Every cell in an organism carries an identical set of genetic instructions within its DNA. However, what determines whether a cell develops as a neuron, a muscle, or any other specific cell type lies in the activation or inactivation of specific genes in that particular cell. For instance, in the Drosophila fly, the TrxT and […]
Prostate cancer’s resistance to treatment can be reversed in some patients by stopping hijacked white blood cells from being ‘pulled into’ tumours, according to new research published in Nature. In an early clinical trial, researchers showed that blocking the messages cancer uses to hijack white blood cells can re-sensitise a subset of advanced prostate cancers […]
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UEA scientists make breakthrough for ‘next generation’ cancer treatment: Scientists at the University of East Anglia are a step closer to creating a new generation of light-activated cancer treatments. The futuristic sounding treatment would work by switching on LED lights embedded close to a tumour, which would then activate biotherapeutic drugs. These new treatments would […]
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Synchronising brain waves key to how and why we pay attention: New findings from researchers at the University of Melbourne and the German Primate Centre have revealed how interactions between electrical waves within the brain may be vital to information processing in the brain. Electrical waves – or oscillations of neural activity, traditionally recorded to […]
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Thousands of lives lost to bladder cancers each year could be saved thanks to a new scanner that uses photonics to illuminate parts of the tissue that are currently impossible to visualise. A European photonics research team is developing a new endoscope to scan for the early signs of bladder cancer. Using multi-wavelength lasers, the […]
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Cancers are often heavily reliant on breaking down fats for their growth and spread, and could be treated by a highly innovative combination of new drugs and dietary changes, a major new study concludes. Analysing cancer’s metabolism with a surgical ‘iKnife’ detects tumours with heavy reliance on fats Landmark study finds metabolic weakness could be […]
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New intestinal cancer treatment approach identified by the Medical University of Vienna. A MedUni Vienna study group has identified a previously unknown mechanism involved in the development of intestinal cancer: The bacterial microbiome activates the so-called immune checkpoint Ido1 in Paneth cells, a special cell that is only found in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby preventing […]
A brand new type of cancer drug that acts as a ‘Trojan horse’ to get inside tumour cells has shown promise in patients with six different cancer types. In patients with advanced, drug-resistant cancers, over a quarter with cervical and bladder tumours, and nearly 15 per cent with ovarian and lung tumours, responded to the […]
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By stimulating a patient’s immune system, a drug already in use to treat a blood disorder can thwart the growth of a variety of solid tumours, find a team at Keio University in Japan. The drug 5-aza-CdR is currently approved for treating a blood disorder that can lead to leukemia. It inhibits the methylation of […]
‘A significant number of cancer treatments may have no benefit over existing treatments or a placebo,’ remarked a senior cancer researcher recently, ‘giving some patients false hope.’ Giving ‘false hope’ is one of the common charges laid against non-drug ways of supporting cancer patients, even though it is an oxymoron. However the opening sentence (which […]