Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device - in effect, a lab-on-a-chip - that can perform complex laboratory assays, and do so with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world...
Mechanism Behind 'Oncogene Addiction' In Acute Leukemia Revealed By Scientists
8/02/2011
A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has laid bare the mechanism behind a phenomenon called oncogene addiction in mice suffering from a form of leukemia that mimics acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in humans...
Key Growth Factor Identified In T Cell Leukemia
8/02/2011
Blocking a growth factor receptor cripples cancer growth in a form of T cell leukemia, according to a study published online on August 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Approximately half of the cases of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) carry genetic mutations in a cellular signaling pathway called Notch, which result in aberrant activation of the cell...
First Large-Scale Genomic Analysis Of Gastric Cancer Confirms Two Discrete Tumor Types
8/02/2011
Stomach cancer is actually two distinct disease variations based on its genetic makeup, and each responds differently to chemotherapy, according to an international team of scientists led by researchers at Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School. The finding, published in the Aug...
In a 2-1 decision, a federal appeals court has partially reversed a lower court's ruling in a case challenging patents on two human genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The court ruled that companies can obtain patents on the genes but cannot patent methods to compare those gene sequences. The lawsuit, Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v...
Leukemia Drug Reverses Tamoxifen-Resistance In Breast Cancer Cells
8/02/2011
Taking a leukemia chemotherapy drug may help breast cancer patients who don't respond to tamoxifen overcome resistance to the widely-used drug, new research from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggests...
First Molecular Binding Measurement Of Radon
8/02/2011
Even in trace quantities, the radioactive gas radon is very dangerous; it is second only to cigarette smoking as a cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States. The expense and precautions necessary to study it safely have limited research into its properties...
Colon Cleansing? Serious Side Effects Related To The Procedure
8/01/2011
It seems there is no evidence that colon cleansing has any real benefit according to a new study released this week. In fact, it is reported that colon cleansing can cause serious side effects ranging from vomiting to kidney failure and death. The death rate for colon cancer has dropped in the last 15 years, and this may be due to increased awareness and screening by colonoscopy...
Skin Protection From Ultraviolet Radiation Via Grape Compounds
8/01/2011
Some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, according to a study by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council). The study supports the use of grapes or grape derivatives in sun protection products...
The American College of Radiology and society of Breast Imaging, two top breast cancer screening expert organizations in the United States, have issued a statement on a controversial study published in the most recent issue of the British Medical Journal which claimed that there is no evidence that mammography served a direct role in reducing breast cancer deaths in European co...