colon cancer

Blueberry pigment linked to lower rate of colon cancer

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Researchers at Rutgers University and the Department of Agriculture have released a new study demonstrating the cancer-fighting qualities of pterostilbene, an antioxidant found in blueberries. The ingredient is found in the pigment that gives blueberries their color, and the darker the berry the higher the concentration of pterostilbene. To test its ability to prevent colon cancer, the researchers fed pterostilbene to rats which had been given a cancer-causing compound. Another group of rats was limited to a balanced daily diet. The rats given pterostilbene demonstrated 57 percent fewer precancerous lesions in their colon. Researchers now say that the active ingredient could be produced in highly concentrated drug dosages. Colon cancer is particularly prominent in Western countries, where it is linked to a high-fat diet.

- check out this Daily Mail report

ALSO NOTED: Stanford gets $33M for stem cells;Researchers study trial biases;

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Stem cell research

A private donor is giving $33 million to Stanford University for a new stem cell research facility. Report

In animal experiments, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have deconstructed the process in which adult stem cells are used to repair damaged hearts, describing how the stem cells fuse with heart muscle cells to create new cells that repopulate the ailing organ. Report

A group of molecular scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have developed a procedure to spur human embryotic stem cells to differentiate into a pure population of lung epithelial cells. The procedure could be used to develop spinal cord, nerve and heart cells. Report

A major stem cell study in Nature which asserted that adult stem cells could be converted into every type of body tissue was "significantly flawed," according to an inquiry panel. Article

In an editorial, the San Jose Mercury News called for greater transparency in the stem cell grant procedure so that the public can gain a greater understanding of which researchers are being funded and why. Report

Cancer research

Cancer stem cells make up only 1 percent of a tumor, but researchers are increasingly pointing to them as far more lethal than most of the cancer cells that surround them. Report

New results in the field of RNA research establish that the RNA splicing factor SF2/ASF can act as a cancer-causing protein by changing the alternative splicing of other genes critical for growth-control of cells. "Regulating the level of SF2/ASF in cells impacts tumor growth, making it a new potential target for cancer therapy," said Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory professor Adrian Krainer. Report

Investigators have identified a cell pathway which plays a critical role in the development of colon cancer. This pathway may also play a role in the development of lung and stomach cancers. Report

Research led by investigators at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory may link viruses that have been considered harmless to chromosomal instability and cancer. "If the model that we propose is correct, protecting the body against viruses, or preventing the cell fusion that they cause may decrease the frequency of cancers and prevent their progression," said CSHL's lead investigator Yuri Lazebnik. Release

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a genetic signature identifying cases of lymphoma that are uniquely susceptible to a newly developed molecular targeted therapy. Release

Cancer cells differ from normal cells in, among other things, the way they divide. When a normal cell complies with a signal telling it to divide, it also begins to activate a "braking system" that eventually stops cell division and returns the cell to a resting state. When that braking system is faulty, uncontrolled cell division and the growth of cancer can result. Weizmann Institute scientists studied this system of brakes, and identified a number of the genes involved. Release

A new family of potential anti-cancer drugs is quietly causing excitement in the pharmaceutical industry as early data from clinical trials shows promising responses in patients, according to an article scheduled for the Feb. 26 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, the ACS' weekly news magazine. The drugs focus on a new target in the war against cancer--a substance called heat shock protein 90. Report

More research

Researchers comparing industry-funded drug trials and academic research note that the corporate research studies are likely to be smaller, more focused and more likely to deliver positive results. Article

QUT scientists have developed specially-designed ceramic membranes for nanofiltration, which are so advanced they have the potential to remove viruses from water, air and blood. Associate Professor Huaiyong Zhu, from QUT's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, is leading the development of these membranes, also known as nano-mesh, and said preliminary research had proved it successful in removing viruses from water. Release

A group of scientists in Philadelphia have concluded that RNA editing plays a key role in allowing a limited number of genes do the work they're responsible for in humans. A breakdown in RNA editing in mice quickly led to gout or neuron damage. Report

