T Cell News and Research

Latest T Cell News and Research

NIH awards $1.2 million EUREKA grant to study protein misfolding

Three University of Massachusetts Amherst scientists have received a four-year, $1.2 million EUREKA grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study folding and misfolding of secretory proteins in the cell's protein factory, the endoplasmic reticulum, where misfolding can lead to diseases such as cystic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

3 Sep 2010

Capsaicin linked to skin cancer

The September cover story of the nation's leading cancer journal, "Cancer Research," features a new study from The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, that links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer. While the molecular mechanisms of the cancer-promoting effects of capsaicin are not clear and remain controversial, The Hormel Institute has shown a definite connection to formation of skin cancer through various laboratory studies.

3 Sep 2010

Luminal intermediate cells impact basal-like breast cancer origin: Research

New research uncovers a case of mistaken identity that may have a significant impact on future breast cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The study, published by Cell Press in the September 3rd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, suggests that despite their "stem cell-like" characteristics, most aggressive breast tumors are not derived from normal mammary gland stem cells.

3 Sep 2010

Egg recall raises questions about FDA

The recent salmonella outbreak/egg recall is raising questions about whether the FDA is fulfilling its regulatory role, PBS' NewsHour reports. "For the past few years, it's been one food safety scare after another. There was E. coli-laced spinach, salmonella-tainted peppers. ... There have also been problems with drugs. The ingredients in a contaminated blood thinner came from China.

3 Sep 2010

Diabetes drug metformin exhibits potential against tobacco-induced lung tumors

Metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, shows potential in the prevention of tobacco-induced lung tumors, according to early research conducted at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

3 Sep 2010

Researchers discover novel compound to combat drug resistant malaria

Novartis announced today that scientists at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), in collaboration with researchers from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a novel compound that shows promise as a next generation treatment for drug resistant malaria.

3 Sep 2010

In vitro HDRA improves survival, prognosis of patients with NSCLC: Study

Chemotherapy is the best broad defense against cancer recurrence after surgical resection. However, it is difficult to predict which patients will benefit from which regimen of anticancer drugs, if at all. Building on existing knowledge, a study published in the September edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, analyzed the usefulness of adjuvant chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer based on the histoculture drug response assay.

2 Sep 2010

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announces global release of engineered mammalian cell lines

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and research services business of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, today announced the global release of a pioneering range of engineered mammalian cell lines.

2 Sep 2010

Breast cancer classification algorithm to identify 20 gene signature developed using Microsoft Excel

Using readily available computer programs, researchers have developed a system to identify genes that will be useful in the classification of breast cancer. The algorithm, described in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research will enable researchers to quickly generate valuable gene signatures without specialized software or extensive bioinformatics training.

2 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 2, 2010

Today's headlines include reports about a new study examining the impact of the health overhaul on the small business workforce.

2 Sep 2010

First Phase I/II clinical trial to test MK-0752 in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office has launched a clinical trial* to test an experimental drug in patients with advanced (Stage IV) pancreatic cancer - one of the most difficult cancers to treat.

2 Sep 2010

TGen researchers use RNAi-based screening to study Ewing's sarcoma

The first study of Ewing's sarcoma that screened hundreds of genes based on how they affect cell growth has identified two potential anti-cancer drug targets, according to a scientific paper by the Translational Genomics Research Institute published this month in the journal Molecular Cancer.

2 Sep 2010

Cellerant Therapeutics signs contract with BARDA to develop CLT-008 therapy for ARS

Cellerant Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel hematopoietic stem cell-based cellular and antibody therapies for blood disorders and cancer, announced today that it has signed a contract valued at up to $153 million over five years with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of the Department of Health and Human Services, to develop CLT-008, a cellular therapy for the treatment of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS).

2 Sep 2010

Promega to provide FuGENE HD Transfection Reagent throughout life science market

Promega Corporation announces it will provide FuGENE HD Transfection Reagent throughout the life science market. The comprehensive, direct use offering from Promega means any life scientist can utilize FuGENE technology with no licensing requirements. FuGENE HD enables the transfection of DNA into many cell types with high efficiency and little-to-no toxicity.

2 Sep 2010

Agensys commences AGS-16M8F ADC Phase I clinical trial for renal cancer

Agensys, Inc., an affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., today announced that they have initiated a Phase I clinical trial of AGS-16M8F an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that is being developed for the treatment of metastatic renal cancer. An ADC uses the specific binding properties of an antibody to target a toxin in tumor cells, resulting in selective tumor cell killing.

2 Sep 2010

MIRACLE project to develop lab-on-chip system for diagnosing cancer

Today, at the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference in Buenos Aires (Argentina), imec and its project partners announce the launch of the European Seventh Framework Project MIRACLE. The MIRACLE project aims at developing an operational lab-on-chip for the isolation and detection of circulating and disseminated tumor cells in blood.

2 Sep 2010

First genetically engineered rat derived from rat ES cells developed with StemCells' technology

StemCells, Inc. announced today that its technology was recently used by independent researchers to achieve the first genetically engineered rat derived from rat embryonic stem (ES) cells. This breakthrough, published this month in the international peer-reviewed journal Nature, opens the door to the types of genetic manipulations previously only possible in mice, and paves the way for modeling a broader range of human diseases with the rat.

2 Sep 2010

Study on kidneys may help to treat high blood pressure

A study of the body system that deals with Americans' love affair with salt may yield more insight into why so many end up hypertensive and how to better treat them.

2 Sep 2010

High-fat diet during puberty increases risk of breast cancer

Girls eating a high-fat diet during puberty, even those who do not become overweight or obese, may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer later in life, according to Michigan State University researchers.

2 Sep 2010

'Sprouty' protein linked to regulation of bone mass and body fat

Here's good news for anyone trying to lose weight or has osteoporosis: Scientists from Maine are on the trail of a weight loss drug that may revolutionize how we treat these two conditions. In a new research report published in the September 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the researchers describe a newly discovered protein, called "Sprouty," responsible for regulating body fat and bone mass. Then they manipulated how much of this protein was expressed in different groups of mice specially bred to have some human genes.

2 Sep 2010