cancer cell

Disabling cancer cells' defenses against radiation
03/15/2012 - 14:54

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute are developing a technique to remove cancer cells' defenses against radiation.  Radiation primarily kills cells by inducing DNA damage, so the aim of the technique is to sensitize cells to radiation by disabling their ability to repair DNA. The technique sneaks RNA molecules into cells that shut down genes needed for DNA repair.

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Salk scientists' discovery explains how a class of chemotherapy drugs works
03/12/2012 - 12:43

The well-being of living cells requires specialized squads of proteins that maintain order. Degraders chew up worn-out proteins, recyclers wrap up damaged organelles, and-most importantly-DNA repair crews restitch anything that resembles a broken chromosome. If repair is impossible, the crew foreman calls in executioners to annihilate a cell. As unsavory as this last bunch sounds, failure to summon them is one aspect of what makes a cancer cell a cancer cell.

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Screening triad identifies GSK-3 alpha as a target in acute myeloid leukemia
02/15/2012 - 10:32

For several years, scientists have known that glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), a protein kinase, is a key member of an important signaling pathway in cancer. Cancer cells mediate their responses to both internal and external stimuli through enzymes like GSK-3. Finding new potential therapeutic targets in these pathways is at the core of many cancer research efforts, including several at the Broad Institute and its partner institutions

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UCSB Researchers Discover the Processes Leading to Acute Myeloid Leukemia
01/27/2012 - 13:08

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have discovered a molecular pathway that may explain how a particularly deadly form of cancer develops. The discovery may lead to new cancer therapies that reprogram cells instead of killing them. The findings are published in a recent paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

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UC Davis research finds newer radiation therapy technology improves patients' quality of life
01/26/2012 - 16:24

Patients with head and neck cancers who have been treated with newer, more sophisticated radiation therapy technology enjoy a better quality of life than those treated with older radiation therapy equipment, a study by UC Davis researchers has found.

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Molecular Fingerprint Discovered That May Improve Outcomes for Head and Neck Cancer Patients
01/23/2012 - 13:26

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein, have found a biomarker in head and neck cancers that can predict whether a patient’s tumor will be life threatening. The biomarker is considered particularly promising because it can detect the level of risk immediately following diagnosis. This discovery could become a component of a new test to guide how aggressively those with head and neck tumors should be treated.

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