http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. In their quest to learn more about the variability of cells between and within tissues, biomedical scientists have devised tools capable of simultaneously measuring dozens of characteristics of individual cells. These technologies have led to new challenges, however, as scientists now struggle with how to make sense of the resulting trove of data. Now a solution may be at hand. Researchers at Columbia University and Stanford University have developed a computational method that enables scientists to visualize and interpret "high-dimensional" data produced by single-cell measurement technologies such as mass cytometry. The method, published in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology, has particular relevance to cancer research and therapeutics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-tool-complex-dimensional-images.html Medical research Sun, 19 May 2013 13:10:01 EST news288172425 (HealthDay)—For unresectable lung tumors, the combination of segmental pulmonary arterial chemoembolization (SPACE) and percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation helps achieve better local tumor progression rates than RF ablation alone, according to a study published in the May issue of Radiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-space-rf-ablation-combo-safe.html Cancer Wed, 15 May 2013 18:50:01 EST news287860890 Tumor cells often express proteins that set them apart from their healthy neighbors. These very same proteins can also help the immune system to recognize and destroy the cancer. Several research groups and companies have already demonstrated proof-of-concept for antitumor therapeutic vaccines based on this principle, typically employing 'retrained' dendritic cells (DCs) harvested from a patient's own immune system. To date, however, such vaccines have demonstrated only limited effectiveness in beating back tumor progression. Shin-ichiro Fujii, Kanako Shimizu and colleagues from the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology have now revealed research that could supercharge the potency of future cancer vaccines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-two-pronged-approach-immune-vaccines-effectively.html Cancer Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:39:06 EST news286184340 Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have "rationally rewired" some of the cell's smallest components to create proteins that can be switched on or off by command. These "protein switches" can be used to interrogate the inner workings of each cell, helping scientists uncover the molecular mechanisms of human health and disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-protein-role-cancer-key-players.html Cancer Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:43:39 EST news284816611 Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have determined that the overexpression of microRNA-155 (miR-155), a short, single strand of ribonucleic acid encoded by the miR-155 host gene, promotes the growth of blood vessels in tumors, tumor inflammation, and metastasis. As a therapeutic target, miR-155 could potentially provide a new avenue of treatment when targeted with drugs to suppress its activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-specific-microrna-tumor-growth-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:09:37 EST news284220569 Highly expressed in various cancers and known for its cytoprotective properties, TRAP1 protein has been identified as a potential target for antitumor treatments. As a result of the research conducted by Len Neckers, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, and Didier Picard, from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, this outlook is now being called into question. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-metabolic-weathervane-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:00:10 EST news284032874 ICREA professor Raúl Méndez publishes a study in Nature describing how the CPBE1 protein "takes the brakes off" the production of proteins associated with the cell switch from being healthy to tumorous. The study highlights CPEB proteins as promising targets, thus opening up a new and unexplored therapeutic window. The lab has developed a system for screening compounds that impede the action of CPEB proteins in tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-team-mechanism-tumor.html Cancer Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:00:39 EST news280918992 A Kansas State University professor's research on breast cancer stem cells may help improve survival rates by preventing cancer recurrence and metastasis—the major causes of death among breast cancer patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-breast-cancer-treatment-tumor-cells.html Cancer Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:30:04 EST news279973961 Fusion genes are common chromosomal aberrations in many cancers, and can be used as prognostic markers and drug targets in clinical practice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-fusion-gene-contributes-glioblastoma.html Cancer Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:07:49 EST news276959258 (Medical Xpress)—Working with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins scientists have decoded the activity of protein signals that let certain nerve cells know when and where to branch so that they reach and connect to their correct muscle targets. The proteins' mammalian counterparts are known to have signaling roles in immunity, nervous system and heart development, and tumor progression, suggesting broad implications for human disease research. A report of the research was published online Nov. 21 in the journal Neuron. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-molecular-two-way-radio-nerve-cell.html Neuroscience Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:51:17 EST news276796220 Gliomas are the most common form of brain tumor. They are highly aggressive and effective treatments are not currently available. The tumors contain glioma initiating cells (GICs), a population that is highly similar to neural stem cells. GICs drive tumor progression and must stay in a particular extracellular niche in order to maintain their cancer-promoting, stem cell-like characteristics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-harnessing-id-glioma.html Cancer Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:00:02 EST news274958951 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center have found that delayed tumor growth and enhanced survival of mice bearing melanoma were possible by blocking the reconstitution of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and Tregs (suppressors of anti-tumor activity) after total body irradiation had eliminated them. Blocking myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T-cell reconstitution improved adoptive T-cell therapy, an immunotherapy designed to suppress tumor activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-effective-immunotherapy-melanoma-hinges-blocking.html Immunology Tue, 11 Dec 2012 03:48:04 EST news274420077 Women with higher circulating carotenoid levels are at a reduced risk of breast cancer according to a study published December 6 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-women-higher-carotenoid-breast-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:00:09 EST news274022036 Prostate cancer presents a dilemma for patients and the physicians who treat them. Which cancers are essentially indolent and present no risk and which are life threatening? Which can be watched and which need aggressive treatment? