Autophagy News and Research

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Autophagy is a normal process in which a cell destroys proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm (the fluid inside the cell membrane but outside the nucleus), which may lead to cell death. Autophagy may prevent normal cells from developing into cancer cells, but it may also protect cancer cells by destroying anticancer drugs or substances taken up by them.

Cancer Research UK, CRT and Astellas collaborate to find new drug targets for pancreatic cancer

Cancer Research UK and its commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology (“CRT”), are to join forces with Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo, President & CEO: Yoshihiko Hatanaka, “Astellas”) to find new drug targets in the fight against cancer, with an initial focus on pancreatic cancer.

8 Aug 2014

Penn physiologist receives Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from NIH

Erika Holzbaur, PhD, a professor of Physiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health.

6 Aug 2014

Autophagy prevents accumulation of toxic proteins associated with type 2 diabetes

People with Type 2 diabetes have an excess of a protein called islet amyloid polypeptide, or IAPP, and the accumulation of this protein is linked to the loss of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

25 Jul 2014

Elevated ASM activity linked to Alzheimer's disease

Unclogging the body's protein disposal system may improve memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a study from scientists at Kyungpook National University in Korea published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

22 Jul 2014

Enhancing autophagy in pre-diabetic patients has potential to prevent onset of diabetes

Diabetes affects almost 400 million people worldwide. One of the hallmarks of this disease is a loss of pancreatic β cells, which secrete insulin. In many patients the reduction of β cells is associated an accumulation of a toxic form of a protein produced by β cells, known as islet amyloid polypeptide.

21 Jul 2014

Scientists find single gene that plays surprising role in manipulating aging

It is something of an eternal question: Can we slow or even reverse the aging process? Even though genetic manipulations can, in fact, alter some cellular dynamics, little is known about the mechanisms of the aging process in living organisms.

18 Jul 2014

Increasing clearance of ALS misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival

In work supported by The ALS Association, researchers have shown that increasing the clearance of misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival. The study was published today in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

30 Jun 2014

CNIO researchers identify over 40 genes that predict aggressiveness of melanoma

Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered more than 40 genes that predict the level of aggressiveness of melanoma and that distinguish it from other cancers with a poor prognosis. The discovery, published in Cancer Cell, will help to identify unique aspects of melanoma that could contribute to determine the risk of developing metastasis in patients with this disease.

28 Jun 2014

New study on transmitophagy process may help treat diverse disorders

It's broadly assumed that cells degrade and recycle their own old or damaged organelles, but researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute have discovered that some neurons transfer unwanted mitochondria - the tiny power plants inside cells - to supporting glial cells called astrocytes for disposal.

18 Jun 2014

Supermodel mouse reveals critical role played by unknown gene that regulates metabolism

A lean "Supermodel" mouse type has revealed the potentially critical role played by a largely unknown gene that regulates metabolism, findings that could provide new insight into diseases ranging from diabetes to obesity, a new study by UT-Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggests.

21 May 2014

New dual-pronged approach for treating Niemann-Pick type C disease

By studying nerve and liver cells grown from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a potential dual-pronged approach to treating Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, a rare but devastating genetic disorder.

16 May 2014

Nimotuzumab enhances chemo-radiosensitivity by promoting autophagic cell death in ESCC cells

A study which will be published in the May 2014 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine was aimed at determining whether an EGFR-targeted therapy combined with chemo-radiotherapy can improve local tumor control effectively, compared to cytotoxic agents or irradiation alone.

14 May 2014

BrightFocus Foundation honors 5 outstanding scientists in fields of macular degeneration, glaucoma

The BrightFocus Foundation today honored five outstanding scientists in the fields of macular degeneration and glaucoma, presenting them with named research awards at an event during the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

6 May 2014

IRB Barcelona scientists develop new drug target to prevent muscle deterioration in certain diseases

In the study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), one of the journals with highest impact in experimental medicine, the researchers associate the activity of the DOR protein with muscle atrophy and point to DOR as a plausible target against which to develop a drug to prevent muscle deterioration in certain diseases.

10 Apr 2014

Inhibiting cancer-promoting prolactin causes unconventional cell death in preclinical research

Under stress from chemotherapy or radiation, some cancer cells dodge death by consuming a bit of themselves, allowing them to essentially sleep through treatment and later awaken as tougher, resistant disease.

4 Apr 2014

UT Southwestern professor honored with 2014 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research

Dr. Benjamin P. Tu, associate professor of biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, was honored today with the 2014 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research. Dr. Tu was recognized for innovative studies of once-unappreciated molecules that may someday improve treatments for cancer or conditions associated with aging.

28 Mar 2014

Discovery could lead to new medications for cancer, say Rice University scientists

A new understanding of proteins at the nexus of a cell's decision to survive or die has implications for researchers who study cancer and age-related diseases, according to biophysicists at the Rice University-based Center for Theoretical Biological Physics.

28 Mar 2014

Researchers review influence of lipid rafts on progression of Alzheimer's disease

Research over decades has implicated aberrant autophagy and lysosomal function as reliable markers and therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases.

27 Mar 2014

Initial stage of autophagy does not affect components of beclin 1 complex

Alteration of the autophagic process is involved in neurodegeneration. The beclin 1 complex is shown to play a key role in the initial stage of autophagy.