Tag Archives: king

Lab-grown, virus-free stem cells repair retinal tissue in mice

In a report published Jan. 20 in the journal Circulation, stem cell biologist Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues describe laboratory experiments with these non-viral, human retinal iPSCs, created using the virus-free method Zambidis first reported in 2011. "We began with stem cells taken from cord-blood, which have fewer acquired mutations and little, if any, epigenetic memory, which cells accumulate as time goes on," says Zambidis, associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering and the Kimmel Cancer Center. The scientists converted these cells to a status last experienced when they were part of six-day-old embryos. …

New computer model may aid personalized cancer care

Reporting in the journal Cell Reports, researchers combined several types of data from pre- and post-treatment biopsies of breast tumors to obtain a molecular picture of how the cancer evolved as a result of chemotherapy. “Better understanding of tumor evolution is key to improving the design of cancer therapies and for truly individualized cancer treatment,” said Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD, a breast cancer researcher. The model was developed by Polyak and Franziska Michor, PhD, a computational biologist at Dana-Farber. …

Study expands cancer genomics universe

"For the first time, we know what it will take to draw the complete genomic picture of human cancer," said Broad Institute founding director Eric Lander, a senior co-author of the paper. "That’s tremendously exciting, because the knowledge of genes and their pathways will highlight new, potential drug targets and help lead the way to effective combination therapy." Over the past 30 years, scientists had found evidence for about 135 genes that play causal roles in one or more of the 21 tumor types analyzed in the study. The new report not only confirms these genes, but, in one fell swoop, increases the catalog of cancer genes by one-quarter. It uncovers 33 genes with biological roles in cell death, cell growth, genome stability, immune evasion, as well as other processes…

Olive oil component investigated for breast cancer prevention

Tejal Patel, M.D., breast medical oncologist with Houston Methodist Cancer Center, leads the clinical study of hydroxytyrosol’s effects in pre- and postmenopausal women. Recent studies have linked breast density and breast cancer risk, and the primary objective of this study is to show a significant decrease in breast density. …

How to improve HPV vaccination rates? It starts with physicians

Moffitt’s research team found only a "modest increase" in physicians who consistently recommended the vaccine to early adolescent girls and no significant increase in recommendations for slightly older girls in so-called "catch-up groups" between the ages of 13 and 26. The goal of universal HPV vaccination is to lower the risk of developing cervical cancer later in life by vaccinating the target age group prior to their first sexual experience. …

Large amounts of folic acid shown to promote growth of breast cancer in rats

The role of folate, a B vitamin, and its synthetic form, folic acid, in the development and progression of breast cancer is highly controversial. Although some studies have found it may offer protection against breast cancer, recent studies have suggested that taking high amounts of folic acid may increase the risk of developing breast cancer…