Novel way to disarm cancer protein identifiedNovember 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at US Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered a novel way to disarm a protein thought to play a key role in leukaemia and other cancers. The protein in question, called Notch, is often found to be damaged or mutated in patients with a form of blood cancer known as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), reports the BBC.
Drug 'can shrink lung cancer tumours'November 11th, 2009 more imagesWASHINGTON - Scientists from the Imperial College of London have found a promising drug for the treatment of an aggressive form of lung cancer. The drug eliminated small cell lung cancer tumours in 50 percent of mice, and blocked the cells' ability to resist standard chemotherapy treatment.
Common weed may help shed light on aging, cancerOctober 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A common weed related to cabbage, radish and mustard plant family may provide vital clues on human aging and cancer, say researchers. The research team from Texas A and M University and the University of Cincinnati (UC) examined the telomeres of Arabidopsis, a plant found throughout the world, and discovered a new set of essential telomere proteins.
New pathway may explain link between alcohol, cancer spreadOctober 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from Rush University Medical Center have identified a cellular pathway that might help explain the link between alcohol and cancer spread. The study showed that alcohol stimulates what is called the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, in which run-of-the-mill cancer cells morph into a more aggressive form and begin to spread throughout the body.
Skin cells may act as early warning for cancerOctober 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Cancer is such a complex genetic disease that one has to sequence a person's complete genome in order to predict his or her risk. But a recent study reveals that the risk may be more simply determined by inexpensively culturing a few skin cells.
Scientists identify genes behind increasingly common form of cancerOctober 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Two genes believed to play a role in the development of endometrial cancer have been identified by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The discovery could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of this increasingly common form of cancer.
Newly discovered tumour suppressor destroys key link in cancer chainOctober 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A tumour-suppressing protein, called KEAP1, destroys an important cancer-promoting enzyme, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found.
New therapeutic target for Alzheimer's identifiedOctober 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A Purdue University researcher has identified a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease. Researcher Sandra Rossie, a professor of biochemistry, found that the amount of an enzyme present in neurons can affect the mechanism thought to cause cell death in Alzheimer's disease patients and may have applications for other diseases such as stroke and heart attack.
Chemo cocktail blocks breast cancer spreadOctober 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that breast cancer drug, when combined with another drug used to treat leukaemia, can help stall the spread of cancer to organs. When breast cancer spreads or metastasizes, it crashes through the body's protective fences.
Gene critical to cancer cell survival identifiedOctober 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - University of York claim to have identified a gene that appears to play a crucial role in cancer cell survival. The researchers have used a process called RNA interference to target the JNK2 gene in both cancer and healthy cells.
Gene that regulates breast cancer metastasis identifiedOctober 6th, 2009 LONDON - Wistar Institute scientists have identified a gene called KLF17, which appears to be involved in the spread of breast cancer throughout the body. "Identifying the gene that suppresses the spread of tumor cells and the mechanisms by which this suppression occurs can lead to the discovery of new markers of metastasis and potential targets for cancer prevention and treatment," Nature quoted Dr Qihong Huang, assistant professor at The Wistar Institute and senior author of the study as saying.
Protein that supports aggressive breast cancer growth identifiedOctober 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have demonstrated that a protein may be required for some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer to grow. The findings, based on the study of a mouse model of breast cancer, have been presented in a recent issue of Cancer Research.
Scientists detect chink in virulent stomach bug's armourOctober 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have detected a crack in the armour of the Helicobacter pylori, a common microbe that infects the stomachs of one-sixth of the world's population, causing gastritis and ulcers. They identified a group of substances that block a key chemical pathway that the bacteria need for survival.
New 'on-off switch' mechanism stops cancer's spread in miceSeptember 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have shed light on an "on-off switch" mechanism that can help stop cancer in its tracks. Experts at Yale School of Medicine and Sichuan University, China, experimented on mice and found that an RNA molecule from an area of the genome, which does not produce proteins, prevents a type of tumour-suppressor protein (TSP) from inactivating incipient cancer genes.
FDA panel says Allos Therapeutics drug will benefit patients with rare form of lymphomaSeptember 2nd, 2009 FDA panel backs Allos Therapeutics' cancer drugWASHINGTON — Federal health experts voted Wednesday in favor of an experimental cancer drug from Allos Therapeutics for patients with a rare form of cancer. A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said the agency's panel of oncology experts voted 10-4 that the company's drug pralatrexate would likely benefit patients with T-Cell lymphoma.
