T Cell News and Research

Latest T Cell News and Research

Targeted nanoparticles map tumor blood supply in 3-D, assess therapy

One of the defining characteristics of solid tumors is the development of a network of new blood vessels to nourish the rapidly reproducing malignant cells. Now, using a nanoparticle targeted to those new blood vessels, a joint academic-industrial research team, led by investigators from the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, has developed a way to construct a three-dimensional (3-D) map of tumor-induced angiogenesis and monitor the effects of drug therapies on those new blood vessels.

28 Sep 2008

Nanotubes detect tumors and deliver high-potency punch

Researchers at the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence Focused on Therapy Response (CCNE-TR), based at Stanford University, have found a new way to target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.

28 Sep 2008

Multifunctional polymer nanoparticles pass critical in vivo test

In an effort to overcome the drug resistance that often occurs in cancer, a team of investigators has developed a nanoparticle made of a blend of polymers that first releases a powerful anticancer drug and then delivers an agent that tricks a drug-resistant cell into committing suicide. Now, tests in mice with human breast cancer have shown that these blended nanoparticles are effective in maintaining high levels of both drugs in the vicinity of tumors.

28 Sep 2008

Nanobubbles deliver targeted cancer drugs using ultrasound

Using a combination of polymers that respond to temperature, a research team at the University of Utah has developed a multifunctional nanoparticle that can image tumors using ultrasound and simultaneously deliver cell-damaging energy and anticancer drugs to those tumors. In addition, these nanoparticles appear to act specifically on tumors and not on healthy tissue.

28 Sep 2008

Discovery may help complications of diabetes - delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis

Mayo Clinic researchers have found what may provide a solution to one of the more troubling complications of diabetes -- delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis.

25 Sep 2008

CytRx to present new data on molecular chaperone drug discovery technology

CytRx Corporation today announced that Bin Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Director of Biochemistry and Screening, will present at the monthly meeting of the San Diego "LEADS" discussion group, the premium San Diego consortium of screening researchers, to be held on October 1, 2008.

25 Sep 2008

Discovery provides model for Alzheimer's breakthrough

Sydney researchers have made a major breakthrough that will lead to a greater understanding of the causes of and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

24 Sep 2008

What to do with leftover embryos in fertility clinics?

The majority of infertility patients are in favor of using left-over embryos for stem cell research and would also support selling left-over embryos to other couples, according to a recent survey.

24 Sep 2008

CD4 tests can reduce costs, extend lives of HIV-positive people in Africa

"Cost-Effectiveness of HIV Monitoring Strategies in Resource-Limited Settings," Archives of Internal Medicine: The use of a CD4 test could help reduce costs and extend the lives of HIV-positive people in Southern Africa, according to a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University's School of Medicine and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

24 Sep 2008

Thai health experts call for review of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission program

Health experts in Thailand are calling for a review of the country's national program to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, which follows World Health Organization guidelines, the Bangkok Post reports.

24 Sep 2008

Study of 'Big Eaters' could lead to better asthma treatments

A new study into the role of a particular immune cell in the lungs could lead to better treatments for the 5 million people in the UK affected by asthma.

23 Sep 2008

New technology to analyse human cells

A new technology which enables scientists to identify proteins by making a map of the energy flow inside the protein is revealed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

23 Sep 2008

Sun exposure may have an anti-melanoma effect

Italian researchers have found a link between vitamin D and the risk of developing a melanoma and they say that individuals with certain variants in a vitamin D-related gene, called BsmI, may be at an increased risk of developing melanoma.

22 Sep 2008

Early antiretroviral treatment for people with HIV/TB coinfection could reduce mortality by half

People with HIV/tuberculosis coinfection who began antiretroviral treatment within six months of starting TB treatment had a 55% lower mortality rate than people with HIV/TB coinfection who did not begin antiretroviral therapy until after they had finished a six-month TB treatment course, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Business Day reports (Kahn, Business Day, 9/18).

22 Sep 2008

Researchers turn plant cells into medical factories

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will coordinate the large EU research project called SmartCell. The four-year project focuses on developing methods for production of valuable pharmaceutical compounds using plant cells as a production host in an effective and controlled manner.

21 Sep 2008

Research provides new insights into how cells accessorize their proteins

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have gained new insight into how the cell's vast array of proteins would instantly be reduced to a confusion of lethally malfunctioning molecules without a system for proteins to "accessorize" in order to regulate their function.

21 Sep 2008

Squirrels may know a cure for cancer!

Scientists in the United States believe they have discovered a previously unknown anti-cancer mechanism in some rodents.

18 Sep 2008

No such thing as a 'safe' suntan

Three review papers from leading researchers in the fields of cell biology, dermatology and epidemiology have looked closely at the effects on skin of UV radiation, including that from indoor tanning beds.

18 Sep 2008

Discovery of promising new chemotherapy target for a deadly form of leukemia

Cancer researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered a promising new chemotherapy target for a deadly form of leukemia. Their discovery hinges on a novel "double agent" role for a molecular signal that regulates cell growth.

17 Sep 2008

Muscle stem cell identity confirmed

A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who devised a way to track the cell's fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell.

17 Sep 2008