http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—Malignant cells can escape from primary tumors and colonize new sites in other tissues. In a new study, LMU researchers show how the transcription factor AP4 promotes the development of such metastatic tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-tumor-cells-home.html Cancer Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:20:02 EST news290159912 (Medical Xpress)—Cornell researchers have uncovered the basic cell biology that helps explain heart defects found in diseases known as laminopathies, a group of some 15 genetic disorders that include forms of muscular dystrophy and between 5 percent and 10 percent of all cases of inherited heart disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-laminopathies-key-components-disease-mechanism.html Medical research Tue, 07 May 2013 07:26:31 EST news287130376 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of Illinois have identified biomarkers that can be used to determine ovarian cancer survival and recurrence, and have shown how these biomarkers interact with each other to affect these outcomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-team-markers-ovarian-cancer-survival.html Cancer Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:41:37 EST news286519289 Researchers have designed a method that can universally test for evolutionary adaption, or positive (Darwinian) selection, in any chosen set of genes, using re-sequencing data such as that generated by the 1000 Genomes Project. The method identifies gene sets that show evidence for positive selection in comparison with matched controls, and thus highlights genes for further functional studies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-evolving-genes.html Genetics Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:20:01 EST news285506387 In results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center show that the Six2 homeoprotein, while not involved in primary tumor growth, allows cells to detach from substrate and survive their transition through the bloodstream to faraway sites of metastasis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-six2-homeoprotein-breast-cancer-cells.html Cancer Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:44:19 EST news284719435 Researchers have generated preclinical data demonstrating that the protein KDM1, which functions as a lysine demethylase, is a potential target for glioma treatment, according to Gangadhara R. Sareddy, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Vadlamudi Laboratory at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, who presented the results at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-kdm1-therapeutic-glioma.html Cancer Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:00:01 EST news284629245 Markers such as CA9, CD31, CD34 and VEGFR1/2 in the primary tumours might serve as predictors of a good response to a sunitinib treatment in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), according to a new study to be presented at the 28th Annual EAU Congress currently on-going in Milan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-scientists-potential-markers-response-sunitinib.html Cancer Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:13:02 EST news282820376 Viruses prompt oncogenic transformation by genetically altering infected cells. Several recent studies have demonstrated that viruses alter the expression of microRNAs, non-coding RNA molecules that can block the expression of target genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-hepatitis-virus-oncogenesis-microrna-modulation.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:00:04 EST news277556275 The tumor suppressor protein p53 is an attractive target for drug developers. But this path has so far proven difficult, as most p53 regulatory proteins operate via protein-protein interactions, which make for poor drug targets, as opposed to ones based on enzymes. Now, researchers have identified a class of p53 target genes and regulatory molecules that represent more promising therapeutic candidates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-cancer-suppressor-gene-links-metabolism.html Cancer Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:00:20 EST news277297188 (Medical Xpress)—The protein kinase Akt is a key regulator of cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, survival, and death. New work on Akt's role in cancer stem cell biology from the lab of senior author Honglin Zhou, MD, PhD and Weihua Li, co-first author, both from the Center for Resuscitation Sciences, Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and Xiaowei Xu, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, appears in Molecular Cell. The findings were also highlighted in Nature and Science reviews. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-protein-kinase-akt-arbiter-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:15:51 EST news275210140 Cancer is a complex disease and only thanks to advances in genomic techniques have researchers begun to understand, at a cellular and molecular level, the mechanisms which are disrupted in cancer cells. This knowledge is a key prerequisite for developing effective treatment strategies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genome-packaging-key-breast-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 22 Nov 2012 10:25:38 EST news272802331 The process of blood cell development, known as hematopoiesis, gives rise to numerous different immune cell subtypes. Each of these in turn matures through a stepwise process governed by the action of transcription factors—specialized proteins that coordinate activation and deactivation of specific target genes.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-complicated-network-maturation-cells-immune.html Medical research Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:49:34 EST news272792961 Cold viruses generally get a bad rap—which they've certainly earned—but new findings by a team of scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest that these viruses might also be a valuable ally in the fight against cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-cold-viruses-cancer-therapies.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:27:26 EST news269627232 Dissecting the mechanisms implicated in cell architecture should provide new insights for understanding development and tissue morphogenesis in general. An European study focused on the role of the Notch signalling pathway in regulating cell architecture. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-notch-cell-architecture-potential-implications.html Cancer Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:25:25 EST news268644288 (Medical Xpress)—A protein called Myc, commonly found at high levels inside cancer cells, fuels the disease by allowing cells to override their in-built self-destruct mechanisms, according to two new studies by US scientists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-myc-protein-cancer-volume.html Cancer Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:15:02 EST news268301694 Two proteins previously found to contribute to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, have divergent roles. But a new study, led by researchers at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, shows that a common pathway links them. