Cells, just like people, have memories. They retain molecular markers that at the beginning of their existence helped guide their development. Cells that become cancerous may be making use of these early memories to power their ability to metastasize, or spread to distant sites in the body, newly published research reveals. The research, appearing online...
Author: RMG
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Molecular hitchhiker on human protein signals tumors to self-destruct
Powerful molecules can hitch rides on a plentiful human protein and signal tumors to self-destruct, a team of Vanderbilt University engineers found. Their research gives oncologists a better shot at overcoming the problems of drug resistance, toxicity to patients and a host of other barriers to consistently achieving successful gene therapy for cancer. It is...
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Study uncovers potential ‘silver bullet’ for preventing and treating colon cancer
In preclinical experiments, researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center have uncovered a new way in which colon cancer develops, as well as a potential “silver bullet” for preventing and treating it. The findings may extend to ovarian, breast, lung, prostate and potentially other cancers that depend on the same mechanism for growth. Led by Massey’s...
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Drug combination shows better tolerance and effectiveness in metastatic renal cell cancer
A new cooperative research study including Norris Cotton Cancer Center’s Lionel Lewis, MB BCh, MD, finds that nivolumab plus ipilimumab therapy demonstrated manageable safety, notable antitumor activity, and durable responses with promising long term overall survival in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC). The multi-institutional study known as the CheckMate 016 study evaluated the...
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Stanford study finds blood biomarkers linked to chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) as many sufferers prefer it called, is still one of the more mysterious ailments physicians grapple with. The disease has no known cure, is difficult to diagnose, and still to this day is debated by some as being more a psychological condition than a physical one. Researchers...
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Waterlogged brain region helps scientists gauge damage caused by Parkinson’s disease
Scientists at the University of Florida have discovered a new method of observing the brain changes caused by Parkinson’s disease, which destroys neurons important for movement. The development suggests that fluid changes in a specific brain area could provide a way to track that damage. The study, published in the journal Brain, was supported by the...
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Concise Review: Stem Cells for Corneal Wound Healing
Abstract Corneal wound healing is a complex process that occurs in response to various injuries and commonly used refractive surgery. It is a significant clinical problem, which may lead to serious complications due to either incomplete (epithelial) or excessive (stromal) healing. Epithelial stem cells clearly play a role in this process, whereas the contribution of...
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Expansion and Purification Are Critical for the Therapeutic Application of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Myogenic Progenitors
Highlights Tested CDM muscle differentiation protocol generates a heterogeneous population The population does not contribute to myofiber formation in vivo Regulated PAX7 expression allows expansion of homogeneous myogenic progenitors CDM iPAX7 myogenic progenitors are endowed with in vivo regenerative potential Summary Recent reports have documented the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells toward the skeletal myogenic lineage...
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Assessing the Safety of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Derivatives for Clinical Applications
Pluripotent stem cells may acquire genetic and epigenetic variants during culture following their derivation. At a conference organized by the International Stem Cell Initiative, and held at The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, October 2016, participants discussed how the appearance of such variants can be monitored and minimized and, crucially, how their significance for the...
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Using your own stem cells to help your body heal osteoarthritis
The truth came crashing home last year—a perfect storm of faulty genetics, the unrelenting march of age, and every athletic mishap I’ve ever stumbled through. After watching two kinds of arthritis stiffen my mother’s joints—leaving her with fingers pinched into what she called her “flippers” and staggering knee pain—I suppose it shouldn’t have been a...