Cancer Research

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that the activity of a specific family of nanometer-sized molecular motors called myosin-I is regulated by force. The motor puts tension on cellular springs that allow vibrations to be detected within the body. This finely tuned regulation has important implications for understanding a wide variety of basic cellular processes, including hearing and balance and glucose uptake in response to insulin. Myosin-I is a biological motor that uses the chemical energy made by cells to ferry proteins within cells and to…

Indiana Jones isn't the only one who has great adventures, apparently proteins do also. Researchers have uncovered a a slippery tube that funnels proteins into a 'chamber of doom' where they are shredded and recycled into the building blocks of new proteins. The tube is part of the 26S proteasome, an enzyme that acts as the cell’s protein garbage disposal. As described by researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the tube is a concentric stack of rings wrapped in molecular motors that speed the proteins…

LONDON, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Silence Therapeutics plc (London AIM: SLN), a leading European RNA interference (RNAi) focused biotechnology company, announced today the successful opposition of a fundamental Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. European patent resulting in the patent being revoked in its entirety. The Opposition Division of the European Patent Office, following a three day hearing, announced its decision to revoke European Patent EP 1 230 375, exclusively licensed to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from Cancer Research Technology, Ltd (UK). The Patent, commonly referred to as the "Glover…

Scientists have identified about two dozen genes that control embryonic stem cell fate. The genes may either prod or restrain stem cells from drifting into a kind of limbo, they suspect. The limbo lies between the embryonic stage and fully differentiated, or specialized, cells, such as bone, muscle or fat. By knowing the genes and proteins that control a cell's progress toward the differentiated form, researchers may be able to accelerate the process – a potential boon for the use of stem cells in therapy or the study of some degenerative diseases, the scientists say. Their finding comes…

A group of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen have developed models of neural networks that make it possible to simulate how the body protects itself from disease and predict the immune system’s access codes. The human body has its own natural inbuilt defence mechanism which uses access or “pincodes” to stop microorganisms that invade the body from discovering how the entire human immune system works. Every human being on the planet has their own unique version of this defence mechanism. But the sheer complexity of the immune system has, up…

REHOVOT, Israel and JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- - Study Demonstrates Differentiation of Primary Tumors From Metastases in the Brain With Accuracy Near 90% - Identifying Whether a Brain Malignancy is a Primary Tumor or a Metastasis is a Recurring Challenge for Pathologists Using Current Technologies - Accurately Differentiating Primary From Metastatic Tumors is Critical for Optimal Treatment Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDQ: ROSG), a leader in the development of microRNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic products, announced today that the results of a study conducted by its…

In addition to helping protect us from heart disease and cancer, a balanced diet and regular exercise can also protect the brain and ward off mental disorders, says Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science who has spent years studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on the brain. Synapses in the brain connect neurons and provide critical functions; much learning and memory occurs at the synapses, Gómez-Pinilla said. Omega-3 fatty acids — found in salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit — provide many benefits, including improving learning and memory…

The effective treatment of many forms of cancer continues to pose a major problem. Many tumors fail to respond to standard forms of chemotherapy or become resistant to the medication. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and Leibniz-Universität (LUH) in Hanover have now discovered a chemical mechanism with which a natural substance - argyrin - destroys tumours. The basis for this breakthrough was an observation made by the MHH scientist Prof. Nisar Malek: he had been studying the role of a certain protein - a so-…

False-positive results are an inherent risk in cancer research, particularly in observational epidemiology studies. The frequency and impact of misleading results can be mitigated if researchers use more exacting standards when interpreting and reporting results, according to a commentary in the July 8 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Additionally, the impact of false-positive results could be lessened if the researchers and other stakeholders, including journal editors, the media, and consumers, evaluated the results with a more critical eye. In other words,…

MAIDENHEAD, England, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- - First-in-Class Treatment set to Provide a New and Important Targeted Treatment for Distressing and near Universal Side Effect in Patients Receiving Opioids for Pain Relief as Part of Palliative Care Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, today 3rd July, announced that it has received EMEA marketing approval for Relistor(TM) (methylnaltrexone bromide) subcutaneous injection. This first-in-class treatment is indicated for opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with advanced illness who are receiving palliative care, when response to the usual laxative…