First-degree relatives of lung cancer patients have a 2 to 3.5 times greater risk of developing lung cancer than the general population, and tobacco smoke plays a major role, even among those with a genetic predisposition, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among men and women in many Western countries, according to background information in the article. Death due to lung cancer in the United States
Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a new technique that enables them to examine the genetic material of cells in greater detail than ever before, a finding that could lead to better ways to study and diagnose diseases.
The U of T research is published in the Dec. 22 issue of Molecular Cell. The new technique developed by the investigators uses a modified type of “gene chip” and a computer program to accurately monitor alternative splicing, a cellular process thro
St. Jude finding gives insights into how pneumonia bacteria ‘hijack’ a molecular shuttle that carries antibodies from the bloodstream and use this shuttle to invade the body
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have discovered that the shape of a protein on the surface of pneumonia bacteria helps these germs invade the human bloodstream. This finding, published Dec. 16 online by the EMBO Journal, could help scientists develop a vaccine that is significantly more
Evolution is something of a gamble: in order to stay a step ahead of a shifting environment, organisms must change or risk extinction. Yet the instrument of this change, mutation, carries a serious threat: mutations are hundreds of times more likely to be harmful to the organism than advantageous. Now, in a paper published online Nov. 28 in Nature Genetics, a team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science has shown one way that evolving organisms may be hedging their bets.
The discovery of a new compound by Michigan State University researchers could lead to improved chemotherapy treatments for different types of cancers – potentially with fewer side effects.
The discovery of the compound – known as SP-4-84 – was made by an MSU team led by Jetze Tepe, an assistant professor of chemistry, and is detailed in the December issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology. The researchers believe that the compound, when used in conjunction with chemotherapy
The DNA molecule–nature’s premier data storage material–may hold the key for the information technology industry as it faces demands for more compact data processing and storage circuitry. A team led by Richard Kiehl, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota, has used DNA’s ability to assemble itself into predetermined patterns to construct a synthetic DNA scaffolding with regular, closely spaced docking sites that can direct the assembly of circuits for processing
How the First Identified Epigenetic Disease Turns on the Genes That Produce its Symptoms
Sometime between the age of 6 and 18 months, after a period of seemingly normal development, girls affected with Rett Syndrome lose interest in play; they gradually become withdrawn and anxious, develop autistic-like behaviors, and acquire specific symptoms like repetitive teeth-grinding and hand-wringing. This devastating neurological disease affects one in 15,000 female children.
Perhaps George Washington wouldn’t have chopped down his father’s cherry tree if he knew what chemists now know. They have identified a group of naturally occurring chemicals abundant in cherries that could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. In early laboratory studies using animal pancreatic cells, the chemicals, called anthocyanins, increased insulin production by 50 percent, according to a peer-reviewed study scheduled to appear in the Jan. 5 issue of the America
Blocking a key molecule protects breast implants, permanent catheters, pacemakers, artificial joints, glucose sensors for diabetics, and other biomaterials from rejection and damage by the body, according to a study published this month in The American Journal of Pathology.
The more complicated the function of the implant, the more likely it is to be rendered non-functional due to damage induced by the body, said the lead author, Themis Kyriakides, assistant professor of pathol
In experiments in the lab and with guinea pigs, researchers from Johns Hopkins have found the first evidence that genetically engineered heart cells derived from human embryonic stem (ES) cells might one day be a promising biological alternative to the electronic pacemakers used by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Electronic pacemakers are used in children and adults with certain heart conditions that interfere with a normal heartbeat. However, these life-saving device
Paxceed shows therapeutic promise for diseases involving brain amyloids
In a preclinical efficacy trial, the cancer drug paclitaxel (Paxceed)–which exerts its effects by binding to and stabilizing microtubules inside cells–reduced the adverse effects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-like pathology in a mouse model. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine showed that the microtubule-stabilizing drug Paxceed helps correct the problems caused by clumped tau
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) could potentially be treated using their own stem cells that have been manipulated by gene therapy, suggests a study reported in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The authors, who represent five institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, demonstrate for the first time that human bone marrow-derived adult stem cells can be coaxed to differentiate into ai
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston have discovered that malignant melanoma, the potentially lethal skin cancer, can’t grow without a steady supply of a protein that normal cells can do without.
The findings, which are published in the December issue of Cancer Cell, suggest that drugs that cut off melanoma cells’ supply of the protein, called CDK2, might curb the growth of the dangerous skin cancer in patients, and with rela
Researchers have discovered that specific cancer-causing genes associated with leukemias can transform mature white blood cells into leukemic cells that have all the properties of stem cells. The findings are noteworthy because they show that certain leukemia oncogenes can commandeer and switch on genetic programs that govern self-renewal, one of the unique characteristics of stem cells.
The findings may also help explain why the cancer drug Gleevec, which targets the BCR-ABL enzy
Carbohydrates displayed on the surface of cells play critical roles in cell-cell recognition, adhesion, signaling between cells, and as markers for disease progression. Neural cells for instance use carbohydrates to facilitate development and regeneration and viruses recognize carbohydrates to gain entry into host cells. Identification of the specific saccharides involved in these processes is important to better understand cell-cell recognition at the molecular level and to aid the design of ther
A Swedish case where a certain type of stem cells has been transplanted to a foetus with a serious disease, was made public today. The results suggest that fetal mesenchymal stem cells may be a valuable source for transplantation and cell therapies.
A female foetus with multiple intrauterine fractures, diagnosed as severe osteogenesis imperfecta, was transplanted with HLA-mismatched mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the 32nd week of gestation. At 35 weeks, the baby girl was
Feedback
