can use MSK-ACCESS results to sort patients into different risk categories or to choose a therapy that targets specific mutations. MSK-ACCESS has already provided important insights into several cancers, especially breast and lung cancers.

MSK scientists have recently made progress in using MSK-ACCESS for endometrial and cervical cancers.

A pilot study led by MSK scientist Britta Weigelt, PhD, and published in Clinical Cancer Researchshowed that detecting mutations in cfDNA in the plasma of people with newly diagnosed endometrial cancer could help with prognosis (predicting outcome) and monitoring of the disease. Another study led by Dr. Weigelt and Dr. Kim is currently assessing the value of cfDNA as a molecular marker for cervical cancer.

Liquid biopsies are challenging for some gynecologic cancers because the tumors do not shed nearly as much cancer DNA into the blood as some other cancers do.

People with early-stage gynecologic cancers often have relatively small tumors, and they are usually confined to the abdomen, Dr. Weigelt says. Some of them also dont spread through the blood as frequently as other cancer types. If they spread, it is often either through the lymphatic system or just directly, rather than traveling through the bloodstream.

This makes detecting cfDNA from cancer cells and distinguishing it from DNA shed into the bloodstream from normal cells a major challenge.

However, in recent years, researchers have refined the tests to become more sensitive and adept at detecting these DNA fragments like a stronger magnet pulling a needle out of a haystack. These advances have made it possible to pinpoint the scarce amounts of cfDNA from gynecologic cancers.

The endometrial cancer study led by Dr. Weigelt examined cfDNA in blood samples from 44 patients newly diagnosed with endometrial cancer. The samples were taken before the tumor was surgically removed and afterward for over two years. MSK-ACCESS showed the more advanced the stage, the higher the cancer cfDNA levels.

In six patients whose cancer returned, changes in cfDNA mirrored disease progression and response to therapy shown by cells in the primary tumor. This provides evidence that the liquid biopsy may supply reliable information about whether the disease was advancing or starting to resist treatment. In two patients, it signaled that the cancer was coming back before the disease could be detected clinically.

Our findings indicate that cfDNA analysis helps understand a patients prognosis as well as enables us to monitor the cancer progression and response to treatment, Dr. Weigelt says. As the next step, we are keen to take this forward to see which patient group would benefit the most from this approach. Wed like to see if it can be a valid test for predicting when endometrial cancer will recur or even occur for the first time.

Drs. Kim and Weigelt are now investigating cfDNA in cervical cancer. Despite advances in prevention, including the human papilloma (HPV) vaccine and the widespread adoption of screening guidelines, cervical cancer takes a major toll. Among gynecologic cancers in the U.S., cervical cancer is the third most diagnosed and the third leading cause of death.

A lot of people think of cervical cancer as a problem of the developing world, but at MSK, we still treat many patients with cervical cancer, Dr. Kim says. And just like with endometrial cancer, we dont have a good molecular marker that would show up in a blood test. More than one-third of women diagnosed with cervical cancer are at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited.

A new MSK study to assess the value of cfDNA as a cervical cancer biomarker has enrolled more than 50 people receiving treatment for the disease at MSK. In addition to looking at cfDNA levels and cancer-driving mutations, the study offers another avenue to explore. Could the liquid biopsy detect whether the cervical cancer is HPV-related the most common subtype?

A lot of cervical cancers are a direct result of being infected with a high-risk strain of HPV, Dr. Kim says. We want to see if the amount of virus in the cfDNA indicates whether the patient is at higher risk for recurring, or not responding to treatment. Were tackling that question in this study as well.

Drs. Kim and Weigelt say MSK has particular strengths that enable it to advance the research in this field primarily the large number of patients treated with gynecologic cancer and the in-house availability of MSK-ACCESS. Our team at MSK is embedded in a community of specialists who have been working with liquid biopsies for years, and we can capitalize on their expertise, Dr. Weigelt says.

[Chief of the Gynecology Service] Dr. Nadeem Abu-Rustum, MD, is very committed to pushing the research forward in gynecologic cancers, Dr. Kim says. Theres so much more to do to reduce the burden of these diseases on our patients.

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New Progress Using Liquid Biopsies to Analyze cfDNA for ... - On Cancer - Memorial Sloan Kettering