Conventional wisdom holds that cancer cells contain so many mutations that there’s no way to return them to the straight and narrow path of their normal neighbors. This has led to cancer treatments that focus on destroying or removing the cancerous cells.

But new research by Dean Felsher, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (oncology) and of pathology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, suggests that cancer cells can be reformed. His work, published in the Oc

Aston University in Birmingham, UK has just signed a long-term agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturing giant, Mayne Pharma Plc , to run the first dedicated medical manufacturing clean room in the region.

The room will be used to produce specialist cancer and other drugs and make them available across the Midlands. This will address the particular need in the region for aseptic facilities to support the preparation of pharmaceuticals with a short shelf life – particularly in

St. Jude studies showing that Mrp4 limits penetration of topotecan suggest that blocking this protein might increase access of anti-cancer drugs to tumor sites and improve treatment of brain cancer

A protein called Mrp4 blocks the access of the anti-cancer drug topotecan into the brain by transporting this agent back into the bloodstream, thus reducing the ability of this agent to reach tumors. Results from a series of studies by investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research H

Dutch researcher Marco Kruijt has discovered two resistance genes that were probably present in an ancestral tomato species, prior to the evolution of modern tomato species. The phytopathologist found these same two genes, which provide resistance against a certain fungus, in several wild tomato species.

Tomatoes resistant to the fungus Cladosporium fulvum possess the so-called Cf resistance genes. Kruijt investigated the evolution of these genes in wild tomato species. The rese

People who need cataract surgery, but don’t like the prospect of having their eyes sutured, may be in for some good news: A team of researchers has developed a novel, adhesive hydrogel that can be painted over incisions from cataract surgery and offers the potential for faster, improved repair, they say. The hydrogel may help avoid complications associated with sutures — the most common repair method for those types of incisions — or unsutured incisions that are left to heal on their own

Men and women with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer and they develop these cancers at younger ages than individuals without mental illness according to a study published in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

“This work is a piece in the larger puzzle of understanding the relationships between mental and physical health,” said Caroline Carney, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of psychiatry and medicine at the Indian

Program presented at American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual scientific meeting

Patients without time for a facelift or intimidated by surgery now have more minimally invasive options that produce effective results. Barbed sutures, ultrasonic body contouring and soft tissue fillers, three emerging trends in the plastic surgery industry, offer patients faster results without the downtime of surgery, according to a program held today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeon

Teenagers whose bodies have a decreased response to insulin might face an increased risk of high blood pressure as adults, according to a large, long-term study reported at the American Heart Association’s 58th Annual High Blood Pressure Research Conference.

Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose, a blood sugar. Insulin resistance occurs when the body begins to lose its ability to regulate glucose, which can lead to diabetes.

Researchers assessed insulin resist

Study presented at American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual scientific meeting

Botox, a household name for wrinkle reduction, could be assuming a new role as a pain reliever. In a study presented today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2004 conference in Philadelphia, women injected with Botox in the pectoral muscles following the surgical removal of their breast experienced significantly less pain and shorter hospital stays. “As surgeons, our t

According to Dutch researcher Pascal Groenen, a balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida. He investigated how different nutritional components affected the risk of developing this condition.

Low concentrations of myo-inositol, zinc or vitamin B12 in the blood or a slightly elevated glucose concentration in the blood increase the risk of having a child with the congenital abnormality spina bifida.

Myo-inositol (hexahydroxycyclohexane) plays an important

Dutch researcher Manon Franssen has shown that cells which heal the skin following an injury play an important role in the development of the skin disease psoriasis. In people with psoriasis, the skin peels much faster than normal so that it flakes and becomes inflamed.

Franssen investigated the transit amplifying cells in the uppermost layer of the skin. These cells develop from stem cells (general unspecialised cells) and specialise into skin cells when new skin cells are neede

Medical investigators at the Hospital for Special Surgery have identified an important new signaling pathway they believe could be a valuable target for scientists to aim at with future drug therapies that might one day reverse diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, according to a recent article published in “Nature Immunology.”

The chemical pathway involves the body’s responses to potent substances called cytokines which have dramatic influence on the progression, or rev

More than 150,000 children in the United States are affected by rheumatic diseases such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, dermatomyositis, scleroderma, and systemic vasculitis. Because of a shortage of pediatric rheumatologists in the country, a majority of these children are not followed by pediatricians trained in the subspecialty, often leading to improper diagnosis and treatment. In an effort to improve care for children affected by rheumatic disorders, the American Academy of Pediatri

Can signal neighbor cells to repair

A study published in the October 8 issue of Science describes a previously unsuspected capacity of embryonic stem cells to influence neighboring defective cells and restore their capacity to function normally. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center report that 15 embryonic stem cells injected into early embryos of mice whose hearts were genetically predisposed to develop a lethal defect, rescued the heart from developing the disorder

Biotech breakthroughs promise to save millions of lives per year; Experts call for global body to better use knowledge worldwide

New medical tools that quickly and accurately diagnose diseases like AIDS and malaria top a list of 10 biotech breakthroughs deemed most important for improving health in developing countries within the decade, science that will dramatically move the world towards its Millennium Development Goals for 2015, according to scientists and ethicists in a major

A deadly bacterium’s defense against a mortal molecular enemy illuminates the origins and structure of a vital protein involved in human cell signaling, University of Texas Medical School scientists report today in Science Express, the rapid online publication forum for the journal Science.

The paper also details how evolution transformed one of nature’s simplest molecules, nitric oxide (NO), from a toxin to anaerobic bacteria – the planet’s oldest life form – into a