| Index | Recent Threads | Unanswered Threads | Who's Active | Guidelines | Search |
 |
World Community Grid Forums
Category: Active Research
Forum: Mapping Cancer Markers Forum
Thread: Interesting News Articles About Cancer |
| No member browsing this thread |
|
Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 530
|
|
| Author |
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
Molecular "off" switch keeps cancer immunotherapy from turning deadly
One of the most promising cancer treatments is CAR T cell immunotherapy, where the body’s natural tumor-hunting cells are supercharged – but it can backfire with potentially deadly results. Now, scientists have engineered these immune cells to have off switches that can be activated in an emergency by a common cancer drug. An existing drug called lenalidomide helps treat multiple myeloma by targeting specific proteins for destruction, so the team engineered small protein tags that this drug looks out for, and attached them to the CAR T cells. The idea is that if the immunotherapy starts to get out of control, doctors could administer lenalidomide to switch off the rogue CAR T cells. More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/protein-off-switch-cancer-immunotherapy/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Heating cancer cells with magnetic nanoparticles can enhance chemotherapy
In vitro research was conducted on three different cancer cell lines (prostate, brain and breast), testing a previously developed magnetic nanoparticle loaded with a commonly used chemotherapy drug called doxorubicin. In all instances the novel nanoparticle therapy destroyed more cancer cells than tests using the chemotherapy drug alone. In the most successful experiment, the nanoparticle therapy was 34 percent more effective at killing brain cancer cells than doxorubicin by itself. More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/heat-cancer-cell...les-enhance-chemotherapy/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Designer DNA molecule helps hunt down cancer stem cells in blood
Like weeds that grow back if you don’t remove the roots, cancer can keep returning thanks to lurking stem cells. Now, researchers have developed a “designer” DNA segment that can eradicate these cancer stem cells, with tests in mice showing promising early results in preventing the return of cancer. [Researchers] developed what’s called an antisense oligonucleotide, an engineered piece of DNA that binds to a specific gene. This particular oligonucleotide is called ION251, and it’s designed to target the IRF4 gene. That helps it eradicate not just the malignant plasma cells, but also the myeloma stem cells to prevent the disease returning. [. . .] More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/designer-dna-molecule-cancer-stem-cells/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Scientists bypass "undruggable" cancer proteins to shrink tumors in mice
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered how to effectively switch off a gene that drives the growth of cancer. The gene, known as Myc, has long been a target but was considered “undruggable” – so the team instead shut down a protein that it interacts with, shrinking tumors in a matter of days. [. . .] The team identified a protein called Host Cell Factor-1 (HCF1), which Myc “touches” to stimulate cell growth. By disrupting that interaction, they found that cancer cells can no longer grow, and indeed begin to shrink. [There was no mention of the type of cancer or name of the drug. Tests were in mice.] More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/undruggable-cancer-protein-bypass/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Anti-stress drugs curb breast cancer spread [beta-blockers]
----------------------------------------"The study, by Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) researchers Associate Professor Erica Sloan and senior anaesthetist and PhD student Dr Jonathan Hiller, along with teams from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, identified that beta-blockers stop cancer cells spreading through the body in women with breast cancer." This isn't new but they've done research on enough patients to verify the effects. A week on the drug before surgery is enough to provide useful protection. Not stated in the article but propranolol is often mentioned as the drug of choice. More at: https://www.monash.edu/pharm/about/news/news-...curb-breast-cancer-spread Edit: Oops, looks like Monash were using carvedilol for their experiments. More at: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs...st-breast-cancer/13203380 That's a radio program audio file with accompanying transcript. [Edit 1 times, last edit by l_mckeon at Mar 2, 2021 12:46:05 AM] |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
New insights into how night shift work heightens cancer risk
Compelling new experimental research has found circadian rhythm disruptions caused by night shift work can alter the expression of tumor-related genes, making one more vulnerable to the DNA damage that leads to cancer. In 2019, night shift work was specifically declared “probably carcinogenic to humans” by an independent committee convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Several years of experimental and observational research had confidently shown night shift workers faced an increased risk of several cancers. More at: https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/circadi...t-cancer-risk-dna-damage/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Landmark brain cancer vaccine passes first phase of human trials
A new article published in the journal Nature is reporting promising results from a landmark Phase 1 human trial testing a novel vaccine designed to help a patient's immune system better target brain tumors. The data suggests the experimental vaccine is safe and stimulates a significant immune response that slows tumor progression. A larger Phase 2 trial is currently being planned. More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/brain-cancer-vaccine-idh1-glioma-human-trials/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Old diabetes drug given new life as potential cancer treatment
A new review article published in the journal Trends in Cancer is presenting a promising case for phenformin, an old diabetes drug related to metformin, being repurposed as an adjunct to new immunotherapy cancer treatments. A phase 1 clinical trial is already underway to test the safety of the combination treatment for skin cancer. "If the safety of phenformin is confirmed in this trial, combinations of phenformin with targeted immunotherapies such as anti-PD-1 (programmed cell death 1 antibodies, which stimulate anti-tumor immunity) could be explored for patients with various types of solid tumors," says Zheng. More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/phenformin-diabe...-immunotherapy-metformin/ |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
"Undruggable" cancer protein targeted by compound from shrub root
In some types of cancer, such as brain, breast, colorectal, prostate, lung and liver cancers, a protein called BRAT1 [BRCA1-associated ATM activator 1] regulates that DNA damage response and repair. Normally that would make it a good candidate for therapeutic targeting, but unfortunately BRAT1 has long been thought to be undruggable. However, in the new study researchers finally identified a compound that can inhibit BRAT1. That works to damage the DNA of cancer cells and prevents them from repairing it. More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/undruggable-cancer-protein-shrub-root-compound/ and Total Synthesis and Target Identification of the Curcusone Diterpenes https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c00557# |
||
|
|
l_mckeon
Senior Cruncher Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Post Count: 439 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Cancer research set back two years due to pandemic disruptions
Lockdowns, lab closures, funding cuts, and delays to ongoing clinical trials have all contributed to cancer research disruptions that may set the field back two years, according to new estimates made by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London. More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/cancer-research-...pandemic-disruptions-icr/ |
||
|
|
|