The tiny Drosophila fruit fly may pave the way to new methods for studying and finding treatments for heart disease, the leading cause of death in industrialized countries, according to a collaborative study by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, UC San Diego and the University of Michigan. The study reports that mutations in a molecular channel found in heart muscle cell membranes caused arrhythmias similar to those that are found in humans, suggesting that understanding how this channel's activity is controlled in the cell could lead to new heart disease treatments. Release

A new class of targeted anti-cancer drugs that blocks the human epidermal growth factor (HER) receptor family shows promise in prolonging the lives of patients with recurrent prostate cancer, a new Cedars-Sinai study shows. The drug, a molecular targeted compound called pertuzumab, works by binding to and inhibiting the function of HER2 receptors, interrupting a key pathway that leads to cancer growth. Release

North Carolina State University scientists have figured out a method to supply microscopic devices with enough energy to not only allow them to propel themselves through liquid--a difficult function in its own right--but also to perform some other functions, like emitting light. Report

The primary targets of HIV-1 infection in the human vagina have been definitively identified in a new study published in the February 2007 issue of the journal Immunity. The findings are likely to guide development of new strategies that will prevent HIV-1 transmission. Release

A microRNA directly regulates a gene implicated in human cancers, researchers from Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology report in the February 22nd online issue of Science. Release

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a high risk of death from disease--at least double the risk of the general population, studies overwhelmingly show. Evidence has been less clear on whether RA patients are exceptionally vulnerable to dying from cancer. Release

Is it ethical for scientists to conduct or benefit from research in another country if that research would be unlawful, or not generally accepted, in their own country? In a policy paper in PLoS Medicine Loane Skene, Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne, Australia, presents a unique "barometer" for gauging the ethics of such research. Release

A plant extract used to stabilize fast food can also stabilize the gold nanoparticles used to identify cancer. Release

Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza pandemic, have looked to past pandemics, including the 1918 "Spanish Flu," for insight into pandemic planning. However, David M. Morens, M.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, conclude that studies of the 1918 influenza pandemic have so far raised more questions than they answer. Release

Scientists at Forsyth Institute may have moved one step closer to regenerating human spinal cord tissue by artificially inducing a frog tadpole to re-grow its tail at a stage in its development when it is normally impossible. Using a variety of methods including a kind of gene therapy, the scientists altered the electrical properties of cells thus inducing regeneration. This discovery may provide clues about how bioelectricity can be used to help humans regenerate. Report

Systemic lupus erythomatosus, often simply called lupus, is a complex autoimmune disease marked by joint pain, skin rashes, extreme fatigue, and depression, among other symptoms. Some studies have described a possible link between SLE's most severe psychiatric manifestation, psychosis, and a protein autoantibody associated with the central nervous system, anti-ribosomal P. Release

ALSO NOTED: U.K. to OK egg payments; Avastin study suggests lower doses; Enzyme linked to schizophrenia;

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Stem Cell Research

U.K. regulators have decided that women should be paid a small mount plus expenses in exchange for donating their eggs to scientists. The decision is expected to help spur stem cell research. Report

Stem cell transplants that could figure in to new therapies to restore hearing were discussed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Report

There is an urgent reason to study stem cells: stem cells are at the heart of some, if not all, cancers. Mounting evidence implicates a clutch of rogue stem cells brandishing 'epigenetic' marks as the main culprits in cancer. Wiping out tumors for good, some biologists believe, depends on uprooting these wayward stem cells. Report

Researchers have determined that the microRNA pathway is essential for controlling self-renewal or maintenance of two types of stem cells--germline stem cells and somatic stem cells. Report

A group of researchers including Gert Meijer of the University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands has written an article in PLoS that explores how new bone marrow stem cell therapies could become the preferred method for bone regeneration. Report

Korea plans to invest up to $33 million into stem cell research just this year as government officials seek to put the research field back on track following the Hwang Woo-suk scandal. Release

Cancer Research

Roche announced that a new study shows that Avastin works just as well against lung cancer in low doses as current standard therapy calls for. The results should help lower the cost of therapy. Report

Duke University Medical Center researchers also say that Avastin works against brain cancer as well. Report

Researchers have identified a cell pathway which plays a critical role in the development of colon cancer. This pathway may also play a role in the development of lung and stomach cancers. Investigators say they have identified STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), as a target regulated by PTPRT (Receptor Protein tyrosine phosphatase T), which was previously identified to be mutated in colon, lung and stomach cancer patients. Release

