Cell Division News and Research

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Protein c-JUN protects both tumour accelerating gene and tumour suppressor gene

The process of cell division is tightly regulated, as mistakes may lead to cancer. The so-called c-JUN protein has been fingered as causing tumours in both skin and liver. It has long been known to have a direct role in reducing the expression of a gene (p53) that leads to the death of abnormal cells and to activate transcription of a further gene (CyclinD1) that directly promotes cell division.

28 Jun 2011

Redefinition of cardiac hypertrophy term needed

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Myocardial Function is calling for a redefinition of the term cardiac hypertrophy which is currently used to describe changes to the morphology (structure) of the heart. Instead the position paper, published online today in the European Journal of Heart Failure, suggests that use of the general term myocardial remodelling should be preferred.

27 Jun 2011

Health Canada grants market authorization for Sanofi-aventis Jevtana to treat prostate cancer

Sanofi-aventis announced today that Health Canada has granted market authorization for Jevtana injection in combination with prednisone for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, previously treated with a docetaxel-containing treatment regimen.

24 Jun 2011

Scientists reveal complex protein mechanism that regulates genes linked with cancer

Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and at IRB Barcelona reveal the mechanism of action of a protein that is essential for life and is associated with disease.

17 Jun 2011

JEM published paper identifies new gene mutations in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

A paper published online on June 13 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifies new gene mutations in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)—a disease often associated with lack of response to chemotherapy and poor overall survival.

14 Jun 2011

MCMs mediate crosstalk between cell division machinery and oxygen-sensing protein

13 Jun 2011

Scientists pioneer way to find more chromosomal aberrations in tumors

Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project scientists pioneer way to find more chromosomal aberrations in tumors; results likely to advance understanding of cancer.

13 Jun 2011

Cell division linked to oxygen levels: Johns Hopkins research

Cells grow abundant when oxygen is available, and generally stop when it is scarce. Although this seems straightforward, no direct link ever has been established between the cellular machinery that senses oxygen and that which controls cell division. Now, in the June 10 issue of Molecular Cell, researchers at Johns Hopkins report that the MCM proteins, which promote cell division, also directly control the oxygen-sensing HIF-1 protein.

12 Jun 2011

Research provides better understanding of interplay between genomes of malaria parasites, humans

For tens of thousands of years, the genomes of malaria parasites and humans have been at war with one another. Now, University of Pennsylvania geneticists, in collaboration with an international team of scientists, have developed a new picture of one way that the human genome has fought back.

10 Jun 2011

Scientists uncover new role for key cancer protein

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have uncovered a new role for a key cancer protein, a finding that could pave the way for more-effective radiation treatment of a variety of tumors.

10 Jun 2011

VCU Massey completes Bortezomib-Alvocidib Phase I clinical trial against blood cancers

Clinical researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center have successfully completed a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a combination of the drugs Bortezomib and Alvocidib in patients with relapsed or refractory blood cancers, paving the way for a Phase II clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of the new therapy.

3 Jun 2011

Scientists study key malaria protein structure to demonstrate how cells grow and move

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have overturned conventional wisdom on how cell movement across all species is controlled, solving the structure of a protein that cuts power to the cell 'motor'. The protein could be a potential drug target for future malaria and anti-cancer treatments.

31 May 2011

Leukemia protein plays a role in Alzheimer's disease

After decades of studying the pathological process that wipes out large volumes of memory, scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research discovered a molecule called c-Abl that has a known role in leukemia also has a hand in Alzheimer's disease.

25 May 2011

Scientists mimic dyskeratosis congenita through study of undifferentiated iPS cells

A rare genetic disease called dyskeratosis congenita, caused by the rapid shortening of telomeres, can be mimicked through the study of undifferentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

24 May 2011

Abcc10 might help counter resistance and extend effectiveness of anticancer drugs

Today's anticancer drugs often work wonders against malignancies, but sometimes tumors become resistant to the effects of such drugs, and treatment fails. Medical researchers would like to find ways of counteracting such resistance, but first they must understand why and how it happens.

17 May 2011

Simple, minimal invasive technique could help detect early-stage lung cancer

A simple, minimally-invasive technique using cells from the interior of the nose could help clinicians detect lung cancer in its earliest - and most treatable - stages, according to a study conducted by researchers in Boston.

16 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

Scientists uncover gene responsible for Adams-Oliver Syndrome

Scientists at King's College London have, for the first time, uncovered a gene responsible for Adams-Oliver Syndrome, a condition which can cause birth defects of the heart, limbs, or blood vessels.

13 May 2011

Treatment with estrogen-lowering drugs shrinks tumors and reduces mastectomy rates in breast cancer patients

In the first large trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have shown that estrogen-lowering drugs can shrink tumors and reduce mastectomy rates for patients with stage 2 or 3 breast cancer.

10 May 2011

FDA approves Novartis' Afinitor tablets for pancreatic NET treatment

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration approved Afinitor tablets for the treatment of progressive neuroendocrine tumors of pancreatic origin in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease.

6 May 2011