Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Slime mold provides key to understanding directional ability of immune cells

How white blood cells in our immune systems home in on and engulf bacterial invaders--like humans following the scent of oven-fresh pizza--has long been a mystery to scientists.

28 May 2016

Researchers demonstrate decisive role of cholesterol in T cell activation

T cell receptors are an important part of the human immune system. They are able to switch their conformation from an inactive to an active state spontaneously without any antigens present.

28 May 2016

New CRISPR-EZ method makes genome editing much easier in mice

University of California, Berkeley scientists have developed a quicker and more efficient method to alter the genes of mice with CRISPR-Cas9, simplifying a procedure growing in popularity because of the ease of using the new gene-editing tool.

28 May 2016

Certain HLA genes may increase ovarian cancer risk in women

Researchers in the Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park Cancer Institute have evaluated the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), a group of genes that help regulate the body's immune system, for underlying differences in ovarian cancer patients' response to therapy.

28 May 2016

Combining VCA with organ transplants improves patient outcomes

Simultaneous transplantation of a "composite" skull and scalp flap plus a kidney and pancreas—all from the same donor—provided excellent outcomes for a patient with a non-healing scalp defect and declining organ kidney and pancreas function, according to a report in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

28 May 2016

Axumin approved for use in PET scans in patients with recurrent prostate cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Axumin, a radioactive diagnostic agent for injection. Axumin is indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence based on elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels following prior treatment.

28 May 2016

Applying deep neural networks to predict pharmacologic properties of drugs and drug repurposing

Deep learning, frequently referred to as artificial intelligence, a branch of machine learning utilizing multiple layers of neurons to model high-level abstractions in data, has outperformed humans in tasks including image, text and voice recognition, autonomous driving and others, and is now being applied to drug discovery and biomarker development.

28 May 2016

Researchers develop new drugs for melanoma

Finding new, more effective and personalised treatments for cancer is the challenge of many researchers. A challenge that has been successfully met by a team from Inserm led by Stéphane Rocchi, which has just synthesised and developed new drugs for melanoma.

28 May 2016

Study identifies potential new treatment for subset of gastric cancer patients

Testing cancers for 'addiction' to a gene that boosts cell growth can pick out patients who may respond to a targeted drug under development, a major new study reports.

28 May 2016

Increasing specific microRNA levels can restore chemotherapy sensitivity in pancreatic cancer cells

By increasing the level of a specific microRNA (miRNA) molecule, researchers have for the first time restored chemotherapy sensitivity in vitro to a line of human pancreatic cancer cells that had developed resistance to a common treatment drug.

27 May 2016

Study finds that TPC2 protein regulates melanin production

A year and a half ago, researchers at Brown University found a molecular gas pedal for melanin production. Now they've found a brake. For scientists, the finding deepens not only the basic understanding of how eyes, skin and hair gain color, but also what perhaps can be done in disorders, such as albinism, when that doesn't happen.

27 May 2016

Cell phone radiation exposure may lead to increased rates of rare cancers

According to new report from Microwave News, the U.S. National Toxicology Program has found increased rates of rare cancers of the heart and brain in animals exposed to cell phone radiation in a long-awaited multi-million dollar two-year study.

27 May 2016

Salk scientists discover REV-ERBα protein that controls strength of circadian rhythm

At noon every day, levels of genes and proteins throughout your body are drastically different than they are at midnight. Disruptions to this 24-hour cycle of physiological activity are why jet lag or a bad night's sleep can alter your appetite and sleep patterns for days--and even contribute to conditions like heart disease, sleep disorders and cancers.

27 May 2016

Healthy lifestyle may help women reduce chances of developing breast cancer

Women with a high risk of developing breast cancer based on family history and genetic risk can still reduce the chance they will develop the disease in their lifetimes by following a healthy lifestyle, new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

27 May 2016

Meta-genomics analysis tool Taxonomer can rapidly and accurately detect pathogens

Scientists at the University of Utah, ARUP Laboratories, and IDbyDNA, Inc., have developed ultra-fast, meta-genomics analysis software called Taxonomer that dramatically improves the accuracy and speed of pathogen detection.

27 May 2016

Novel way of directly activating Bak protein can trigger cell death

Melbourne researchers have discovered a new way of triggering cell death, in a finding that could lead to drugs to treat cancer and autoimmune disease.

27 May 2016

Scientists debate role of AAV in causing hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer can be triggered by mutations in cancer driver genes resulting from the insertion of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors used to deliver therapeutic genes, although this tumor-inducing role of AAV remains highly controversial.

27 May 2016

Metabolic characteristics of CRPC may open new avenues for treatment

Advanced prostate cancer is usually treated by removing androgen, the male hormone that helps it grow. Although initially effective, this treatment often leads to the tumor becoming castration resistant- a lethal condition.

27 May 2016

Gene expression patterns of normal tissue may predict survival rates of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients

Breast tissue surrounding tumors could be used to gauge future survival outcomes for women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, a study led by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers has found.

27 May 2016

Free screening colonoscopies for uninsured, high-risk CRC patients may help in early detection of cancer

For uninsured patients who are at a high risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), performing free screening colonoscopies can identify cancer at an earlier stage and appears to be cost neutral from a hospital system perspective, according to study results published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons ahead of print publication.

27 May 2016