New weapons in the fight against cancer

Several new first-in-man studies for drugs targeted against a range of cancers were released at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna.

“These studies represent our first glance at some of the drugs that may improve cancer treatment in coming years,” said Prof Ahmad Awada, head of the medical oncology clinic at Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium, chair of the ESMO 2012 Developmental Therapeutics track. “Today’s findings highlight the ways that clinical research is working on cancer therapies that target specific molecular pathways within tumor cells and their microenvironment. At ESMO 2012 this year, interesting early reports will be presented on MEK-, MET- and HSP90 inhibitors as well as studies on drugs targeting EGFR and PI3K and agents active in ALK-positive lung cancer resistant to crizotinib. In addition, new immunotherapeutic strategies and new generations of hormonal agents will be at the menu at this year’s ESMO congress.”

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Researchers discover key mechanism for controlling the body’s inflammatory response

Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London have discovered how a key molecule controls the body’s inflammatory responses. The molecule, known as p110delta, fine-tunes inflammation to avoid excessive reactions that can damage the organism. The findings, published in Nature Immunology today (30 September), could be exploited in vaccine development and new cancer therapies.

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Blocking key protein could halt age-related decline in immune system, Stanford study finds

 

The older we get, the weaker our immune systems tend to become, leaving us vulnerable to infectious diseases and cancer and eroding our ability to benefit from vaccination. Now Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have found that blocking the action of a single protein whose levels in our immune cells creep steadily upward with age can restore those cells’ response to a vaccine.

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Studies show drug combinations effective for melanoma

Promising new data on drug combinations to treat metastatic melanoma are presented at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna.

The phase I and II trials focus on combining drugs to slow the development of resistance to drugs that inhibit BRAF, a gene that is mutated in about half of melanomas. Earlier trials with drugs that target BRAF generated excitement for their ability to quickly shrink melanoma tumors in suitable patients. But for many patients the benefits proved short-lived, as the cancer cells develop resistance to the drugs.

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Major genetic discovery explains 10 percent of aortic valve disease

 

Researchers at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have identified genetic origins in 10% of an important form of congenital heart diseases by studying the genetic variability within families. “This is more than the sum of the genes found to date in all previous studies, which explained only 1% of the disease, says Dr. Marc-Phillip Hitz, lead author of the study published in PLOS Genetics, under the direction of Dr. Gregor Andelfinger, pediatric cardiologist and principal investigator leading an international research team, who calls this study “a very important step towards a molecular catalog, which ultimately may explain the evolution of disease in individual patients and allow to influence the progression of the disease.”

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Breakthrough for new diabetes treatment

 

In experiments on mice and rats, the scientists have managed to both prevent the development of type II diabetes and reverse the progression of established disease. The study is published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, where it is described as a breakthrough in diabetes research. The findings are the result of a joint effort by Karolinska Institutet, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Australian biopharmaceutical company CSL Limited, amongst others.

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Barrow researchers make breakthrough on immune system and brain tumors

In what could be a breakthrough in the treatment of deadly brain tumors, a team of researchers from Barrow Neurological Institute and Arizona State University has discovered that the immune system reacts differently to different types of brain tissue, shedding light on why cancerous brain tumors are so difficult to treat.

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Research breakthrough opens door to new strategy for battling HIV

 

New research showing how the HIV virus targets “veterans” or memory T-cells could change how drugs are used to stop the virus, according to new research by George Mason University.

The research will appear in the Journal of Biological Chemistry‘s October edition and currently is available online.

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Researchers develop blood test that accurately detects early stages of lung, breast cancer in humans

 

Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a simple blood test that can accurately detect the beginning stages of cancer.

In less than an hour, the test can detect breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer — the most common type of lung cancer — before symptoms like coughing and weight loss start. The researchers anticipate testing for the early stages of pancreatic cancer shortly.

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Antibiotics could replace surgery for appendicitis

Although the standard approach to acute appendicitis is to remove the appendix, a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reveals that treatment with antibiotics can be just as effective in many cases.

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