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-common-rna-pathway-als-dementia.html Neuroscience Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:07:28 EST news268232767 Whitehead Institute researchers have determined the mechanism used by c-Myc to increase the expression of all active genes in cancer cells. Elevated levels of c-Myc are linked to increased rates of metastasis, disease recurrence, and mortality in cancer patients. Guided by this new model, researchers hope to find ways to restrict c-Myc's activity to eradicate cancer cells that become dependent on c-Myc for their survival. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-aggressive-cancer-exploits-myc-oncogene.html Cancer Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:00:08 EST news267964972 Leading scientists in the field investigated the potential of RNA interference (RNAi) technology as a therapeutic intervention for down-regulating the expression of disease-associated genes. Project deliverables hold significant exploitation ground in research and medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-rna-human-therapy.html Medical research Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:04:07 EST news267365041 The massive Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) unveiled Sept. 5 reveals a human genome vastly more rich and complex than envisioned even a decade ago. In a key supporting paper published in the journal Nature, the lab of Yale's Mark Gerstein, the Albert L. Williams Professor of Biomedical Informatics, has found order amidst the seeming chaos of trillions of potential molecular interactions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-encode-yale-team-chaos-human.html Genetics Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:00:10 EST news266058535 A research team from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, and University of Cambridge has for the first time established a link between high levels of urinary Bisphenol-A (BPA) and severe coronary artery stenosis (narrowing of the arteries). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-bpa-link-narrowing-arteries.html Cardiology Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:00:12 EST news264263152 The human immune system has a natural ability to identify and attack tumor cells. Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that are particularly effective at killing tumor cells due to their ability to secrete cytotoxic enzymes. However, mutations have allowed many types of tumors to develop a resistance to NK-mediated killing through ill-defined mechanisms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-cancer-immune.html Cancer Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:00:31 EST news258632667 A retinoid called all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which is a vitamin A-derivative, is already used successfully to treat a rare sub-type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), however this drug has not been effective for the more common types of AMLs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-tranylcypromine-antidepressant-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:00:06 EST news250688589 A protein abundantly found in treatment-resistant cancers holds an important tumor-suppressor out of the cell nucleus, where it would normally detect DNA damage and force defective cells to kill themselves, a team of scientists reports in the current Cancer Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-aurora-a-hinders-tumor-suppressor-chemotherapy-resistance.html Cancer Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:25:36 EST news249578450 Patients suffering from an aggressive brain cancer will benefit from the results of a University of Illinois study that could advance the development of targeted gene therapies and improve prognosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-small-molecules-cancer-therapies.html Cancer Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:22:03 EST news233234499 Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of focused fetal gene expression analysis of target genes found in amniotic fluid using Standardized NanoArray PCR (SNAP) technology. This analysis could be used to monitor fetal development, enabling clinicians to determine very early in pregnancy whether fetal organ systems are developing normally. The study appears in the September issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-genetic-analysis-amniotic-fluid-fetal.html Genetics Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:50:01 EST news231993381 Only one in twenty cancer drugs makes its way from the laboratory to become an approved pharmaceutical product. The majority of new agents are only shown to be unsuitable in the later phases of clinical development which would explain the exorbitantly high development costs of 500 to 600 million euros per new cancer drug. In order to recognize at an earlier stage which side effects are associated with the use of new cancer drugs, a research group under the guidance of the Goethe University has developed a new mouse model. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-mouse-cancer-drugs.html Cancer Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:00:03 EST news230299192 Altering the body's metabolism could be an effective treatment for deadly liver cancer, researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-transcription-factor-potential-liver-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:09:55 EST news229169378 Using a technique that silences genes promoting infection, researchers have developed a novel, topically-applied molecular microbicide capable of preventing HIV transmission. The microbicide is predicted to have long-lasting effects in mice, opening the door to developing an intravaginal microbicide that could protect women against HIV infection potentially for weeks at a time and bolster public health efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-aptamer-approach-hiv-transmission.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 16 May 2011 12:38:44 EST news224768311 One way of discovering a gene's function is to switch it off and observe how the loss of its activity affects an organism. If a gene is essential for survival, however, then switching it off permanently will kill the organism before the gene's function can be determined. Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have overcome this problem by using RNA interference (RNAi) technology to temporarily turn off any essential gene in adult mice and then turn it back on before the change kills the animals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-team-non-lethal-essential-genes-mice.html Genetics Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:07:25 EST news221994407