General

A sharp rise in the number of women seeking BRCA genetic testing to evaluate their risk of developing breast cancer was driven by multiple factors, including celebrity endorsement, according to researchers at the University of Georgia. “BRCA testing and counseling provide important information on the risk of developing breast and […]

Seventy-two new genetic variants that contribute to the risk of developing breast cancer have been identified by a major international collaboration involving hundreds of researchers worldwide. Of these variants, reported today in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics, 65 are common variants that predispose to breast cancer and a further seven predispose specifically […]

A human gene called p53, which is commonly known as the “guardian of the genome,” is widely known to combat the formation and progression of tumors. Yet, mutant forms of p53 have been linked to more cases of human cancer than any other gene. Investigating core mechanisms of how cancer cells […]

A framed, black-and-white photo of Dr. Janko Nikolich-Zugich rests on a bookshelf in his office. He is seen in profile, head bent, a pen tucked into the pocket of his lab coat. Nikolich-Zugich is at work at his lab bench at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Twenty-five years after […]

Breast cancer cells recycle ammonia, a waste byproduct of cell metabolism, and use it as a source of nitrogen to fuel tumor growth, report scientists from Harvard Medical School in the journal Science. The findings, published online ahead of print on Oct. 12, show that the presence of ammonia accelerates proliferation […]

Following a successful clinical trial involving Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for adult cancers was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, the only facility in the northeast to be part of the clinical […]

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of the first centers nationwide to offer a new immunotherapy that targets certain blood cancers. Newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for types of advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults, the CAR-T […]

A new study published in Nature Communicationsreveals that it is possible to repurpose the function of different mature cells across the body — and harvest new tissue and organs from these cells. The research tracks the transformation of genetically manipulated cells into melanocytes, which are responsible for the production of skin […]

Scars may fade, but the skin remembers. New research from The Rockefeller University reveals that wounds or other harmful, inflammation-provoking experiences impart long-lasting memories to stem cells residing in the skin, teaching them to heal subsequent injuries faster. These stem cells, which replenish the skin’s outer layer take their cue […]

Some people may have mild memory problems without an increased risk of Alzheimer‘s. However, it is one of the factors that may reveal that a possibility to develop this disease is high. A new study lead by the University of Birmingham has shown that delayed response to written word could […]

A new study published in Nature, conducted by an alliance between industry and academia involving the University of Liverpool, highlights a new approach to targeting key cancer-linked proteins, thought to be ‘undruggable’. The majority of cancers have a faulty or inactive gene, p53, which allows them grow out of control. The […]

A drug isolated from a marine pest holds promise for treating some of the world’s nastiest diseases, and researchers would love to find out just how effective it is – if only they could get their hands on more. As it stands, the world’s supply of the chemical is down […]

Researchers at MIT have developed a synthetic gene circuit that triggers the body’s immune system to attack cancers when it detects signs of the disease. The circuit, which will only activate a therapeutic response when it detects two specific cancer markers, is described in a paper published in the journal Cell. […]

People who have a healthier diet throughout their adult lives are more likely to be stronger and fitter in older age than those who don’t, according to a new study led by the University of Southampton. Scientists from the University’s Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (MRC LEU), in partnership with colleagues […]

A rare cancer in patients with breast implants may be on the rise, but not all patients and physicians may be aware of the risks associated with the procedure, according to a group of Penn State College of Medicine researchers. Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma — or BIA-ALCL — […]

Menopause causes metabolic changes in the brain that may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a team from Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Arizona Health Sciences has shown in new research. The findings, published in PLoS One, could help solve a long-standing mystery about Alzheimer’s: namely, why women get […]

A Food and Drug Administration warning against a tool used to break up fibroid tissue during laparoscopic surgeries has led to a shift toward more invasive surgeries for hysterectomies for women with uterine fibroids, according to a new study by researchers at UCSF Health. The authors say this shift could […]

Many people with Parkinson‘s disease eventually develop dementia as disease progresses. While it is incurable, doctors do have tool to help manage the condition and improve the quality of life, if dementia signs are noticed early. Now scientists from UCL have developed a new 'Cats-and-Dogs' test to predict dementia among […]

A discovery in Marina Guenza's UO chemistry lab, published in a major physics journal, is already being tapped by outside scientists working on a new medical treatment for tuberculosis. The UO research, however, included a detour. Jeremy Copperman, a doctoral student leading it, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in the final year […]

Scientists from For-Robin Inc., a University at Buffalo biotechnology spinoff, have published new research results showing that the company’s cancer-fighting antibody can target, penetrate and kill human tumor cells effectively. The findings, reported in September in the journal Neoplasia, bring the company one step closer to human clinical trials. “This is a […]

Older adults worried about losing their cognitive functions could consider volunteering as a potential boost, according to a University of Missouri researcher. While volunteering and its associations with physical health are well known, less has been known about its associations with mental functioning. Now, Christine Proulx, an associate professor in the Human […]

Pregnant women who had low socioeconomic status during childhood and who have poor family social support appear to prematurely age on a cellular level, potentially raising the risk for complications, a new study has found. Researchers at The Ohio State University examined blood from pregnant women to evaluate the length […]

Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a Harvard Medical School research team has bioengineered functional small intestine segments that, when implanted into rats, were capable of delivering nutrients into the bloodstream. The investigators describe their accomplishment in the online journal Nature Communications. Get more HMS news here. “In this study […]

The National Institutes of Health and 11 leading biopharmaceutical companies today launched the Partnership for Accelerating Cancer Therapies (PACT), a five-year public-private research collaboration totaling $215 million as part of the Cancer Moonshot.  PACT will initially focus on efforts to identify, develop and validate robust biomarkers — standardized biological markers […]

Data from a clinical trial at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech to treat brain tumors in dogs may eventually be used to help humans. The study is trying to determine the safety of a new chemotherapeutic drug and drug delivery method in the treatment of brain tumors in dogs. It’s […]

High cholesterol levels have been associated with breast cancer spreading to other sites in the body, but doctors and researchers don’t know the cause for the link. A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that the culprit is a byproduct of cholesterol metabolism that acts on specific immune cells so […]

Many approved cancer therapies target a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that regulates many crucial cellular processes and can speed the proliferation of tumor cells. Yale Cancer Center scientists now have made a fundamental discovery about EGFR signaling, reported in the journal Cell, that may open the potential for new types […]

Melanoma, a cancer of skin pigment cells called melanocytes, will strike an estimated 87,110 people in the U.S. in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A fraction of those melanomas come from pre-existing moles, but the majority of them come from sources unknown – until now. […]

Scientists have had positive results from a laboratory-based study using a well-known alcohol aversion drug to try to combat chemotherapy resistance in the most common type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The findings from the scientists at Trinity College Dublin and St James’s Hospital have been published […]

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have made a discovery around treatment-resistant breast cancer that may turn the phrase, ‘don’t shoot the messenger’, on its head. The scientists have found that cell to cell messengers released by cancer cells which are not responding to treatment, can negatively affect the body’s immune […]