New line of approach for combination therapy against melanoma
A melanoma is a malignant form of skin cancer and is one of the most aggressive types of tumors there is. Treatment is particularly difficult, because melanomas are usually resistant against conventional chemotherapy treatments. Agnieszka Gembarska and Chris Marine (VIB/KU Leuven) have found a new line of approach in which to treat these aggressive skin cancers, namely by combating the interaction between the protein MDM4 and the tumor suppressor p53.
Read more ...
IMI Builds Collaborations to Monitor Vaccine Safety and Drug Effectiveness
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is calling experts to join forces and tackle two challenges which are of major importance to public health. Measuring the combined benefits and risks of vaccines and assessing the effectiveness of new medications in the real world setting are the focus of the Call for proposals that IMI has launched. For both topics, the challenge is so big and complex, that it can only be tackled by a multidisciplinary consortium including academic researchers in a wide range of areas, as well as representatives from regulatory agencies, manufacturers, healthcare organisations, small- and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), patients' organisations and public health institutes, together with experts in governance, ethics and communication.
Read more ...
Obesity may affect response to breast cancer treatment
Women who are obese continue to have higher levels of oestrogen than women of normal weight even after treatment with hormone-suppressing drugs, raising the possibility that they might benefit from changes to their treatment. The study, led by a team at The Institute of Cancer Research in London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, found hormone-suppressing drugs did markedly reduce oestrogen levels in obese women - but that their levels of oestrogen remained more than double those of women of normal weight.
Read more ...
Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center gain new insights into Taspase1 function
Scientists at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany identified a novel strategy to target the oncologically relevant protein-cleaving enzyme Taspase1. Taspase1 levels are not only elevated in cancer cells of patients with head and neck tumors and other solid malignancies but the enzyme is also critical for the development of leukemias. Central to this concept is the approach to inhibit the enzyme's activity by 'gluing together' individual Taspase1 molecules. The results of a study undertaken by Professor Dr. Roland Stauber of the ENT Department at the Mainz University Medical Center were recently published in The FASEB Journal.
Read more ...
Gene discovery helps explain how flu can cause severe infections
Scientists have discovered a new gene in the influenza virus that helps the virus control the body's response to infection. Although this control is exerted by the virus, surprisingly it reduces the impact of the infection. The findings will help researchers better understand how flu can cause severe infections, as well as inform research into new treatments.
Read more ...
Scientists identify new cancer stem cell mechanism
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have uncovered a link between two genes which shows how stem cells could develop into cancer. The research, published in the online journal PLoS ONE, found a novel mechanism which could be the catalyst for stem cells changing into a tumour.
Read more ...
VTT and GE Healthcare developing novel biomarkers to predict Alzheimer's disease
Scientists from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in collaboration with the University of Eastern Finland have recently discovered a serum biochemical signature which predicts progression to Alzheimer's disease months or even years before the first symptoms of the disease occur. The goal of the new collaboration between VTT and GE Healthcare is to validate this biomarker in a large patient cohort as well as to discover novel biomarker candidates.
Read more ...