Tag Archives: importantly

New mechanism affecting cell migration found

Cell migration has mainly been studied in cell culture environment. However, in animal tissues cells predominantly migrate in a three-dimensional environment, where they have to push through adjacent cell-layers and extracellular matrix. Migrating cells are known to form dynamic protrusions at their leading edge, but the function of these actin-rich protrusions has remained elusive. By using fruit fly as a model system, Minna Poukkula working at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, has found out how actin-rich protrusions contribute to cell migration in animal tissues…

Scientists make advance in cancer research

The most advanced version of vβ3-integrin antagonists failed clinical trials to treat aggressive forms of brain cancer. But research published today in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation Research shows that targeting the protein in question could still be vital in stopping the growth of tumors. Not least because the drugs targeting it cause minimal side effects compared to other drugs — which can cause bleeding in the gut and high blood pressure. tumors must recruit their own blood supply to grow beyond a very small size…

New imaging technique can identify breast cancer subtypes, early treatment response

"The process of targeted drug development requires assays that measure drug target engagement and predict the response (or lack thereof) to treatment," said Alex Walsh, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "We have shown that optical metabolic imaging (OMI) enables fast, sensitive, and accurate measurement of drug action. Importantly, OMI measurements can be made repeatedly over time in a live animal, which significantly reduces the cost of these preclinical studies." Human cells undergo extensive chemical reactions called metabolic activity to produce energy, and this activity is altered in cancer cells. When cancer cells are treated with anticancer drugs, their metabolic activity changes. …