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 create new tool to identify genomic safe harbor sites in specific tissues

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have created a tool that can find safe places to introduce genes into human DNA.

22 Sep 2022

Study uncovers how air pollution can trigger lung cancer in individuals with no history of smoking

A new study revealed a link between air pollution and lung cancer in non-smokers.

13 Sep 2022

Pollutant particles in the air trigger lung cancer in non-smokers

A new mechanism has been identified through which very small pollutant particles in the air may trigger lung cancer in people who have never smoked, paving the way to new prevention approaches and development of therapies, according to late-breaking data [to be] reported at the ESMO Congress 2022 by scientists of the Francis Crick Institute and University College London, funded by Cancer Research UK. The particles, which are typically found in vehicle exhaust and smoke from fossil fuels, are associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk, accounting for over 250,000 lung cancer deaths globally per year.

12 Sep 2022

Study paves new way to develop a predictive biomarker for TRAIL therapy

A cytokine named TRAIL binds to TRAIL receptors and kills cancer cells, but not normal cells. Therefore, various anticancer drugs targeting TRAIL receptors have been developed and gained great attention as a promising cancer therapeutics, but a certain population of cancer patients does not respond to the therapy.

15 Aug 2022

Study evaluates the tumor-modulatory effects of opsins on melanoma cancer

Melanopsin (OPN4) is a light-sensing protein found in skin and retina cells. A new study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil suggests that OPN4 can also participate in the development and progression of melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer.

10 Aug 2022

A genome-wide catalog of rare copy-number variant associations for 54 disease phenotypes

A recent study published in Cell illustrated a human genome map with dosage sensitivity across disorders.

9 Aug 2022

UAB researchers report a potential treatment for ARID1A-deficient bladder cancer

Metastatic bladder cancer is generally incurable, so new therapies are an urgent need. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham now report a potential treatment for a quarter of bladder cancers.

4 Aug 2022

New discovery may open the door to targeted treatments for two types of rhabdomyosarcoma

A gene that UVA Health researchers discovered is responsible for the deadliest type of brain tumor is also responsible for two forms of childhood cancer, the scientists have found.

28 Jul 2022

Scientists find a promising new combination therapy for certain types of lung tumors

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have found that using immunotherapy alongside a drug that blocks a common gene mutation in lung cancer could be a promising new combination therapy for certain types of lung tumors.

20 Jul 2022

Hollings researcher awarded grant to continue research into mechanisms behind medulloblastoma relapse

When MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Jezabel R. Blanco, Ph.D., began studying neurosciences, first as a graduate student and later as a postdoctoral fellow, her research was focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying brain disease, both in the context of neurodegeneration and cancer, but mostly from a basic research angle.

20 Jul 2022

Elephant genes could offer new clues to preventing cancer development

Scientists modeling the cancer-suppressing p53 gene identify how the 20 different molecules unique to elephants get activated for increased sensitivity and response against carcinogenic conditions - with implications for cancer treatments in humans.

19 Jul 2022

Researchers unravel how epithelial cells become invasive and cancerous

Epithelial cells, which line the surfaces and organs of the body, can protect themselves against cancer by removing unhealthy or abnormal cells through a mechanism known as "apical extrusion," where the damaged cells are forcibly removed from the cell layer by the surrounding healthy cells.

11 Jul 2022

Study elucidates the molecular mechanisms of acetylcholine for learning and memory

Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neuromodulator with a central role in aversive learning-;rapid conditioning to unpleasant smell, taste, or touch.

28 Jun 2022

MD Anderson announces collaborative alliance with Turning Point Therapeutics to advance new treatment options for cancer patients

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Turning Point Therapeutics, Inc., today announced a strategic research and development alliance to expand the evaluation of two of Turning Point's investigational small molecules focusing on precision medicine targets well known in oncology.

24 Jun 2022

Wistar scientists discover a new way to boost a person's immune response to tumors

Due to the development of resistance to chemotherapy and recurring tumors, patients with ovarian cancer often have low survival rates.

21 Jun 2022

Scientists explore brainstem circuits to find nausea intervention strategies

In a new study, researchers uncovered the organization of nausea-associated brainstem circuits to show that selectively blocking the excitatory neurons responsive to nausea-promoting growth/differentiation factor 15 suppresses nausea-related behaviors.

20 Jun 2022

Study: Nearly 43% of patients with KRAS-mutated lung cancer respond to experimental drug adagrasib

Nearly 43% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose lung cancers harbored a specific KRAS mutation responded to the experimental drug adagrasib, and the targeted agent also showed activity against lesions in the brain that metastasized from the lung tumors, according to results of a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators.

3 Jun 2022

HMA therapy for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome could potentially activate a sleeping oncogene

Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are currently used as a first-line treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) - a group of disorders where there is insufficient production of healthy mature blood cells in the bone marrow - and increasingly in other diseases, but their mechanism of action remains unclear.

26 May 2022

Researchers reveal novel tumor–macrophage interactions that promote peritoneal metastasis of ovarian cancer

A research team at the School of Biological Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, has revealed novel cellular and molecular interactions between cancer cells and tumor-associated macrophages that promote peritoneal metastasis of ovarian cancer.

25 May 2022

Biodegradable, non-ionic polymeric nanovesicles efficiently encapsulate and deliver siRNA

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, hold promise to treat tumors, through their ability to specifically knock down oncogenes that promote tumor growth, without the toxicity that accompanies chemotherapy. However, the siRNAs need a delivery vehicle to protect them from degradation and clearance on their journey through the bloodstream to the cancer tumor.