The Immune System Can Use Melanoma's Own Proteins To Kill Off Cancer Cells
2/06/2013
Though a small group of proteins, the family called Ras controls a large number of cellular functions, including cell growth, differentiation, and survival. And because the protein has a hand in cellular division, mutated Ras, which can be detected in one-third of all tumors, contributes to many human cancers by allowing for the rapid growth of diseased cells. Now Prof...
1. Being Physically Fit Earlier in Life May Lower Risk for Dementia Later in Life Having a higher fitness level at midlife seems to be associated with lower hazards of developing Alzheimer disease and other types of dementia later in life...
In Men Receiving BMTs From Female Donors, Cells Predict Onset Of Graft-Versus-Host Disease
2/06/2013
Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have identified a clutch of cells that - if seen in a male patient's blood after receiving a brand-new immune system in the form of a bone-marrow transplant from a female donor - herald the onset of chronic graft-versus-host disease, or cGVHD...
Discovery Of Mutations Linked To Relapse Of Childhood Leukemia
2/06/2013
After an intensive three-year hunt through the genome, medical researchers have pinpointed mutations that lead to drug resistance and relapse in the most common type of childhood cancer - the first time anyone has linked the disease's reemergence to specific genetic anomalies. The discovery, co-lead by William L...
Scientists have identified the gene essential for survival of antibody-producing cells, a finding that could lead to better treatments for diseases where these cells are out of control, such as myeloma and chronic immune disorders...
Identification Of Progenitors May Someday Help Treat Clinical Taste Dysfunction
2/06/2013
Scientists at the Monell Center have identified the location and certain genetic characteristics of taste stem cells on the tongue. The findings will facilitate techniques to grow and manipulate new functional taste cells for both clinical and research purposes...
Growth Of Gleevec-Resistant Gastrointestinal Tumors Hindered By Antibody In Lab Tests
2/06/2013
An antibody that binds to a molecule on the surface of a rare but deadly tumor of the gastrointestinal tract inhibits the growth of the cancer cells in mice, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine...
Medical scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have bred a first-of-its-kind mouse model that possesses an immune response system more like a human's. The discovery makes way for quicker and more cost-effective development of next-generation drugs to treat human diseases like cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis...
Stem Cell Regeneration After Radiation Damage Aided By Growth Factor
2/06/2013
Epidermal growth factor has been found to speed the recovery of blood-making stem cells after exposure to radiation, according to Duke Medicine researchers. The finding could open new options for treating cancer patients and victims of dirty bombs or nuclear disasters...
Researchers Reveal Mechanism To Halt Cancer Cell Growth, Discover Potential Therapy
2/06/2013
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers have uncovered a technique to halt the growth of cancer cells, a discovery that led them to a potential new anti-cancer therapy. When deprived of a key protein, some cancer cells are unable to properly divide, a finding described in the cover story of the February issue of the Journal of Cell Science...