How Does A Broken DNA Molecule Get Repaired?
Scientists from the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology have discovered a key element in the mechanism of DNA repair. When the DNA double helix breaks, the broken end goes searching for the similar sequence and uses that as a template for repair. Using a smart new dual-molecule technique, the Delft group has now found out how the DNA molecule is able to perform this search and recognition process in such an efficient way. This week, the researchers report their findings in Molecular Cell. A staggering problem Sometimes, the DNA double helix gets broken: both strands are accidentally cut. This presents a vital problem because cells cannot cope with such damaged DNA.
Spaghetti Models Of Cancer Progression Built To Fight Cancer
Using mathematical models, researchers in the Integrated Mathematical Oncology (IMO) program at Moffitt Cancer Center are focusing their research on the interaction between the tumor and its microenvironment and the "selective forces" in that microenvironment that play a role in the growth and evolution of cancer. According to Alexander R. A. Anderson, Ph.D., chair of the IMO, mathematical models can be useful tools for the study of cancer progression as related to understandings of tumor ecology. "Cancer is a complex disease driven by interactions between tumor cells and the tumor's microenvironment, " Anderson said. "By developing mathematical models that describe how tumors grow and respond to changes in their surroundings (such as treatment), we can better understand how an individual patient might respond to a whole suite of different therapies.
Researchers Describe New Functions Of Cohesin Relevant For Human Disease
Cohesin is a ring-shaped protein complex involved in the spatial organization of the genome and in mitotic chromosome structure. Vertebrate somatic cells have two versions of cohesin that contain either SA1 or SA2, but their functional specificity has been largely ignored. Researchers of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) under the direction of Ana Losada have identified new functions of cohesin SA1 that are relevant for two human diseases, cancer and Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). These results are published in two papers that appear back-to-back in EMBO Journal. The first study shows that SA1 is required for efficient duplication of chromosome ends, the telomeres.
Protein Vital For Cell Survival And Immune Balance Has Another Form With A Different Function, Could Yield Additional Cancer Treatment Strategy
Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators suggests that safeguarding cell survival and maintaining a balanced immune system is just the start of the myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (MCL1) protein's work. Nearly 20 years after MCL1 was discovered, scientists have identified a second form of the protein that works in a different location in cells and performs a different function. This newly identified version is shorter and toils inside rather than outside mitochondria where it assists in production of chemical energy that powers cells. The research appears in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature Cell Biology. The finding will likely aid the development of cancer drugs.
Epigenetic Cancer Pills Are Safe
A brand new type of epigenetic cancer pill has been deemed safe for use in a Phase I trial according to Clinical Cancer Research. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence, which refers to functionally relevant modifications to the genome that do not involve a change in the nucleotide sequence. Epigenetics play many different roles in nature, for instance the ability of a caterpillar to morph into a butterfly without changing its DNA. The drug, a collaboration of The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and Chroma Therapeutics, is aimed at errors that cause cancer in the way the body reads the DNA code, instead of targeting the faults in the DNA code.
Cancer Survivors Told To Exercise, Eat Healthily, And Maintain Ideal Bodyweight
If you are a cancer survivor and you want to minimize your risk of that cancer recurring, or another cancer developing, you should eat a healthy diet, do plenty of exercise, and maintain a healthy body weight, says the American Cancer Society in its new guidelines. Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, Director of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the American Cancer Society, and co-author of the guidelines, says most of the recommendations come down to common sense and have been around for many years. Doyle explained that while working for the American Cancer society, many people have come up to her with questions regarding their present, past and future health.
Denosumab Xgeva Not Approved For Metastasis Prevention
Amgen's application for expanded indications for denosumab ( Xgeva ) were turned down by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) - the expanded indications were to include bone metastases prevention in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. The FDA told Amgen in a CRL (Complete Response Letter) that evidence regarding better bone metastasis-free survival was "insufficient", and as such, the potential adverse effects of osteonecrosis of the jaw, among others were not so far compellingly outweighed by the benefits. Earlier on this year, an FDA Advisory Committee (Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee) voted that the expanded indication should not go ahead - mainly because of the risk of osteonecrosis.
Boron-Nitride Nanotubes Show Potential In Cancer Treatment
A new study has shown that adding boron-nitride nanotubes to the surface of cancer cells can double the effectiveness of Irreversible Electroporation, a minimally invasive treatment for soft tissue tumors in the liver, lung, prostate, head and neck, kidney and pancreas. Although this research is in the very early stages, it could one day lead to better therapies for cancer. The study was carried out by researchers in Italy at the Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa with BNNTs provided by researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center, the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and the National Institute of Aerospace.
Protection Against Many Cancers Provided By Vitamin E In Diet But Not The Form Commonly Used In Supplements
Next time you need to choose between vegetable oil and margarine in that favorite recipe, think about your health and reach for the oil. While the question of whether vitamin E prevents or promotes cancer has been widely debated in scientific journals and in the news media, scientists at the Center for Cancer Prevention Research, at Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, believe that two forms of vitamin E - gamma and delta-tocopherols - found in soybean, canola and corn oils as well as nuts do prevent colon, lung, breast and prostate cancers. "There are studies suggesting that vitamin E actually increases the risk of cancer and decreases bone density, " says Chung S.
Dramatic Gene Variation Between Patients With The Same Disease Has Implications For Personalized Medicine
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and other institutions have identified two distinguishable groups of genes: those that produce very abundant biochemical products in the cell and function properly in the majority of biological processes, and a flexible subset that might have abnormal function in a disease. They demonstrated that these two groups can be found among various organisms and cell types, including stem cells and cancer cells. One set of genes is a robust network that conducts the basic functions of all cells, such as producing energy and biochemical building blocks. This group represents the "hard core" of different organisms. The biochemical products produced by the other group of genes are less abundant in organisms, and their amount might vary significantly between different types of normal and diseased cells and even between different cancer cells derived from patients with the same type of cancer.
