Retinoblastoma News and Research

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A retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor of the retina, occurring most often in young children below 5 years. In one of three cases it is bilateral i.e., affecting both eyes. About 250-350 new cases occur every year in the USA, in children younger than 15 years.

CHLA, Thermo Fisher Scientific agree to develop NGS-based panel for pediatric cancer research

Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Thermo Fisher Scientific have agreed to develop a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based panel designed specifically for pediatric cancer research. The assay would be CHLA's first NGS panel designed to target biomarkers associated with childhood cancers.

19 Feb 2016

Genetic profiling ‘feasible’ for paediatric cancer patients

Research published in JAMA Oncology demonstrates that tumour and germline molecular profiling is feasible in paediatric cancer patients and can have actionable findings.

2 Feb 2016

New studies provide insights into impact of vision loss among survivors of childhood cancers

Little is known about the long-term health of survivors of childhood cancers that affect vision, but two new studies provide valuable insights that could impact patient care and follow-up. The findings are published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

12 Jan 2016

Study paves way for development of novel cancer therapeutics

A team of scientists, comprising researchers from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, a research institute under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, and the VIB Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Biology, has revealed the mechanism by which tumor cells elevate levels of MDM4, a protein that is highly expressed in cancer cells but not in normal adult tissues.

16 Dec 2015

Research shows link between absence of RB protein and long-term survival rates in lung cancer patients

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, highlighting the number one cause of cancer-related death in North America. While prognosis for the most common form, adenocarcinoma, has remained poor, new research has shown a link between the absence of a specific protein and improved patient outcomes.

4 Nov 2015

Researchers receive NIH grants to find genomic regions containing variants that affect disease risk

Six new grants from the National Institutes of Health will support researchers to develop new computational approaches for searching among millions of genomic variants to find those that make a difference in disease susceptibility or in other traits.

23 Sep 2015

Recipients of GSA poster awards announced at 20th International C. elegans Meeting

The Genetics Society of America and the C. elegans research community are pleased to announce the recipients of the GSA poster awards at the 20th International C. elegans Meeting, which took place at the University of California, Los Angeles, June 24-28, 2015.

28 Jul 2015

Review article provides in depth survey of studies focusing on retinoblastoma protein's role in apoptosis

Retinoblastoma protein RB1, which is named after a form of pediatric tumor of the eye, is among the most common genetically regulated cellular proteins to malfunction in human cancer. RB1 was also the first tumor suppressor gene to be identified and its modes of inactivation in retinoblastoma tumors provided the basis for the ground-breaking two-hit hypothesis by the geneticist Alfred G. Knudson in the 70s, according to which cancer is due to the accumulation of multiple 'hits' or mutations in certain genes.

3 Jul 2015

St. Jude scientists develop new computer tool to find DNA duplications and deletions in tumors

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed a significantly better computer tool for finding genetic alterations that play an important role in many cancers but were difficult to identify with whole-genome sequencing.

5 May 2015

Winners of GSA poster awards announced at 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) and the Drosophila research community are pleased to announce the winners of the GSA poster awards at the 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, which took place in Chicago, IL, March 4-8, 2015.

10 Apr 2015

PCF announces Challenge Awards to support research on new treatment strategies for prostate cancer

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announces 3 new Challenge Awards to support discoveries for the treatment of lethal prostate cancer.

25 Feb 2015

CHLA pediatric expert answers questions about PTSD

PTSD. Four letters we immediately associate with soldiers and horrific wartime tragedies. But unfortunately, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect anyone who has experienced a traumatic event—including children with serious medical diagnoses.

23 Feb 2015

Cabazitaxel therapy may be more effective in treating prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer for men in the United States. Only one class of chemotherapy called taxanes is effective against the disease.

17 Feb 2015

Adults diagnosed with retinoblastoma as infants perform better on tasks, study finds

Most long-term survivors of retinoblastoma, particularly those who had been diagnosed with tumors by their first birthdays, have normal cognitive function as adults, according to a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study. The research, which appears in the current issue of the journal Cancer, found that the vast majority of survivors work full time, live independently and fulfill other milestones of adult life.

25 Nov 2014

Study: Adult survivors of retinoblastoma have few cognitive or social problems

Adult survivors of retinoblastoma, a type of eye cancer that usually develops in early childhood, have few cognitive or social problems decades following their diagnosis and treatment. That's the conclusion of a study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

24 Nov 2014

New technique for treating eye cancer retinoblastoma

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed a new technique for treating the eye cancer retinoblastoma to improve the odds for preventing eye loss, blindness or death in children with advanced forms of the disease.

14 Oct 2014

Researchers reveal why RB1 gene mutations primarily cause retinoblastomas in children

Retinoblastoma is a childhood retinal tumor usually affecting children one to two years of age. Although rare, it is the most common malignant tumor of the eye in children.

25 Sep 2014

UC Santa Cruz cancer researcher receives $350,000 to develop novel drugs for breast cancer

UC Santa Cruz cancer researcher Seth Rubin has received a $350,000 grant to fund his work toward the development of a new class of drugs for treating breast cancer. The grant is a Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award from the congressionally directed medical research programs of the U.S. Department of Defense.

19 Aug 2014

Oraya awarded NIH grant to study how gold nanoparticles can enhance Wet AMD treatment

Oraya Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that they have been awarded a $215,000 Small Business Technology Transfer Grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how Oraya Therapy, a low voltage stereotactic radiotherapy, and gold nanoparticles can further enhance the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (Wet AMD).

6 Aug 2014

Research helps explain why brain tumors occur more often in males

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why brain tumors occur more often in males and frequently are more harmful than similar tumors in females.

3 Aug 2014