Preclinical study is first proof-of-concept to pave way for development of new therapeutics Representative images of kidney tissue from APOL1-G1 and APOL1-G2 mice, showing severe scarring of the kidney filter. African Americans have a heightened risk of developing chronic and end-stage kidney disease. This association has been attributed to two common genetic variants — named...
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Anti-aging gene identified as a promising therapeutic target for older melanoma patients
Pharmacologic activation of anti-aging gene with anti-diabetic drug could be used as adjuvant therapy for older melanoma patients who have developed resistance to targeted therapy PHILADELPHIA — (Feb. 23, 2017) — Scientists at The Wistar Institute have shown that an anti-diabetic drug can inhibit the growth of melanoma in older patients by activating an anti-aging...
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Why is pancreatic cancer so hard to treat? Stroma provides new clues
In the dense stromal tissue that envelops pancreatic tumors, Tuveson and colleagues have discovered two varieties of a cell type called fibroblasts which help create the stroma. One of these varieties is seen in left image: fibroblasts (red) close to proliferating cancer cells (green) that express high levels of a protein called aSMA. In the...
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Tumor protein could hold key to pancreatic cancer survival
But research led by the University of Melbourne reported in the International Journal of Cancer, could eventually improve treatments with the identification of a protein that appears to help tumour cells become more aggressive. In Australia this year, some 3,200 new cases of Pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed, and 2,900 patients will die of the disease....
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A Novel DNA Vaccine Design Improves Chances of Inducing Anti-Tumor Immunity
PHILADELPHIA — (Feb. 24, 2017) — Scientists at The Wistar Institute and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have devised a novel DNA vaccine approach through molecular design to improve the immune responses elicited against one of the most important cancer antigen targets. Study results were published in the journal Molecular Therapy. Cancer immunotherapy approaches, designed to harness the body’s...
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Nasal swab could help diagnose lung cancer
In the case of patients with low risk of lung cancer, the current diagnostic procedure can sometimes be invasive and unnecessary. However, new research may have uncovered a less invasive, less costly way to screen these patients. New research suggests that a simple nasal swab could accurately determine whether a patient has lung cancer. A...
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New treatment causes cancer cells to fill up with cellular ‘trash’ and self-destruct
The genomes of cancer cells—cells that do not obey signals to stop reproducing—are riddled with genetic mutations, causing them inadvertently to make many dysfunctional proteins. Like all other cells, cancer cells need to be vigilant about cleaning themselves up in order to survive. Now, biologists in the laboratory of Ray Deshaies, Caltech professor of biology...
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Researcher uses wearable devices to look for clues to early Dementia and Alzheimer's
In 2014, more than 93,000 people in the United States died from Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The complex nature of Alzheimer’s makes it difficult to understand and predict, until it’s too late. Boston University professor and neuropsychologist Rhoda Au is trying to change that. Through the use...
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Discovery of novel autophagy regulators for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
Synthesised curcumin analog C1 specifically binds to TFEB and promotes its nuclear translocation, and then activates autophagy and lysosome biogenesis to degrade alpha-synuclein. A research team led by Professor Li Min, Director of the Teaching and Research Division (CMTR), and Director of the Mr and Mrs Ko Chi Ming Centre for Parkinson’s Disease Research...
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Game therapy: serious video games can help children with cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability, affecting more than 34,000 Australians, and more than 17 million people worldwide. The condition results when there is an injury to the developing brain that goes on to affect a child’s movement and posture, but can also include the senses (vision, hearing, touch) and cognition (thinking). On...