Curing Death by Curing Aging

Scientists identify cholesterol-regulating genes

Thursday, July 09, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, have come a step closer to understanding how cholesterol levels are regulated. In a study published today in the journal Cell Metabolism, the researchers identified 20 genes that are involved in this process. Besides giving scientists a better idea of where to look to uncover the mechanisms that ensure cholesterol balance is maintained, the discovery could lead to new treatments for cholesterol-related diseases.

Ready for relapse: Molecule helps breast cancer cells to survive in the bone marrow

Thursday, July 09, 2009 00:00 MST

Patients who survive an initial diagnosis of breast cancer often succumb to the disease years later when the cancer shows up in a different part of the body. Now, scientists have identified key signals that support the long term survival of breast cancer cells after they have spread to the bone marrow.

Protein can help cells or cause cancer, Purdue researcher finds

Thursday, July 09, 2009 00:00 MST

A Purdue University scientist has discovered a key process in cell growth that can lead to the formation of tumors. Xiaoqi Liu, an assistant professor of biochemistry, found that an overabundance of the polo-like kinase 1, or Plk1, molecule during cell growth, as well as a shortage of the p53 molecule, will lead to tumor formation.

Moles and melanoma - researchers find genetic links to skin cancer

Wednesday, July 08, 2009 00:00 MST

Research shows the genetic connection between moles and melanoma -- and why the more moles a person has, the more susceptible they are to the disease

Researcher's discovery points to a new treatment avenue for acute myeloid leukemia

Wednesday, July 08, 2009 00:00 MST

Dr. John Dick, senior scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute, the research arm of Princess Margaret Hospital, co-led a multinational team that has developed the first leukemia therapy that targets a protein, CD123, on the surface of cancer stem cells that drive acute myeloid leukemia, which is an aggressive disease with a poor outcome.

DNA variations linked to brain tumors

Tuesday, July 07, 2009 00:00 MST

Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues at the University of California San Francisco have found a connection between DNA alterations on human chromosome 9 and aggressive brain cancer known as glioblastoma.

Research reveals what drives lung cancer's spread

Tuesday, July 07, 2009 00:00 MST

A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reveals the genetic underpinnings of what causes lung cancer to quickly metastasize, or spread, to the brain and the bone -- the two most prominent sites of lung cancer relapse. The study will be published online in the journal Cell on July 2.

New targeted therapy finds and eliminates deadly leukemia stem cells

Monday, July 06, 2009 00:00 MST

New research describes a molecular tool that shows great promise as a therapeutic for human acute myeloid leukemia, a notoriously treatment-resistant blood cancer. The study, published by Cell Press in the July 2 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, describes exciting preclinical studies in which a new therapeutic approach selectively attacks human cancer cells grown in the lab and in animal models of leukemia.

Biological warfare in bacteria offers hope for new antibiotics

Monday, July 06, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists are to study a group of proteins that are highly effective at killing bacteria and which could hold the key to developing new types of antibiotics. Researchers from the Universities of York and Leeds have been awarded �3.3 million ($5.4 million) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to find out how a family of proteins known as colicins force their way into bacterial cells before destroying them.

Scientists solve mystery about why HIV patients are more susceptible to TB infection

Monday, July 06, 2009 00:00 MST

Harvard scientists took an important first-step toward the development of new treatments to help people with HIV battle Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. In a report appearing in the July 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology they describe how HIV interferes with the cellular and molecular mechanisms used by the lungs to fight TB infection. This information is crucial for researchers developing new treatments.

Team finds that gastrin plays significant role in helicobacter-induced stomach cancer

Sunday, July 05, 2009 00:00 MST

A group led by Columbia University Medical Center's Timothy Wang, M.D., has studied the role of Helicobacter infection in the development of stomach cancer, and found that the hormone gastrin, which stimulates secretion of gastric acid, plays a key role in the development of Helicobacter-induced stomach cancer, may have distinct effects on carcinogenesis in different parts of the stomach.

Researchers testing virus-gene therapy combination against melanoma

Sunday, July 05, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body's immune defenses against the disease.

Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer

Saturday, July 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers from NIST, Oregon Health and Science University and the New York University School of Medicine have demonstrated that deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. The work may lead to the development of new measurement methods and reference materials for accurate and reproducible assessments of DNA damage and repair.

Researchers uncover approach for possibly eradicating HIV infection

Saturday, July 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers have uncovered a possible method for eradicating HIV infection in the human body. The researchers have also revealed new information which demonstrates how HIV persists in the body -- even in patients receiving drug treatments -- and how the virus continues to replicate itself in individuals undergoing treatment.

Interferon alpha can delay full onset of type I diabetes

Saturday, July 04, 2009 00:00 MST

A low dose of oral interferon alpha shows promise in preserving beta cell function for patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The results of the Phase II trial are published today in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association.