Igniting Immunity: Elias Sayour’s Patients Inspire Pioneering mRNA Cancer Vaccine Research

The look in her eyes and her next words would be etched forever in the mind of Elias Sayour, MD, PhD. Months earlier, the girl’s right leg was amputated, the…

World Cancer Day: Jess Finds Hope and Gratitude Through Advanced Cancer

Jess Thornton was vigilant about getting her cancer screenings. With a family history of breast cancer, she got breast imaging annually. In July 2024, a few…

Media Coverage of Study Finding COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Sparks Immune Response to Fight Cancer

On Oct. 22 in the journal Nature, MBI researchers published a study finding that patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA…

Gut bacteria molecule boosts lung cancer treatment response

January 5, 2026

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — UF Health Cancer Institute researchers have discovered a small compound produced naturally by gut bacteria that doubled the response to…

Study finds COVID-19 mRNA vaccine sparks immune response to fight cancer

October 22, 2025

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy drugs lived…

Physician Spotlight: Muhammad J. Tariq, MD, Champions New Treatments for Blood Cancers

Muhammad J. Tariq, MD, was drawn to hematology and oncology by the rapidly evolving science and the opportunity to help patients live full lives. After…

Surprising finding could pave way for universal cancer vaccine

July 18, 2025

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step…

Antibody-cancer drug combo shows promise against aggressive lymphoma

July 2, 2025

JUPITER, Fla. — Cancer-hunting antibodies coupled with a natural compound found in soil microbes proved a powerful combination against an aggressive type of…

Dave’s 12-Year Test of Strength

On a Friday in November 2011, 67-year-old Dave Hwalek noticed blood in his urine, which prompted him to schedule a doctor’s appointment. He remembers watching…

Physician Spotlight: Driven by the Hope of Improving Blood Cancer Outcomes

Dina Khalaf, MD, was drawn to biology in seventh grade as she learned about the impact of a hepatitis endemic in Egypt. She was moved by the need to help…