Osteopontin News and Research

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Study reveals promising strategy against bladder cancer metastasis

The popular kids' card game "Exploding Kittens" teaches a concept critical to cancer science: When a player plays a "Nope" card, the subsequent player may lay another "Nope", thus creating a double-negative that becomes a positive, allowing the initial action to proceed.

12 Sep 2016

Researchers explore molecular mechanisms through which lead exposure may affect neural stem cells

Researchers have identified a potential molecular mechanism through which lead, a pervasive environmental toxin, may harm neural stem cells and neurodevelopment in children.

26 Aug 2016

Specific urine proteins may be indicators of acute kidney injury in preterm infants

A new study indicates that several proteins are excreted differently in preterm infants with kidney injury compared with those with healthy kidneys.

29 Jul 2016

Removing immunomodulatory protein improves symptoms of muscular dystrophy in mice

Removing an immunomodulatory protein called osteopontin improves the symptoms of mice with muscular dystrophy by changing the type of macrophages acting on damaged muscle tissue, according to a paper published in The Journal of Cell Biology.

19 Apr 2016

"Self-fitting" material precisely fills bone defects and acts as scaffold for new bone growth

Injuries, birth defects (such as cleft palates) or surgery to remove a tumor can create gaps in bone that are too large to heal naturally. And when they occur in the head, face or jaw, these bone defects can dramatically alter a person's appearance.

13 Aug 2014

FAK inhibitors prevent ovarian cancer progression

A team of scientists, led by principal investigator David D. Schlaepfer, PhD, professor in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that small molecule inhibitors to a protein called focal adhesion kinase (FAK) selectively prevent the growth of ovarian cancer cells as tumor spheroids.

20 Jun 2014

Protein helps leukemia cells avoid effects of chemotherapy by appearing dormant

A new study on how the progression of acute lymphocytic leukemia is influenced by the bone marrow environment has demonstrated for the first time that targeting a specialized protein known as osteopontin may be an effective strategy to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with this type of blood cancer.

16 Apr 2013

Osteopontin plays a role in X-linked hypophosphatemia

Diagnosed in toddlers, X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common form of heritable rickets, in which soft bones bend and deform, and tooth abscesses develop because infections penetrate soft teeth that are not properly calcified. Researchers at McGill University and the Federal University of Sao Paulo have identified that osteopontin, a major bone and tooth substrate protein, plays a role in XLH. Their discovery may pave the way to effectively treating this rare disease.

21 Feb 2013

Study shows how osteocalcin plays a significant role in bone strength

A new study from engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture.

11 Dec 2012

Liver x receptor plays an important role in diabetic nephropathy

Researchers have discovered a new therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of kidney failure.

19 Oct 2012

Biomarkers predict benefit of targeted therapy in metastatic renal-cell cancer

In metastatic renal-cell cancer, the level of cytokines and angiogenic factors identify those patients with an aggressive disease course who derive the greatest benefit from treatment with the molecular-targeted therapy pazopanib, a retrospective analysis of clinical trials shows.

10 Jul 2012

PRDM16 transcription co-factor plays a critical role in development of embryonic palate

In the United States, a baby is born with a facial cleft every hour, of every day of the year! Such birth defects result from both gene mutations and environmental insults. PRDM16 is a transcription factor originally described as being aberrantly activated in specific types of leukemia's, and more recently as a master regulator of brown adipose tissue differentiation.

3 May 2012

UCLA researchers identify chemical changes in brains of patients with early-onset Alzheimer's

With a lack of effective treatments for Alzheimer's, most of us would think long and hard about whether we wanted to know years in advance if we were genetically predisposed to develop the disease. For researchers, however, such knowledge is a window into Alzheimer's disease's evolution.

11 Jan 2012

Six young investigators receive IOF's Young Investigator Award for bone research

Six young investigators from the Middle East have been awarded prestigious grants in recognition of their top ranked research abstracts presented at the IOF Regionals - 1st Middle-East & Africa Osteoporosis Meeting.

22 Oct 2011

Actelion awards grants to 2011 ENTELLIGENCE young investigators for research in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. and the ENTELLIGENCE Steering Committee recognized four young researchers and their mentors for their efforts in advancing research in PAH. Each researcher will receive a 12-month mentored grant of up to $100,000 in support, funded through the ENTELLIGENCE program supported by Actelion. The announcement was made at an awards luncheon, during which the recipients of the 2011 awards gave an overview of their proposed work.

14 Jun 2011

Organic pollutants in flame retardents cause molecular changes in reproductive organs

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are chemicals that have been widely used as flame retardants and are now classified as persistent organic pollutants. Health concerns in humans have arisen based primarily on studies with laboratory animals exposed to high levels of PBDEs. Three commercial mixtures of PBDEs have been manufactured in or imported into the United States which include penta-, octa-, and deca-brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs).

15 Apr 2011

Plasma biomarkers can predict risk of metastasis in patients with melanoma

Scientists at Yale University have identified a set of plasma biomarkers that could reasonably predict the risk of metastasis among patients with melanoma, according to findings published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

15 Apr 2011

DMP1 protein prevents endothelial cells to respond to VEGF

A team from the Metastasis Research Laboratory (GIGA-Cancer/Liège University Hospital) has just published, in the prestigious journal BLOOD, their work demonstrating that the DMP1 protein has previously unsuspected anti-angiogenic activities which could be used for the development of new treatments against cancer, but also against diseases in which angiogenesis plays a major role, such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or diabetic retinopathy.

27 Jan 2011

'Margaret Foti Award' for best thesis in translational oncology established

The American Association for Cancer Research, in cooperation with the University of Catania Ph.D. Oncology Program and the Italian League Against Cancer of Catania, announces the establishment of the "Margaret Foti Award" for the best thesis in translational oncology. The first awards will be given on Dec. 2, 2010, in Catania, Italy.

1 Dec 2010

Researchers identify new type of cell that protects from immune system attack

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have identified a new type of cell in mice that dampens the immune system and protects the animal's own cells from immune system attack.

5 Oct 2010