Oncogene News and Research

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

Scientists rediscover Cyclin G1 gene as prime target for anti-cancer therapies

Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation, an emerging leader in the field of targeted genetic medicine, gained international validation of the cutting-edge science behind its lead oncology product, Rexin-G, when scientists around the world rediscovered the Cyclin G1 gene to be a major locus of cancer pathogenesis and disease progression, and thus a prime target for anti-cancer therapies.

16 Dec 2009

Scientists develop new model of skin cancer based on Src kinases

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a new model of skin cancer based on the knowledge that a common cancer-related molecule called Src kinase is activated in human skin-cancer samples.

11 Dec 2009

Cequent Pharmaceuticals' IND application for CEQ508 approved for clinical trial

Cequent Pharmaceuticals, a pioneer in the development of novel products to deliver RNAi-based treatments to prevent and treat human disease, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) approved Cequent's first IND (investigational new drug) application yesterday.

10 Dec 2009

Erbitux gaining market share of Avastin in Europe

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, despite its dominance in early lines of metastatic colorectal cancer treatment, Roche/Chugai's Avastin will face increasing competition from Bristol-Myers Squibb/Eli Lilly/Merck KGaA's Erbitux in Germany, France and Spain.

8 Dec 2009

New study reveals RNA may play a critical role in cancer treatment

Researchers from Yale University and Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., reversed the growth of lung tumors in mice using a naturally occurring tumor suppressor microRNA. The study reveals that a tiny bit of RNA may one day play a big role in cancer treatment, and provides hope for future patients battling one of the most prevalent and difficult to treat cancers.

7 Dec 2009

SU2C awards $9.68 million to support high-risk cancer research

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) announced today that it is awarding $9.68 million to support high-risk/high-reward cancer research conducted by 13 young scientists.

7 Dec 2009

'Twist' gene plays a key role in the development of breast cancer

Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins publishing in the December issue of Neoplasia have shown that a protein made by a gene called "Twist" may be the proverbial red flag that can accurately distinguish stem cells that drive aggressive, metastatic breast cancer from other breast cancer cells.

5 Dec 2009

Scientists discover mechanism by which E6 oncoprotein of high-risk HPV16 promotes carcinogenesis

In the 1980s, Harald zur Hausen and his co-workers discovered that specific types of human papillomavirus (HPV) cause cervical cancer. Scientists soon found out how these pathogens cause cells to degenerate. It is known today that the main culprits are viral proteins E6 and E7. Both proteins switch off different cellular control functions, thus promoting cell growth.

4 Dec 2009

Portuguese scientists identify a molecular mechanism that can lead to metastases in breast cancers

Portuguese scientists identified a molecular mechanism that can lead to metastases (spread of the cancer from the original site to other remote parts of the body) in breast cancers. Abnormally high levels of P-cadherin - an adhesion molecule that enables cells to bind together - occur in about a third of all breast cancers and are associated with poor prognosis.

1 Dec 2009

Faulty enzyme may contribute to malignant brain tumour formation

Around 70 per cent of people with a type of brain tumour - called a low-grade glioma - have a faulty version of an enzyme called IDH1. The mutation is also found in a significant proportion of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia.

25 Nov 2009

Mutated IDH1 gene linked to the progression of gliomas

23 Nov 2009

Mutated IDH1 gene has novel enzyme activity consistent with cancer-causing gene: Study

Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. This breakthrough discovery shows that the mutated form of IDH1 produces a metabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), which may contribute to the formation and malignant progression of gliomas, the most common type of brain cancers.

23 Nov 2009

Amniotic fluid stem cells have potential to become specialized cell types, say researchers

For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists originally thought.

23 Nov 2009

New biomarkers can predict patients' response to certain drugs

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics have led to the discovery of biomarkers that can predict patient response to certain drugs. Screening for mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGRF) prior to non-small cell lung cancer treatment, for example, has been shown to indentify patients who are likely to respond to treatment with erlontinib. This maximizes the drug's impact, and spares patients who are not likely to benefit from being subjected to potentially debilitating side effects.

19 Nov 2009

Cequent Pharmaceuticals proposes the first test of an orally administered RNA interference drug in humans

Cequent Pharmaceuticals, a pioneer in the development of novel products to deliver RNAi-based treatments to prevent and treat human disease, has announced that it has filed its first IND (investigational new drug) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

12 Nov 2009

Stapled Peptides directly inhibit the Notch transcription factor complex

Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company leading the development of a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptides, announced today that its collaborators, James E. Bradner, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Gregory L. Verdine, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, published research in Nature entitled, “Direct Inhibition of the Notch Transcription Factor Complex.”

12 Nov 2009

Stapled Peptides can inhibit key intracellular biological targets, says new research

Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company leading the development of a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptides, announced today that its collaborators, James E. Bradner, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Gregory L. Verdine, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, published research in Nature entitled, "Direct Inhibition of the Notch Transcription Factor Complex." Results presented in the paper showed that Stapled Peptides can potently and directly inhibit the transcription factor Notch, an oncogene implicated in cancer cell proliferation and survival.

12 Nov 2009

USPTO issues patent for Rosetta Genomics' human microRNA miR-193b

Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., a leading developer of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,592,441 to Rosetta Genomics. The patent relates to human microRNA miR-193b, as well as to complementary probes and vectors. This is the third patent issued to Rosetta Genomics by the USPTO.

6 Nov 2009

Cancer cells fueled by the mutant KRAS oncogene can be killed by blocking its genetic partner

Cancer cells fueled by the mutant KRAS oncogene, which makes them notoriously difficult to treat, can be killed by blocking a more vulnerable genetic partner of KRAS, report scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT.

26 Oct 2009

Professor Suzanne Cory receives award for her work in cancer and immunogenetics

Professor Suzanne Cory, the former director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, has been named the recipient of the 2009 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize.

24 Oct 2009