News tagged with extracellular matrix

New cancer driver found: Monoclonal antibody therapy stops tumor growth in mice

(Medical Xpress)—Approximately 90 percent of cancers start within tissues that form the inner linings of various organs. Decades of accumulated genetic mutations can, on occasion, induce cells specialized ...

Cancer created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cellular environment controls formation and activity of neuronal connections

Environment moulds behaviour - and not just that of people in society, but also at the microscopic level. This is because, for their function, neurons are dependent on the cell environment, the so-termed ...

Neuroscience created May 06, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Why cells stick: Phenomenon extends longevity of bonds between cells

Research carried out by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and The University of Manchester has revealed new insights into how cells stick to each other and to other bodily structures, an essential function ...

Medical research created Feb 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Providing brain cells with the 3rd dimension to grow outside the body

Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology developed a unique Bioactive3D culture system for brain cells. This system gives new possibilities to study cell-cell ...

Medical research created Jan 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The skin aging regulator

Despite progress in regenerative medicine, with age, the skin loses its properties in an irreversible manner. The ATIP-Avenir team "Epidermal homeostasis and tumorigenesis" directed by Chloé Féral, an Inserm ...

Medical research created Jan 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Spotting ovarian cancer, before it's too late

(Medical Xpress)—At just 28 percent, the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is much lower than in other cancer cases. And, the disease can easily go unnoticed, making it difficult ...

Cancer created Dec 19, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Inhibition of enzyme NOX4 prevents liver fibrosis

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 fibros ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Nov 05, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Study shows underlying connection between 'good' cholesterol and collagen in heart health

(Medical Xpress)—Arterial stiffening has long been considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Keeping arteries soft and supple might reduce disease risk, but the mechanisms of how arteries ...

Cardiology created Nov 01, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists identify new target for lung cancer treatment

A team of UC Davis investigators has discovered a protein on the surface of lung cancer cells that could prove to be an important new target for anti-cancer therapy. A series of experiments in mice with lung cancer showed ...

Cancer created Nov 01, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Feeling the force of cancer

The spread of cancer cells from primary tumors to other parts of the body remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The research group of Prof. Roderick Lim, Argovia Professor for Nanobiology of ...

Cancer created Oct 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Breast cancer cells spread by digging their escape route

Breast cancer cells puncture  holes into neighbouring tissues and crawl though the spaces they create to spread around the body, according to research published in the Journal of Cell Biology.

Cancer created Oct 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study identifies adhesion molecules key to cancer's spread through the body

Although tumor metastasis causes about 90 percent of cancer deaths, the exact mechanism that allows cancer cells to spread from one part of the body to another is not well understood. One key question is ...

Cancer created Oct 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Taking the fate of stem cells in hand: Researchers generate immature nerve cells

German biologists have deliberately transformed stem cells from the spinal cord of mice into immature nerve cells. This was achieved by changing the cellular environment, known as the extracellular matrix, ...

Medical research created Jun 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A new dimension for cell culture (w/ Video)

Cancer cells and stem cells can now be cultivated in 3 dimensions to serve in various experiments to great advantage for researchers. This matrix, commercialized by the start-up QGel, which is based in the scientific park ...

Medical research created Jun 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Some stem cells can trigger tumors

(Medical Xpress) -- Stem cells often used in reconstructive surgery following mastectomies and other cancer-removal treatments may pose a danger: Cornell biomedical scientists have discovered that these cells, ...

Cancer created Jun 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Extracellular matrix

In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is the defining feature of connective tissue in animals.

Extracellular matrix includes the interstitial matrix and the basement membrane. Interstitial matrix is present between various animal cells (i.e., in the intercellular spaces). Gels of polysaccharides and fibrous proteins fill the interstitial space and act as a compression buffer against the stress placed on the ECM. Basement membranes are sheet-like depositions of ECM on which various epithelial cells rest.

For more information about Extracellular matrix, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Related topics: cancer cells