Signaling Pathway News and Research

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Chemotherapy drugs also kill malaria parasite

A group of researchers from EPFL's Global Health Institute (GHI) and Inserm (Institut National de la Sant- et de la Recherche M-dicale, the French government agency for biomedical research) has discovered that a class of chemotherapy drugs originally designed to inhibit key signaling pathways in cancer cells also kills the parasite that causes malaria. The discovery could quickly open up a whole new strategy for combating this deadly disease.

9 Mar 2011

New insight into malaria

A group of researchers from EPFL's Global Health Institute and Inserm has discovered that a class of chemotherapy drugs originally designed to inhibit key signaling pathways in cancer cells also kills the parasite that causes malaria.

8 Mar 2011

Scientists discover how change in growth hormone activity leads to fatty liver disease

Scientists at the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute have discovered how a change in growth hormone activity in mice leads to fatty liver disease, a condition whose human counterpart is of rising concern worldwide.

2 Mar 2011

Scientists discover signaling pathway in brain to induce cellular leptin resistance

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a signaling pathway in the brain that's sufficient to induce cellular leptin resistance, a problem that decreases the body's ability to "hear" that it is full and should stop eating.

2 Mar 2011

Study: Rare genetic mutations may provide clues to improve treatment for schizophrenia

Scientists are eyeing a rare genetic glitch for clues to improved treatments for some people with schizophrenia - even though they found the mutation in only one third of 1 percent of patients.

25 Feb 2011

Gilead Sciences signs definitive agreement to acquire Calistoga for $375 million

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company focused on the development of medicines to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which Gilead will acquire Calistoga for $375 million.

22 Feb 2011

New study: Rapamycin reverses cardiac muscle damage in LEOPARD syndrome mouse model

Congenital heart diseases affect approximately one in 100 patients, making them the most common type of birth defect and the number-one cause of pediatric deaths.

21 Feb 2011

Scientists identify new cellular mechanism underlying hydronephrosis

One of the most common congenital defects in humans - it is detected in approximately 0.5% of fetuses analyzed by routine antenatal sonography - is a kidney abnormality known as hydronephrosis. Hydronephrosis arises because the flow of urine from the kidney to the bladder is impeded.

21 Feb 2011

Study explores role of proline containing peptides in inhibiting anti-apoptotic function of XIAP

Basic and translational research on cancer, and development of new cancer therapeutics, has focused on different aspects of cancer cellular function. One area of focus is the life and death of a cancer cell. Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a fundamental process of cells including cancer cells. The signal transduction pathways of apoptosis involve many different proteins and their interactions with each other.

16 Feb 2011

Study: Overexpression of EZH2 protein promotes breast cancer progression

An essential protein for normal stem cell renewal also promotes the growth of breast cancer stem cells when it's overproduced in those cells, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the February edition of Cancer Cell.

16 Feb 2011

Study unveils surprising mechanism that controls brain formation

A study from The Scripps Research Institute has unveiled a surprising mechanism that controls brain formation. The findings have implications for understanding a host of diseases, including some forms of mental retardation, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism.

10 Feb 2011

Topical cream used to treat skin diseases activates two distinct neuronal signaling pathways

Scratching deep beneath the surface, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and three South Korean institutions have identified two distinct neuronal signaling pathways activated by a topical cream used to treat a variety of skin diseases. One pathway produces the therapeutic benefit; the other induces severe itching as a side effect.

9 Feb 2011

Scientists unravel mystery about how new tumors in individuals with breast cancer take root

In a discovery that may lead to a new treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bone, a Princeton University research team has unraveled a mystery about how these tumors take root.

4 Feb 2011

International scientist team identifies gene mutation strongly linked to schizophrenia

In a major advance for schizophrenia research, an international team of scientists, led by Jonathan Sebat, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has identified a gene mutation strongly linked to the brain disorder - and a signaling pathway that may be treatable with existing compounds.

3 Feb 2011

National Jewish Health scientists identify signaling pathway for ALI

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a signaling pathway that is crucial to the devastating effects of acute lung injury. The data, obtained from cells, animals and ALI patients, suggest several potential therapeutic targets. Experimental blockade of one of the targets significantly reduced flooding of the lungs that is the hallmark of ALI.

31 Jan 2011

Research provides new clues for compulsive behavior, cognitive defects linked with LND

Research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine provides new clues for the compulsive behavior and cognitive defects associated with a rare childhood neurological disease called Lesch-Nyhan Disease.

29 Jan 2011

Interferon-alpha associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

Researchers in China have demonstrated interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For the first time, IFN-α priming was shown to promote lipid uptake and foam cell formation—a crucial step in plaque build-up. This activation of the IFN signaling pathway may be linked to the premature atherosclerosis risk in SLE.

27 Jan 2011

Researchers discover how Ras oncogene chooses a signaling pathway

The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 43,000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and more than 36,000 died from the disease. Despite advances in genetic science showing that the Ras oncogene is mutated in virtually all pancreatic cancers, scientists have been frustrated by the complexity of the signaling pathways in humans, which make it difficult to pinpoint potential therapeutic targets.

20 Jan 2011

Scientists demonstrate mechanism that explains why PSA levels promote prostate cancer

Researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute who have been studying prostate cancer cells for decades now think they know why PSA levels reflect cancer progression.

14 Jan 2011

Cells that give rise to neurons maintain high levels of ROS

For years, the majority of research on reactive oxygen species (ROS) - ions or very small molecules that include free radicals - has focused on how they damage cell structure and their potential link to stroke, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.

7 Jan 2011