Saturday, April 11, 2015

Cancer Research:Stem cell disease model clarifies bone cancer trigger ♦ Enzalutamide:major benefit for over 75-year-olds ♦ Genetic history increases knowledge of cancer risk

The new drug Enzalutamide can prolong survival in certain patients with prostate cancer and delay the occurrence of disease complications, a new study concludes.
A mother who has tested positive for the BRCA2 cancer gene is one of 12 people in her family over three generations linked to the gene or diagnosed with cancer. Now she is using her family’s genetic history to contribute to cancer research, prevention and treatment – with the aim of improving the quality of life for those facing hereditary risk
Resistance to therapy is a major problem in the cancer field. Using human cell lines of the HER2-positive breast cancer subtype, researchers detailed the surprising ways in which resistance to the drug lapatinib manifests and how to defeat resistance before it happens
Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a team of researchers has gained new insight into genetic changes that may turn a well known anti-cancer signaling gene into a driver of risk for bone cancers. The findings revolve around iPSCs, which since their 2006 discovery have enabled researchers to coax mature (fully differentiated) bodily cells (e.g. skin cells) to become like embryonic stem cells. Such cells are pluripotent, able to become many cell types as they multiply and differentiate to form tissues. The iPSCs can then be converted again as needed into differentiated cells such as heart muscle, nerve cells, bone, etc.

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