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-coup-tfii-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:00:28 EST news273327643 Radiolabeled agents are powerful tools for targeting and killing cancer cells and may help improve outcomes and lengthen survival times of patients with advanced disease that has spread beyond the initial tumor site. Effective therapy for metastatic cancer requires a combination of treatments, and the benefits of adding radionuclide therapy are explored in three studies published in Journal of Clinical Investigation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-addition-radiolabeled-treatments-outcomes-advanced.html Cancer Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:04:21 EST news272041454 Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have led a study published in PLoS One showing that the inhibition of a family member of NADPH oxidase enzyme, NOX4, plays an important role in liver fibrosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-inhibition-enzyme-nox4-liver-fibrosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:16:36 EST news271336587 Researchers from IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, have succeeded in determining the function of a new variant of enzyme IKKalpha (IKKα) to activate some of the genes taking part in the tumor progressions of colorectal cancer. In the future, this fact will make it possible to design new drugs that inhibit this enzyme specifically and are less toxic for the remaining body cells, hence improving the treatment for this disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-function-protein-involved-colon-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:00:58 EST news268570834 A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has identified factors that contribute to solid stress within tumors, suggesting possible ways to alleviate it, and has developed a simple way to measure such pressures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-physical-block-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:58:06 EST news267371873 Ribonucleotide reductase (RR) is a target metabolic enzymes for cancer therapy. Few studies have described the correlation between RRM2 and the development of colorectal cancer. And the possible mechanism by which RRM2 mediates colorectal cancer progression is unclear. It is well established that in some types of cancer, elevated RRM2 levels correlate with chemoresistance, but whether it may contribute to the response to ultraviolet irradiation is unclear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-role-ribonucleotide-reductase-m2.html Cancer Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:03:04 EST news267184966 Stomach cancer doesn't get the same publicity as lung or breast cancer, but it is a health threat to be taken very seriously. "Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of worldwide cancer mortality, with an annual death rate of over 700,000 individuals," explains Patrick Tan of the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore. He notes that this disease is especially prevalent in Asia; gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer amongst Singaporean men. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-bonanza-genomic-sequence-valuable-insights.html Genetics Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:45:51 EST news266658344 Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-reveal-chemo-resistant-cancer-stem-cell.html Cancer Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:43:28 EST news266499802 Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of South Florida and Wayne State University have discovered that tumor cell survival relies on adaptation to acidic conditions in the tumor microenvironment. Their research investigating the effects of acidity on breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines revealed the importance of autophagy in acidic microenvironments and suggests that a successful treatment strategy might be based on this autophagic dependence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-acidic-ph-microenvironments-tumors-aid.html Cancer Thu, 06 Sep 2012 03:59:05 EST news266122675 A common enzyme that is easily detected in blood may predict how well patients with advanced kidney cancer will respond to a specific treatment, according to doctors at Duke Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-blood-treatment-kidney-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:00:08 EST news264091838 (Phys.org) -- A team of researchers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., has found radiation from protons could further enhance a process that occurs during tumor progression. This information may help lead to better methods to protect astronauts from the harmful effects of radiation in space, as well as help cancer researchers on Earth better understand the effects of radiation treatment on the human body. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-proton-effects-cells.html Cancer Sun, 05 Aug 2012 14:14:51 EST news263394880 Diagnostic tests are increasingly capable of identifying plaques and tangles present in Alzheimer's disease, yet the disease remains untreatable. Questions remain about how these tests can be used in research studies examining potential interventions to treat and prevent Alzheimer's disease. Experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will today participate in a panel at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 (AAIC 2012) discussing ways to ethically disclose and provide information about test results to asymptomatic older adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-penn-expert-ethical-implications-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:01:21 EST news261748863 Patients benefitted from an important design element in the pivotal phase III clinical trial that led to Food and Drug Administration and worldwide regulatory approval of sunitinib for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors resistant to the only other available therapy, according to a study in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-clinical-trial-sunitinib-gist.html Cancer Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:26:14 EST news257743554 Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute have developed a technique for detecting an "oncometabolite", a chemical produced by some brain tumors' warped metabolism, via non-invasive imaging. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-noninvasive-imaging-mutations-brain-tumor.html Cancer Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:50:27 EST news251632173 Opioid drugs used to relieve pain in postoperative and chronic cancer patients may stimulate the growth and spread of tumors, according to two studies and a commentary in the 2012 annual Journal Symposium issue of Anesthesiology, the academic journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-evidence-mounts-link-opioids-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:00:01 EST news251481737 After years studying the molecular bases of glioblastoma - the most common brain tumor and one of the most aggressive of all cancers, the group led by Dr. Joan Seoane , Director of Translational Research at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and ICREA Research Professor has today published a study in Nature Medicine identifying USP15 as a critical protein in cancer which, thanks to its molecular characteristics, shows enormous therapeutic promise. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-usp15-biological-thermostat-therapeutic-cancer.html Cancer Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:00:09 EST news248869719 Another layer in breast cancer genetics has been peeled back. A team of researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) led by Richard G. Pestell, M.D., PhD., FACP, Director of the KCC and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, have shown in a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that the oncogene cyclin D1 may promote a genetic breakdown known as chromosomal instability (CIN). CIN is a known, yet poorly understood culprit in tumor progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-drugs-chromosomal-instability-breast-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00:04 EST news247751850