Boston College biologists have identified an alternative, diet-based method of treating brain cancer that does not involve administering toxic chemicals, radiation or invasive surgery. Release

In the past couple of years, researchers at Oncolytics Biotech have been developing a harmless virus as a potent cancer killer, but they have also been accumulating data that suggests in addition to directly killing tumor cells, the reovirus may prime the immune system to mount a separate, powerful and long lasting defense against cancer. Release

At the Institut Curie, Inserm and CNRS researchers have for the first time used two-photon microscopy in real-time in vivo studies to show how T cells infiltrate a solid tumor. Report

Scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles say that pertuzumab interrupts a key pathway leading to prostate cancer. Report

More Research News

Gene mutations governing a key brain enzyme make people susceptible to schizophrenia and may be targeted in future treatments for the psychiatric illness, according to MIT and Japanese researchers. Report

Researchers in Australia have developed an inexpensive test for Parkinson's disease that will allow far more people to be diagnosed. Report

An enzyme related to heart cell development also regulates heart cell enlargement. Report

An international consortium of scientists has found two new genetic links to a predisposition to autism. Report

Researchers are studying an experimental vaccine as a possible protection against a birth-defect virus. Report

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine note how difficult it has been to develop a vaccine to guard against avian flu. Report

New research indicates that the brain can be trained to 'see' if it is deprived of visual input during childhood. That research has been propelling new efforts to treat childhood blindness. Report

Investigators at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) have found evidence that continues to implicate insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) in the development of Graves' disease. Release

Mayo Clinic researchers have now shown that a drug that inhibits the function of the protein Hsp90 reduces brain levels in mice of the protein tau, the abnormal accumulation of which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Report

With the U.S. government setting up a national cord blood banking system that competes with private firms, there is a growing level of attention being paid to conserving cord blood for future therapies. Report

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn have determined that low levels of a protein in the blood is a predictor of cardiac death in patients with coronary artery disease. Release

Research on one of the most important molecular "machines" in living cells is giving scientists clues to the development of new antibiotics and revealing secrets about how cells use the genetic information encoded in DNA, according to an article scheduled for the Feb. 19 issue of Chemical & Engineering News. Report

Acetazolamide, a drug used to manage fluid retention in heart failure, controlled the serious effects of pulmonary edema, the accumulation of fluid in lung tissue from high altitude, as well as improved brain oxygenation, during a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study. Release

Researchers at the University of Warwick have found a direct connection between a nation's overall happiness and its citizens' blood pressure problems. Sweden, Denmark and the U.K. come at the top of this blood pressure-based happiness league while Germany, Portugal and Finland come in at the bottom. Release

Reactive Protein, widely regarded as a risk factor for hypertension and other forms of cardiovascular disease, plays a direct role in the onset of hypertension, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. Release

University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have had success in early trials to discover a vaccine that will prevent chlamydia--the most common bacteria-related STD in the United States. Release

ALSO NOTED: New T-cell research; Scientists use RNAi to stop hep B; Genetic variation linked to macular degeneration;

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Immunologists studying T-cells say that the presence of even a small amount of virus can quickly turn on the T-cells, which hunt them down and kill them. Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia say that "antigen presenting" proteins recognize the virus, attach to the virus and make it visible to the immune system, which dispatches T-cells to kill the virus. Release

Scientists in South Africa have modified a virus to enable it to carry RNAi compounds to stop HBV replication, a process they say can be used to stop hepatitis B. Report

Researchers say they've found a genetic variation that significantly increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Report

A team from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston say it has found a protein that activates the brain's antioxidant defenses to protect itself from toxic free radicals. Animal studies indicate that the regulatory protein PGC-1a is responsible for switching on the defense system, suggesting that it could hold the key to preventing stroke and other consequences of the aging process. Report

Dartmouth researchers are among a team of doctors that have learned more about how people may or may not benefit from taking aspirin in the effort to curb colon cancer. Release

New research suggests that statins can significantly reduce the incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), or all-cause death in patients with severe carotid arterial disease not revascularized. Release

Researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada say that anxiety disorders are linked to other ailments such as thyroid disease and arthritis, and that people who suffer from anxiety also suffer from more severe forms of disability. Report

Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University say they've learned how an interactive molecule is transported out of mast cells, suggesting a new therapeutic target that would prevent that from happening. The transportation of S1P is implicated in the development of asthma, allergies and cancer. Report

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have concluded that the cell wall of pneumonia-causing bacteria can trigger heart damage. Report

Scientists have successfully sequenced the DNA of 15 mouse strains which are commonly used in research, which will shed new light on the genetic traits that put people at risk of disease. Report

An NIH-funded study suggests that inhibiting GTP cyclohydrolase activity might help to prevent or treat chronic pain, which affects as many as 50 million people in the United States. Doctors also may be able to screen people for the gene variant to predict their risk of chronic post-surgical pain before they undergo surgery. Release

Researchers at the University of Oregon say they've found an elusive neurotransmitter pathway in the skin that may play a key role in regulating body temperature. The work followed their study of the NK-1 receptor pathway. Report

Researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center have been studying how the human cold virus prompts fat stem cells to make fatter stem cells that spur obesity. Report

Scientists have discovered a neuronal mechanism that may explain why moderate amounts of alcohol may improve memory. The research has implications for Alzheimer's. Report

University of Oregon researchers have found an unexpected regulatory link between cellular responses to hypoxia and heat shock. Central to the discovery is a gene known as Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) that is critical for both normal and pathological changes, making it a potential target for both health promotion and cancer therapies. Release

New research suggests a newfound role for wt-p53 in the control of the tumor's ability to communicate with the normal stromal cells surrounding it. Release

From humans to honey bees, neuropeptides control brain activity and, hence, our behaviors. Understanding the roles these peptides play in the life of a honey bee will assist researchers in understanding the roles they play in their human counterparts. Release

454 Life Sciences today announced that research on small RNAs, conducted by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, has revealed the dual role of the ARGONAUTE 4 protein (AGO4) in RNA-directed DNA methylation. The research, which describes a method for obtaining a comprehensive view of the total small RNAs from a single sample, was published today in Nature. Release

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center say they've discovered that people who have suffered their first ischemic stroke have elevated inflammatory biomarkers in their blood, a discovery that could provide better insight into treating these cases. Report

The SSRI drug Paroxetine can be used to treat compulsive hoarding, according to a new study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Report

Deals & Dollars

The Caring for Carcinoid Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant for carcinoid research under the direction of Lee M. Ellis, M.D., professor of surgery and cancer biology and the John E. and Dorothy J. Harris Professor in Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Release

Researchers at North Carolina State University have received a $3.5 million grant to develop a mathematical model that can predict the best course of treatment for "acutely" infected HIV patients, or patients who have recently been infected with the virus. Release

Tools & Technology

An R&D program involving CXR Biosciences and Artemis Pharmaceuticals along with ITI Life Sciences has developed a series of new models to test for and predict toxicity. A commercial license for this model covering Europe and Japan has been granted to by CXR Biosciences and Artemis and the model is expected to be sold by the two companies to pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Release

A new tool that measures the autofluorescence of skin can be used to determine if diabetics are developing serious complications. Release

ALSO NOTED: Scientists explore genetic link to coronary heart disease; stress hormones may advance Alzheimer's; Researchers stu

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:01:38 -0400

More Research

Scientists at Duke University say that the gene GATA2 may play a role in inherited coronary heart disease and could help lead to a new genetic test. Report

A team at the University of California at Irvine have found that stress hormones may significantly advance the development of Alzheimer's. The researchers injected dexamethasone, which are similar to stress hormones, into young animals and found a 60 percent increase in the levels of the protein beta-amyloid in the brain. Report

A team of scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg studying cell growth in fruit flies found that a small molecule of RNA called bantam was directly interacting with the machinery responsible for cell growth. The level of bantam in the cell is linked to the amount of activity on the Hippo signalling pathway, which controls the life and death of cells in the fruit fly. Release

Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered how a specific chemotherapy drug helps a cancer-killing virus. The virus is being tested in animals for the treatment of incurable human brain tumors. The virus, a modified herpes simplex virus, is injected directly into the tumor, where it enters only the cancer cells and kills them. The study found, however, that within hours of the injection, infection-fighting immune cells are drawn into the tumor to attack the virus, reducing the treatment's effectiveness. Release

