The length of the telomere “caps” of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes may predict cancer risk and be a potential target for future therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) scientists will report today at the AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Longer-than-expected telomeres — which are composed of repeated sequences of DNA...
Post
New immunotherapy combination shows promise for patients with advanced melanoma
Treatment with a combination of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21; Cavatak) led to durable responses in a number of patients with advanced melanoma, including some whose melanoma had progressed despite prior treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, and fewer than anticipated adverse events, according to results from a phase Ib clinical trial presented here...
Post
Method identified to boost detection of highly cancerous stem cells
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) escape from 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-based photodynamic detection (PDD) (upper panel). An iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO) enhances accumulation in CSCs of PpIX from 5-ALA, which will facilitate the elimination …more Japanese researchers identify process to improve fluorescence detection of cancer stem cells, which are primarily responsible for brain tumor progression and recurrence...
Post
Simple blood test points doctors towards best drug to treat depression
Researchers at UT Southwestern have recently made a major breakthrough in developing a simple blood test that could allow physicians to more successfully direct initial drug treatments Due to the lack of a biological test, determining which drug will work best in individuals suffering depression is often a game of trial and error. But...
Post
New gene-based blood tests identify more skin cancers
Genetic testing of tumor and blood fluid samples from people with and without one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer has shown that two new blood tests can reliably detect previously unidentifiable forms of the disease. Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, who led the study, say having quick and accurate monitoring...
Post
Microfluidic device isolates plasma cells from blood rather than bone marrow
Engineers at MIT have devised a microfluidic technique to capture and count circulating plasma cells from small samples of blood. The technique, which relies on conventional blood draws, may provide patients with a less painful test for …more Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are white blood cells produced in bone...
Post
A new treatment for antibiotic resistant bacteria and infectious disease
A study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, describes a new treatment pathway for antibiotic resistant bacteria and infectious diseases with benefits for patients and health care providers. Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University found that the unusual approach of removing antibodies from the blood stream reduced the effects of...
Post
Could maple syrup end superbugs? Extract boosts potency of antibiotics, study reveals
Maple syrup boosts the potency of antibiotics fighting deadly infections When strains were exposed to syrup mixed with the drug, results showed that 90 percent less antibiotic was needed The syrup’s antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties are believed to help The overuse of antibiotics has given rise to drug-resistant superbugs, which are expected to kill more people...
Post
Ultrasound and drug research holds promise for Alzheimer’s disease
Three dimensional imaging of the blood-brain barrier. Non-invasive ultrasound improves the delivery to the brain of a therapeutic antibody targeting Alzheimer’s disease, University of Queensland researchers have found. Scientists from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), previously showed non-pharmacological scanning ultrasound reversed Alzheimer’s symptoms and restored memory in mice. The new research found that ultrasound alone cleared...
Post
Drug Tied to Dementia Risk Overprescribed to Seniors: Study
A drug linked to a raised risk of dementia is taken by millions of older Americans who have an overactive bladder, researchers say. More than one-quarter of patients with the urinary problem had been prescribed the drug oxybutynin (Ditropan), an international team of investigators found. Yet, “oxybutynin is a particularly poor drug for overactive bladder...