Protein C News and Research

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Four-protein complex provides new target for thwarting cancer migration, invasion

The molecular machinery that switches on a gene known to cause breast cancer to spread and invade other organs has been identified by an international team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The paper was published Sunday in Nature Cell Biology's advanced online publication.

16 Apr 2010

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

A team of scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a network of genes that initiate and manage cilia formation. Although scientists have known about cilia for decades, only recently have they discovered their role in disease. This new discovery, which may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies, will appear in the April 15 edition of Nature.

16 Apr 2010

Research may help develop simplified test for early detection of breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Arkansas are building a library of synthetically produced antibodies that can detect and rapidly validate proteins secreted by breast cancer cells. Their work will accelerate the process of developing a simple blood test for early detection of breast cancer.

16 Apr 2010

High sensitivity of Zetasizer Nano proves essential for protein aggregation studies

Dr Martin Muschol, Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida’s (USF) Department of Physics and his team are carrying out important research to gain a better understanding of protein aggregation phenomena, including protein crystallization and amyloid fibril growth. Using the Zetasizer Nano ZS, from Malvern Panalytical (Malvern Panalytical, UK), the USF researchers have been able to perform temperature controlled static and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements of protein hydration, protein interactions and aggregation kinetics in vitro.

From Malvern Panalytical 15 Apr 2010

Study links cancer growth to sugar-based modification found naturally in the body

Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine have discovered that a certain type of sugar found naturally in the body is elevated in breast cancer cells and is critical for cancer growth and movement. When researchers reduced and normalized the levels of this sugar, they were able to slow the growth of the cancer cells and block invasion. The findings, published in the March 1 issue of Oncogene, represent a potential new therapeutic target for treating aggressive forms of breast cancer.

15 Apr 2010

Tumor suppressor, Retinoblastoma, represses DNA replication genes during cellular senescence

A frequently mutated gene in human cancers is the reitnoblastoma (RB) gene, which controls a potent tumor suppression pathway.

15 Apr 2010

New computer simulation technique could speed up drug discovery process

Scientists here are taking the trial and error out of drug design by using powerful computers to identify molecular structures that have the highest potential to serve as the basis for new medications.

15 Apr 2010

Gene defect promotes aggressive forms of ovarian cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have discovered how mistakes in a key gene drive the early stages of aggressive ovarian cancers. This could improve diagnosis of aggressive forms of the disease and lead to new treatments, according to a study published in the Journal of Pathology this month.

15 Apr 2010

Phase I clinical trial of DFMO initiated to treat children with neuroblastoma

A new Phase I clinical trial sponsored by the Vermont Cancer Center at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care has opened to test the investigational drug DFMO, or alpha-difluoromethylornithine, as a treatment for the pediatric cancer neuroblastoma.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers identify new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia

Researchers have identified a self-feeding "vicious circle" of molecules that keeps acute leukemia cells alive and growing and that drives the disease forward.

15 Apr 2010

eRNA molecules are key players in brain development, says study

How does the brain work? This question is one of the greatest scientific mysteries, and neurobiologists have only recently begun to piece together the molecular building blocks that enable human beings to be "thinking" animals.

15 Apr 2010

New experimental compound offers hope for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Researchers from the Sackler Center at Weill Cornell Medical College have designed a new class of drugs that targets BCL6, a master regulatory protein responsible for causing the most common type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

15 Apr 2010

Molecular biologist awarded 2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Career Development Award

Molecular biologist Jonathan Brody, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, has been awarded a 2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - American Association of Cancer Research Career Development Award in memory of Skip Viragh.

15 Apr 2010

Trevena commences Phase I trial of TRV120027 biased ligand for acute decompensated heart failure

Trevena Inc., a leader in the discovery of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) biased ligands, today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial of TRV120027, a titratable i.v. agent designed for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure. TRV120027 is a biased ligand that targets the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and induces a unique mode of signaling.

15 Apr 2010

Study: New anti-cancer agents halt cancer metastasis

ke microscopic inchworms, cancer cells slink away from tumors to travel and settle elsewhere in the body. Now, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College report in today's online edition of the journal Nature that new anti-cancer agents break down the loping gait these cells use to migrate, stopping them in their tracks.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers discover two synthetic small molecule drugs to prevent death of human stem cell

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes.

13 Apr 2010

Inflammasome components help protect against colitis

Particular components of inflammasomes-protein complexes needed for generating immune responses to pathogens and cellular damage-lessen the severity of colitis and colitis-associated colon cancer in mice, according to a study published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

13 Apr 2010

Eight tips to keep families fit and healthy

With so many risk factors prevalent in today's society, parents are increasingly concerned about making sure their children don't fall prey to this alarming trend.

13 Apr 2010

Researchers invent zinc-stapled insulin to reduce insulin-related cancer risk

For millions of Americans with Type-2 diabetes and inject insulin to control diabetes (with onset typically in adulthood) the associated risk of cancer is of increasing concern. Studies have demonstrated that obesity and excess insulin - whether naturally produced by the body or injected in synthetic form - are associated with an increased incidence of some common cancers.

13 Apr 2010

CSL Behring calls for grant requests through LEAD program

CSL Behring, a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry, is calling for grant requests through its Local Empowerment for Advocacy Development program. The LEAD program awards funds to United States patient organizations that assist people with rare diseases in advocating for continued access to health care and life-saving plasma protein therapies.

13 Apr 2010