A researcher from Dartmouth reports the results of a clinical trial that shows that the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor rofecoxib--VIOXX--reduces the risk of colorectal adenomas, or polyps. Polyps are benign tumors that are precursors to colon cancer, and they are often found in older adults. Release

Current face perception theories suggest neurons in a portion of the brain called the fusiform gyrus light up in response to a face, leading researchers to refer to this region as the "fusiform face area." But a study from Stanford University to be published in the September issue of Nature Neuroscience reports that this area also shows a localized--albeit less extensive--response to objects such as cars, animals and sculptures. Release

Chronic alcohol exposure affects the way that five key proteins are expressed, according to researchers at the University at Buffalo. The proteins are involved in programmed cell death, cholesterol balance, amino acid metabolism, oxidative stress and signal transduction. Release

Following reports a year ago on a gene variant strongly linked to age-related macular degeneration, a team of University of Michigan scientists has identified 20 variants of the same gene that show an even stronger association with the disease. A team led by Michigan researchers Gonçalo Abecasis and Anand Swaroop looked at 84 genetic differences in and around the Complement Factor H (CFH) gene in 726 patients with AMD and in 268 unaffected people. Release

An international team of researchers studying how E. coli bacteria attached to the mucus membrane have concluded that a sticky protein at the end of hair-like protrusions allow them to hang on tightly. Added drag force only prompts the bacteria to cling more tightly. Release

A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is often fatal within the first two decades of life may be treatable via a molecule already targeted by approved drugs, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions report. Scientists working with a mouse model for Niemann-Pick type C disease showed that experimental treatments appear to be acting through the pregnane X receptor. Found in the cell nucleus, PXR regulates the activity of a cluster of genes that helps the body get rid of toxins. Release

University of California researchers say that a new enzyme inhibitor--originally identified in pest control research--could help relieve the pain for people with arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Report

While scientists understood how T cells worked in certain kinds of diseases, one area has remained murky: disorders caused by protozoan parasites. Now, because of a study just published and led by scientists at the University of Georgia, researchers are closer than ever to understanding how T cells respond to parasitic diseases that kill millions each year. Release

Tools and Technology

Applied Biosystems is launching a new software development community designed to encourage innovation in life science research software applications. Applied Biosystems said it will provide life scientists and independent software vendors open access to its genetic analysis data file format and a data file converter to facilitate the development of next generation bioinformatics applications. Release

Pharsight has entered into the largest single project workplan in its history integrating the services of drug-disease modeling, meta-data analysis and model visualization. Release

Nalge Nunc has inked a deal to market a high-content screening tool. Report

The same Johns Hopkins research team that first identified flaws in the work of tiny, hair-like structures on the surface of cells called cilia as such a common link has compiled--and made available on the World Wide Web--a database of all genes known to contribute to cilia operations in the body. Release

Deals and Dollars

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a $1.3 million, two-year grant to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to produce a promising avian flu vaccine that could be used in Phase I and Phase II human clinical trials. In January of this year, Pitt researchers reported that their recombinant vaccine completely protected mice and chickens from infection after exposure to the wild-type virus. Release

A professor at the Albany Medical College's Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, has won a $1.053 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop a pain-relieving drug. Release

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded Nastech Pharmaceutical a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant. Release

Krishna Rao at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has received a $65,000 state research grant to study a protein that may help prevent breast cancer from spreading. Report

Computer advances allow new methods of protein analysis

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 20:01:39 -0400

Relying on advanced proteomics, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Melbourne believe that they have developed a new method of computer data analysis that can be used to identify early stage cases of colon cancer in a matter of weeks compared to the months current methods require. Researchers collect protein from patients and analyze them in mass spectrometers and liquid chromatography machines. The sample proteins are compared to a database of 1.5 million known proteins that will provide a biological profile of the patient. Dr Robert Moritz of the Institute said: "This generates vast amounts of data. We have high accuracy measurements of fragments of protein, which we convert into information that biologists can understand."

- here's the article in the Sydney Morning Herald