http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute The hardening of arteries is a hallmark of atherosclerosis, an often deadly disease in which plaques, excessive connective tissue, and other changes build up inside vessel walls and squeeze off the flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Now, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have described the molecular and cellular pathway that leads to this hardening of the arteries—and zeroed in on a particularly destructive protein called Dkk1. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-hardening-arteries.html Cardiology Thu, 16 May 2013 16:22:23 EST news287940137 Children born with rare, inherited conditions known as Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation, or CDG, have mutations in one of the many enzymes the body uses to decorate its proteins and cells with sugars. Properly diagnosing a child with CDG and pinpointing the exact sugar gene that's mutated can be a huge relief for parents—they better understand what they're dealing with and doctors can sometimes use that information to develop a therapeutic approach. Whole-exome sequencing, an abbreviated form of whole-genome sequencing, is increasingly used as a diagnostic for CDG. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cautionary-tale-genome-sequencing-diagnostics-rare.html Genetics Fri, 10 May 2013 05:49:36 EST news287383768 Researchers discovered that small pieces of genetic material called microRNAs link the two defining characteristics of fit muscles: the ability to burn sugar and fat and the ability to switch between slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers. The team used two complementary mouse models—the "marathon mouse" and the "couch potato mouse"—to make this discovery. But what's more, they also found that active people have higher levels of one of these microRNAs than sedentary people. These findings, published May 8 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest microRNAs could be targeted for the development of new medical interventions aimed at improving muscle fitness in people with chronic illness or injury. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-differences-marathon-mice-couch-potato.html Medical research Wed, 08 May 2013 11:03:06 EST news287229778 Many recent studies have suggested that obesity is associated with chronic inflammation in fat tissues. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have discovered that an imbalance between an enzyme called neutrophil elastase and its inhibitor causes inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. This enzyme is produced by white blood cells called neutrophils, which play an important role in the body's immune defense against bacteria. The researchers found that obese humans and mice have increased neutrophil elastase activity and decreased levels of α1-antitrypsin, a protein that inhibits the elastase. When the team reversed this imbalance in a mouse model and fed them a high-fat diet, the mice were resistant to body weight gain, insulin resistance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes), and fatty liver disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-white-blood-cell-enzyme-contributes.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:16:32 EST news284138185 Scientists at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have identified how an enzyme called PKCζ suppresses prostate tumor formation. The finding, which also describes a molecular chain of events that controls cell growth and metastasis, could lead to novel ways to control disease progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-newly-tumor-suppressor-therapeutic-prostate.html Cancer Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:06:14 EST news284054763 Sanford-Burnham researchers discover that the extra chromosome inherited in Down syndrome impairs learning and memory because it leads to low levels of SNX27 protein in the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-unravel-molecular-roots-syndrome.html Medical research Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:00:06 EST news283335198 Hormonal therapies can help control advanced prostate cancer for a time. However, for most men, at some point their prostate cancer eventually stops responding to further hormonal treatment. This stage of the disease is called androgen-insensitive or castration-resistant prostate cancer. In a study published March 18 in Cancer Cell, a team led by researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) found a mechanism at play in androgen-insensitive cells that enables them to survive treatment. They discovered that a protein called Siah2 keeps a portion of androgen receptors constantly active in these prostate cancer cells. Androgen receptors—sensors that receive and respond to the hormone androgen—play a critical role in prostate cancer development and progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-prostate-tumors-resist-treatmentand.html Cancer Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:00:04 EST news282825539 Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have determined the complete three-dimensional structure of a protein called HNF-4α. HNF-4α controls gene expression in the liver and pancreas, switching genes on or off as needed. People with mature onset diabetes of the young (MODY1), a rare form of the disease, have inherited mutations in the HNF-4α protein. This first-ever look at HNF-4α's full structure, published March 13 in Nature, uncovers new information about how it functions. The study also reveals new pockets in the protein that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs aimed at alleviating MODY1. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-molecule-reveals-therapeutic-opportunities-rare.html Medical research Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:00:13 EST news282396011 Nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule produced in the brain, can damage neurons. When the brain produces too much nitric oxide, it contributes to the severity and progression of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute recently discovered that nitric oxide not only damages neurons, it also shuts down the brain's repair mechanisms. Their study was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of February 4. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-chemical-reaction-stroke-damaged-brain.html Medical research Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:59:38 EST news279215970 Cancer cells need food to survive and grow. They're very good at getting it, too, even when nutrients are scarce. Many scientists have tried killing cancer cells by taking away their favorite food, a sugar called glucose. Unfortunately, this treatment approach not only fails to work, it backfires—glucose-starved tumors actually get more aggressive. In a study published January 31 in the journal Cell, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute discovered that a protein called PKCζ is responsible for this paradox. The research suggests that glucose depletion therapies might work against tumors as long as the cancer cells are producing PKCζ. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-cancer-cells-rewire-metabolism-survive.html Cancer Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:00:04 EST news278853900 Researchers use skin cells from patients with an inherited heart condition to recreate the adult-onset disease in a laboratory dish—producing the first maturation-based disease model for testing new therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-patients-skin-cells-heart-disease.html Medical research Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:00:06 EST news278503409 Regularly consuming sucrose—the type of sugar found in many sweetened beverages—increases a person's risk of heart disease. In a study published January 10 in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Mount Sinai School of Medicine used fruit flies, a well-established model for human health and disease, to determine exactly how sucrose affects heart function. In addition, the researchers discovered that blocking this cellular mechanism prevents sucrose-related heart problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-diabetic-fruit-flies-dietary-sugar.html Genetics Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:15:05 EST news277618497 Men tend to store fat in the abdominal area, but don't usually have much in the way of hips or thighs. Women, on the other hand, are more often pear-shaped—storing more fat on their hips and thighs than in the belly. Why are women and men shaped differently? The answer still isn't clear, but it's an issue worth investigating, says Steven R. Smith, M.D., director of the Florida Hospital – Sanford-Burnham Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes. That's because belly fat is associated with higher risks of heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, hip and thigh fat don't seem to play a special role in these conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-belly-fat-differs-thigh-fatand.html Medical research Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:11:39 EST news277117891 In many cases, obesity is caused by more than just overeating and a lack of exercise. Something in the body goes haywire, causing it to store more fat and burn less energy. But what is it? Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have a new theory—a protein called p62. According to a study the team published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, when p62 is missing in fat tissue, the body's metabolic balance shifts—inhibiting "good" brown fat, while favoring "bad" white fat. These findings indicate that p62 might make a promising target for new therapies aimed at curbing obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-shifting-good-fat-bad.html Medical research Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:47:00 EST news276533212 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is untreatable and fatal. Nerve cells in the spinal cord die, eventually taking away a person's ability to move or even breathe. A consortium of ALS researchers at multiple institutions, including Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, tested transplanted neural stem cells as a treatment for the disease. In 11 independent studies, they found that transplanting neural stem cells into the spinal cord of a mouse model of ALS slows disease onset and progression. This treatment also improves host motor function and significantly prolongs survival. The transplanted neural stem cells did not benefit ALS mice by replacing deteriorating nerve cells. Instead, neural stem cells help by producing factors that preserve the health and function of the host's remaining nerve cells. They also reduce inflammation and suppress the number of disease-causing cells in the host's spinal cord. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-transplanted-neural-stem-cells-als.html Medical research Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:00:03 EST news275137401