Cancer Research

Researchers at the Duke School of Medicine apparently have solved the riddle of why cancer cells like sugar so much, and it may be a mechanism that could lead to better cancer treatments. Jonathan Coloff, a graduate student in Assistant Professor Jeffrey Rathmell’s laboratory in the Duke Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, has found that the tumor cells use glucose sugar as a way to avoid programmed cell death. They make use of a protein called Akt, which promotes glucose metabolism, which in turn regulates a family of proteins critical for cell survival, the researchers shared…

CALGARY, Canada, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ("Oncolytics") (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ:ONCY) has completed patient enrolment in the dose escalation portion of its U.K. clinical trial to evaluate the anti-tumour effects of systemic administration of REOLYSIN(R) in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin in patients with advanced cancers including head and neck, melanoma, lung and ovarian. "The preliminary results from this combination trial are very encouraging," said Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics. "This study was the first to begin examining the use of…

FRAZER, Pennsylvania and MAISONS-ALFORT, France, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for EFFENTORA(TM), a buccal tablet formulation of fentanyl. EFFENTORA is indicated for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) in adult patients who are already receiving maintenance opioid therapy for chronic pain. The approval allows Cephalon to market EFFENTORA in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), as well as Iceland and Norway. Breakthrough cancer pain, an often debilitating…

ASCOT, England, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Therakos, Inc., a pioneer for more than 20 years in immune cell therapy, announced receipt of a CE Mark in Europe for THERAKOS(TM) CELLEX(TM) Photopheresis System, a therapy for the treatment of patients with immune-mediated diseases such as acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). THERAKOS(TM) CELLEX(TM) Photopheresis System is the next generation in a product line that offers the only validated, automated and integrated systems that are CE Marked to perform extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP). (Photo:…

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report that a restricted-calorie diet inhibited the development of precancerous growths in a two-step model of skin cancer, reducing the activation of two signaling pathways known to contribute to cancer growth and development, while an obesity-inducing diet activated those pathways. Epithelial cancers arise in the epithelium - the tissue that lines the surfaces and cavities of the body's organs. They comprise 80 percent of all cancers. "Calorie restriction and obesity directly affect activation of the cell surface receptors…

Prostate tumors grew more quickly in mice who exercised than in those who did not, leading to speculation that exercise may increase blood flow to tumors, according to a new study by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center (DCCC) and the Duke Prostate Center. “Our study showed that exercise led to significantly greater tumor growth than a more sedentary lifestyle did, in this mouse model,” said Lee Jones, Ph.D., a researcher in the DCCC and senior investigator on this study. “Our thought is that we may, in the future, be able to use this finding to design better drug delivery…

A new study suggests that a genetic fingerprint associated with normal embryonic stem cells may be important for the development and function of cancer stem cells. The research in Cell Stem Cell demonstrates that embryonic stem cells and multiple types of human cancer cells share a genetic expression pattern that is repressed in normal differentiated cells, a finding that may have significant clinical implications for cancer therapeutics. “Self-renewal is a hallmark of stem cells and cancer, but existence of a shared stemness program remains controversial,” explains study co-author, Dr.…

A gene called Diaphanous (or Dia) has just been uncovered as a major regulator during embryo formation. The research now published in the journal Development shows how Dia mutations in fruit flies embryos result in a serious of defects during morphogenesis (process by which cells differentiate into tissues and structures), including loss of adhesion, abnormal movements and even migration of cells from one tissue to another. The discovery contributes to a better understanding of how tissue and organ formation is regulated and, consequently, to, one day, be able to intervene therapeutically.…

Scientists from UCL (University College London) have identified a key difference between people who can fight the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) off successfully and those who fail to do so – that a group of cells important in controlling the disease are triggered to ‘commit suicide’ in patients who are chronically infected. This discovery provides an important new focus for developing therapies or vaccines that boost the body’s ability to manage this infection. The researchers analysed thousands of genes in T cells, critical players of the immune system required for control of HBV. They found that…

Green tea is high in the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3- gallate) which helps prevent the body’s cells from becoming damaged and prematurely aged. Studies have suggested that the combination of green tea and EGCG may also be beneficial by providing protection against certain types of cancers, including breast cancer. A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Mississippi researchers now finds that consuming EGCG significantly inhibits breast tumor growth in female mice. These results bring us one step closer to better understanding the disease and potentially new and…