Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

BRITONS risk dying prematurely from cancer due to ignorance

An NOP survey, released today by Cancer Research UK's Race for Life, reveals that only three per cent of those surveyed know that people who are overweight are more likely to develop cancer than people of normal weight, while 70 per cent are aware of the link with heart disease.

5 Apr 2004

New center enables genetic treatments and advances

A new state-of-the-art research facility dedicated to helping produce modified cells for treatment of cancer and other diseases recently opened at the Siteman Cancer Center.

1 Apr 2004

Fatty acid pathway, glucose produce triacetic acid lactone

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have designed a potential roadmap to use a biosynthetic pathway taken from a common microorganism to produce compounds that could serve as precursors to explosives or components in everyday devices such as liquid crystal displays or anti-cancer agents.

1 Apr 2004

Oxford Biomedica to win Department of Health gene funding

Oxford spinout Oxford Biomedica was yesterday awarded £0.5 million by the Department of Health to conduct the first British gene therapy haemophilia trial.

31 Mar 2004

How rat's genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans

An international research team, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced it has completed a high-quality, draft sequence of the genome of the laboratory rat, and has used that data to explore how the rat's genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans.

31 Mar 2004

DakoCytomation has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize pharmacogenomic diagnostic tests in the field of oncology

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. announced today a license agreement with DakoCytomation A/S (Glostrup, Denmark), under which DakoCytomation has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize pharmacogenomic diagnostic tests in the field of oncology based on the TRAIL Receptor-1 (TRAIL-R1) and TRAIL Receptor-2 (TRAIL-R2) proteins.

31 Mar 2004

Gene-rich human Chromosome 19 sequence completed

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes.

31 Mar 2004

First patient dosed with Tesmilifene in pivotal breast cancer study

YM BioSciences Inc., the cancer drug development company, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in its 700 patient Phase III registration trial.

31 Mar 2004

Drug, Nembutal can suppress activity in colon cancer cells

A barbiturate once commonly used to treat anxiety may play a role in controlling the spread of colon cancer, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

30 Mar 2004

Discovery of gender difference in cartilage cells may help spinal disc repair

When biologist Barbara Boyan discovered science’s first proof of biochemical differences between male and female cartilage cells, she began to question the approaches she and other researchers were taking to study cells. Was their thinking biologically relevant?

30 Mar 2004

Natural compound in snake venom for treatment of malignant tumours

Researchers at the University of South Australia have made a major discovery using a natural compound in snake venom that shows very promising anti-cancer effects. The compound works by activating the destruction of cells which make up the blood vessels that supply nutrients to tumours, according to Associate Professor Tony Woods from UniSA’s School of Pharmaceutical, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences.

30 Mar 2004

Removal of thyroid glands may be unnecessary for most patients

An unpleasant postoperative procedure for thyroid cancer patients who have had their thyroid glands surgically removed may be unnecessary for most patients, according to Washington University researchers at Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

30 Mar 2004

Zebrafish show effects of ionizing and UV radiation differ during embryo development

Adam Dicker, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Mary Frances McAleer, M.D., Ph.D., a resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College and their co-workers compared the effects on zebrafish embryos of two types of radiation – ionizing radiation, which is the kind given to patients for cancer treatment, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which comes naturally from the sun.

30 Mar 2004

Discovery of novel gene profile that may identify colon stem cells

Researchers at Jefferson Medical College have uncovered a novel pattern of gene expression in the stem cell-rich bottom of tiny “crypts” in the tissue lining the colon. By identifying these patterns, the scientists hope to be able to identify mechanisms through which stem cells contribute to the development of colon cancer.

30 Mar 2004

Newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma linked to monkey virus DNA

Examination of tumors in patients with newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma found that half of them show evidence of a monkey virus DNA that may have originated from contaminated polio vaccines.

30 Mar 2004

Extraction of RNA from Archived Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissue

For the first time, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have demonstrated the ability to extract RNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples archived for up to five years. What's more, the technology used retrieves high-quality samples, allowing researchers to identify cancer-related genetic changes. Accepted as a "late-breaking" abstract, the research was presented today at the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research by Renata Coudry, M.D., a research pathologist at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

30 Mar 2004

Researchers find new purpose for existing drugs to suppress colon cancer metastasis, secure post-radiation brain function, and trick tumors

Drugs approved for treatment of specific maladies sometimes show unexpected benefits. Researchers at the 95th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research demonstrated highlighted how some drugs may one day offer previously unforeseen benefits for patients.

30 Mar 2004

Genencor Sells Its Therapeutic Vaccine Program to Innogenetics

Genencor International, Inc. today announced that it has agreed to sell its therapeutic vaccine program to Belgian biotechnology company Innogenetics N.V. Innogenetics will develop and commercialize current product candidates in Genencor’s vaccine product portfolio as well as future products based on intellectual property and technology held by Genencor.

30 Mar 2004

No increased risk of breast cancer from miscarriage or abortion

An international collaboration led by Oxford University concluded in last week's issue of The Lancet that there is no increased risk of breast cancer for women who have had a pregnancy ending in miscarriage or abortion.

30 Mar 2004

75% of young Britains still ignoring skin cancer warnings

Almost three quarters of Britain's young men and women are boosting their risk of potentially fatal skin cancer in their search for a suntan. A specially commissioned survey for Cancer Research UK today reveals that 70 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds still want a tan on holiday despite warnings of over exposure to the sun.

30 Mar 2004