Tag Archives: barcelona

Why tumors become resistant to chemotherapy

Many mechanisms contribute to explain this effect called "acquired resistance," but today the group of Manel Esteller, Director of Epigenetics and Cancer Biology at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), ICREA researcher and Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona, describes in the official Journal of the National Cancer Research Center in the United States, The Journal of The National Cancer Institute, the existence of epigenetic differences that explain the lack of response of the tumor recurs. "We studied colon cancer cells that were initially sensitive to oxaliplatin drug and then became insensitive to this drug and we found that resistant tumors had inactivated a gene (SRBC) in their DNA" says Manel Esteller "the loss of activity supposedly happens in a gene involved in DNA repair. Thus these tumor cells, when receiving the drug, quickly repair the effect thereof and do not die. Studying nearly two hundred patients with colon cancer also found that inactivation of the gene is associated with poorer survival of these people despite treatment. …

Hallmark for development of testicular tumors found in genes

In human spermatozoa, these tiny RNAs are epigenetically regulated (by changes in the genome that do not alter the DNA sequence, such as DNA methylation) and play a critical role in male germline development. Importantly, these RNAs have also been detected in human cancer cells. In a work published in the January 2014 issue of Epigenetics, which is entirely devoted to "Non-coding RNAs in Epigenetic Regulation," the researchers asked if in their natural functional context (the normal human testis) these small RNAs undergo aberrant epigenetic regulation, compromising their function and contributing to the transformation of cells into testicular tumor cells. …

Insight on cell migration, movement of cancer cells

Jordi Casanova, head of the "Morphogenesis in Drosophila" lab at IRB Barcelona and CSIC research professor, and Gaëlle Lebreton, postdoctoral fellow in the same group, have published a study performed using Drosophila melanogaster in the Journal of Cell Science. This work reveals that in a multiple movement, a single cell can act as the leader and can drag the rest with it. The scientists have studied the tracheal development of Drosophila in vivo and describe the morphological characteristics of the leading cell and provide molecular details about how it drives the movement. "Cancer researchers are keen to know how cells are organized to achieve migration and to form new capillaries to feed an expanding cancerous tumor," explains Gaëlle Lebreton, first author of the article. …

Sofrito contains substances that reduce risk of cardiovascular disease

The study, PREvention with a MEDiterranean Diet (PREDIMED) has recently shown the link between the Mediterranean diet and low levels of cardiovascular disease. The questionnaire used as a reference asked consumers how often they ate vegetables, pasta, rice and other dishes made with sofrito, but the beneficial compounds of this product had never been analysed. Now researchers from the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Biomedical Research Centres Network — Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) of the Carlos III Health Institute, have for the first time identified polyphenols and carotenoids -healthy antioxidant substances- in sofrito, by using a high resolution mass spectrometry technique. The results have been published in the ‘Food Chemistry’ magazine and they show the presence of at least 40 types of polyphenols. …

More versatile approach to creating stem cells discovered

Now, in this week’s issue of Cell Stem Cell, the Salk Institute’s Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and his colleagues show that the recipe for iPSCs is far more versatile than originally thought. For the first time, they have replaced a gene once thought impossible to substitute, creating the potential for more flexible recipes that should speed the adoption of stem cells therapies…

Mouse study predicts cancer drug responsiveness in human tumors

UNC scientists used GEMMs to develop biomarkers for challenging molecular subtypes of human breast cancer, those for which there are fewer targets and therapies. Their work helps to further establish genetically engineered mouse models as predictors of human response to therapy. The molecular subtypes of breast cancer that the UNC group focused on — basal-like, luminal B, and claudin-low — are the most challenging types of breast cancer because these are tumors that don’t typically respond to drugs such as Herceptin or aromatase inhibitors. UNC was among the first to characterize these tumor subtypes, and this new report extends the understanding of them. …

Molecule considered to be a breast cancer indicator also has a protective function

Researchers from the Centre for Genomic Regulation led by Miguel Beato have, in an article published in the journal Cell Reports, just revealed that one of these molecules (PLK1 kinase), up to now thought to be related to cancer, can also be crucial for the proper functioning of the cell. PLK1 had always been associated with breast cancer due to its role in cell division. …