Oncogene News and Research

RSS

An oncogene is a gene that, when mutated or expressed at high levels, helps turn a normal cell into a tumor cell.

Study illuminates roles of two nearly identical proteins in cancer development

Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered a basic mechanism that can enable developing cancer cells to sustain abnormal growth. The finding is expected to lead to the targeting of this mechanism with drugs and diagnostic techniques.

7 Jul 2011

Scientists reveal that 'detox' protein could trigger pancreatic, lung cancer development

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have revealed that a 'detox' protein which mops up harmful 'reactive oxygen' in cells could also trigger pancreatic and lung cancer development, according to a study published in Nature, today.

7 Jul 2011

New insight into tumor biology

Cancer cells are well known for their altered metabolisms, which may help them generate the energy they need for rapid growth. Using an emerging imaging technology, researchers reporting in the July Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, have discovered that those metabolic shifts actually develop even before detectable tumors form.

6 Jul 2011

LCMC finds 9.6% of lung cancer patients with ALK rearrangement

ALK rearrangement has been found in 9.6% of lung cancer patients tested in the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium, and MET amplification in another 4.1%, reflecting how many patients might benefit from targeted therapies such as crizotinib, according to research presented at the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Amsterdam, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

5 Jul 2011

Six new scientists to receive SWCRF grants for cancer research

This year, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation awarded individual grants to six new researchers in addition to funding 18 collaborative grants and three ongoing individual grants. The Foundation expanded its scientific grants program to a total of more than $3.1 million.

1 Jul 2011

Researchers demonstrate how Runx3 protein could suppress breast cancer tumor growth

Researchers have identified a protein long known to regulate gene expression as a potent suppressor of breast cancer growth. Their study, in the journal Oncogene, is the first to demonstrate how this protein, known as Runx3, accomplishes this feat.

27 Jun 2011

Growth-braking tumor-suppressor gene slows growth of childhood brain tumors

Johns Hopkins researchers have found a likely explanation for the slow growth of the most common childhood brain tumor, pilocytic astrocytoma. Using tests on a new cell-based model of the tumor, they concluded that the initial process of tumor formation switches on a growth-braking tumor-suppressor gene, in a process similar to that seen in skin moles.

24 Jun 2011

Los Alamos National Lab scientists win three R&D Magazine's 2011 awards

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have won three of R&D Magazine's 2011 R&D100 Awards. Recognized as the "Oscars of Invention" by the Chicago Tribune, these awards honor the top 100 proven technological advances of the past year.

23 Jun 2011

Celgene announces data from REVLIMID plus rituximab Phase II study on malignant lymphomas

Celgene International Sàrl announced that clinical data from a Phase II study, conducted by investigators from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, evaluating the combination regimen of REVLIMID plus rituximab (R2) in untreated, advanced stage, indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, were presented at the 11th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma in Lugano, Switzerland.

18 Jun 2011

Oncogene Aurora A may contribute to polycystic kidney disease

The Aurora A kinase may contribute to polycystic kidney disease (PKD) by inactivating a key calcium channel in kidney cells, according to a study in the June 13 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology.

13 Jun 2011

Avvo.com, cites top 10 most popular medical specialty categories based on website's patient usage

Avvo (www.avvo.com), the world's largest online directory for doctors and lawyers that provides free rankings for 90% of the working physicians in the U.S., today revealed the most popular medical specialty categories based on Q1 2011 metrics quantifying patient participation in Avvo's online services that include searching Avvo's physician directory, asking health related questions in the Q&A forum, and submitting reviews on their doctors' Avvo profiles.

9 Jun 2011

Researcher finds thyroid cancer gene inhibits spread of malignant cells

A mutant gene long thought to accelerate tumor growth in thyroid cancer patients actually inhibits the spread of malignant cells, showing promise for novel cancer therapies, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

6 Jun 2011

Response Genetics' clinical approaches to improve cancer care to be presented at ASCO 2011

Response Genetics, Inc., a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, announced today five presentations to be held during the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL from June 3 to June 7, 2011.

4 Jun 2011

PCF funds 14 new Creativity Awards for advanced prostate cancer research

The Prostate Cancer Foundation today announced that it has funded 14 new Creativity Awards for advanced prostate cancer research. These two-year awards are designed to support innovative research ideas that have the potential to achieve breakthroughs for improved prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

2 Jun 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim's new afatinib-cetuximab phase Ib data in NSCLC presented at ASCO 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will present new phase Ib data at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago that indicates combining its investigational therapy afatinib with cetuximab at the maximum tested dose controlled disease in all (n=22) treated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutation positive patients with non-small cell lung cancer who developed acquired resistance to treatment with a reversible EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

26 May 2011

New technique can detect minute traces of tumoral DNA in biological fluids

It will perhaps be possible, in the near future, to detect cancer by a simple blood or urine test. In fact, biologists from CNRS, Inserm, Paris Descartes and Strasbourg universities have developed a technique capable of detecting minute traces of tumoral DNA present in the biological fluids of patients suffering from cancer.

23 May 2011

Rally Foundation distributes $700,000 nationwide to support childhood cancer research

Rally Foundation, a national non-profit organization committed to research to fight childhood cancer, has announced its annual funding allocation for 2011 and has selected 15 hospitals across the country to receive more than $700,000.

19 May 2011

Over-activation of single gene promotes leukemia, but its loss causes liver cancer

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital in China, say a human gene implicated in the development of leukemia also acts to prevent cancer of the liver.

17 May 2011

Researchers untangle two distinct ways in which tumor-suppressor protein works

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have untangled two distinct ways in which a common, naturally occurring "tumor-suppressor" protein works.

13 May 2011

Zebrafish research identifies undiscovered high-risk genetic features in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia

Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer; it also occurs in adults. Now researchers working with zebrafish at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have identified previously undiscovered high-risk genetic features in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL), according to an article published online May 9, 2011, in the cancer research journal Oncogene.

11 May 2011