Programmed Cell Death News and Research

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How does the brain control appetite?

Energy balance between energy intake and expenditure in our bodies is important for maintaining energy homeostasis to keep our bodies functioning properly. The appetite determines how much we eat, the energy intake, by communication between the brain and body.

4 Jan 2017

MMP9 enzyme could suppress tumors in colitis associated cancer, new study finds

An enzyme that plays an active role in inflammation could be a natural way to suppress tumors and ulcers in the colon that are found in colitis associated cancer (CAC), a type of colorectal cancer that is driven by chronic inflammation, according to a new study.

3 Jan 2017

Scientists find explanation for vulnerability of children to collateral damage from cancer treatment

Despite many successes in treating pediatric cancer, young children remain at high risk for developing severe, long-lasting impairments in their brain, heart, and other vital organs from chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In adults, however, these tissues are relatively spared.

22 Dec 2016

New study reveals IRBIT's role in facilitating apoptosis

Billions of cells in our bodies die every day in an important process called apoptosis. Now, researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have mapped out a sequence of events that are necessary for apoptosis to occur properly.

21 Dec 2016

Bioinformatics helps identify new, untested drug combinations for treatment of breast cancer

Based on the study of cell signalling networks, the cell signals that drugs alter when they reach their target molecule, an exhaustive in silico analysis of the pairing of 64 therapeutic agents used to treat breast cancer (half already in use and the other half in clinical testing phase) has allowed researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine to identify 10 new and previously untested combinations that hold potential for the treatment of breast cancer.

20 Dec 2016

Study highlights requirement of protein in initiation of apoptosis in uveal melanoma

New research from the University of Liverpool has identified the role of a specific protein in the human body that can help prevent the survival and spread of eye cancer, by initiating cancer 'cell-suicide'.

6 Dec 2016

New drug treatment can override genetic fault that causes choroideremia

Researchers with funding from Fight for Sight have demonstrated that a new drug treatment for cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy can override a genetic fault that causes choroideremia – a severe blinding disorder.

5 Dec 2016

Scientists discover unique genomic changes integral to testicular cancer development

Researchers led by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have identified unique genomic changes that may be integral to testicular cancer development and explain why the great majority are highly curable with chemotherapy - unlike most solid tumors.

1 Dec 2016

Study suggests new approach to treat white blood cells of sepsis patients

New research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, suggest that treating the white blood cells of sepsis patients with antibodies that block programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1) molecules may restore their function and ultimately their ability to eradicate deadly bacteria.

1 Dec 2016

BAG3 protein plays protective role by limiting reperfusion injury to the heart

The inability of cells to eliminate damaged proteins and organelles following the blockage of a coronary artery and its subsequent re-opening with angioplasty or medications - a sequence known as ischemia/reperfusion - often results in irreparable damage to the heart muscle.

17 Nov 2016

British and Malaysian scientists develop new, nontoxic copper catalyst for click chemistry in living organisms

Assembling a drug from harmless components at the target location, such as a tumor, would help reduce the side effects of treatment.

16 Nov 2016

Scientists show how key protein can be important driver of prostate cancer

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have demonstrated how a protein called TRAP1 - an important regulator of energy production in healthy and cancerous cells - is an important driver of prostate cancer and appears to be a valuable therapeutic target for the disease.

9 Nov 2016

New study raises serious safety concerns in clinical use of caspase inhibitors for liver injury

Many acute and chronic liver diseases, including alcoholic hepatitis, result from apoptotic (programmed) cell death mediated by the enzyme caspase.

20 Oct 2016

TSRI scientists elucidate how Zika virus attacks the brains of newborns

In a study that could one day help eliminate the tragic birth defects caused by Zika virus, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated how the virus attacks the brains of newborns, information that could accelerate the development of treatments.

17 Oct 2016

Penn researchers identify new immune system mechanism to fight against infections

The innate immune system serves as a first-line defense, responding to infections almost immediately after a pathogen makes its way into the body.

17 Oct 2016

BUSM scientists map active human apoptosome to provide better understanding of cell death

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, plays a central role in the maintenance of human health by providing a line of defense against unrestricted cell growth that occurs in many cancers and AIDS as well as in neurodegenerative diseases and stroke.

4 Oct 2016

Research shows how new ovarian cancer treatment could help boost anti-tumor immunity

Few effective treatments have been approved to treat ovarian cancer, the deadliest of all cancers affecting the female reproductive system.

3 Oct 2016

Bioactive compound from neem plant shows promising effects on prostate cancer

A team of international researchers led by Associate Professor Gautam Sethi from the Department of Pharmacology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore has found that nimbolide, a bioactive terpenoid compound derived from Azadirachta indica or more commonly known as the neem plant, could reduce the size of prostate tumour by up to 70 per cent and suppress its spread or metastasis by half.

29 Sep 2016

BET inhibitors could be powerful new therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer