Purple Genetically Modified Tomato Extended Lives of Cancer-Prone Mice

 

 

Tomatoes genetically modified to be rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins appeared to extend the life spans of cancer-prone mice, a European study finds.

The modified tomatoes were created by adding two genes (Delila and Rosea1) from the snapdragon flower. The anthocyanins, which belong to the flavonoid class of antioxidants, gave the tomatoes a peculiar purple color.

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New way of inhibiting cell cycle shows promise as anti-cancer compound

A new anti-cancer compound that works by blocking a part of the cell’s machinery that is crucial for cell division has shown promising results in a phase I clinical trial in patients who have failed to respond to other treatments. Now it is going forward into a phase II clinical trial programme. In addition, the compound will also be tested in combination with other anti-cancer drugs to see whether combined therapies could be even more effective.

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Researchers have discovered on-off switch behind several major diseases?

In the advance online edition of Nature Medicine, scientists from Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, the Université de Montréal and the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) in France report how the GPR91 receptor contributes to activate unchecked vascular growth that causes vision loss in common blinding diseases. These findings could also have wide-ranging and positive implications for brain tissue regeneration.

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Researchers reveal Epstein-Barr virus protein contributes to cancer

Researchers at the University of Toronto have shown that the EBNA1 protein of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) disrupts structures in the nucleus of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, thereby interfering with cellular processes that normally prevent cancer development. The study, published October 3rd in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, describes a novel mechanism by which viral proteins contribute to carcinogenesis.

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New Synthetic Form Of Protein Holds Promise To Stop Cancer Spread

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have a pending patent on a new synthetic form of a protein involved in certain types of cancers and immune system diseases.

The protein, CXCL12, is known as a chemokine. Chemokines are proteins that regulate the movement of cells into tissues and recruit infection-fighting white blood cells to infected and injured sites. They essentially act as homing beacons for the immune system.

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Merck’s Gardasil Vaccine Gets Expanded Indications

The FDA approved the use of Merck’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil to prevent vulvar and vaginal cancer, according to a Sept. 12 approval letter. Gardasil had been approved to prevent cervical cancer. Its labeling has been updated to note that “available information is insufficient to support use beyond age 26, the current FDA-approved age,” the agency says. “Also, new information has been added showing that Gardasil does not protect against diseases caused by HPV types not contained in the vaccine.”

Researchers identify cancer-causing gene in many colon cancers

Demonstrating that despite the large number of cancer-causing genes already identified, many more remain to be found, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have linked a previously unsuspected gene, CDK8, to colon cancer.

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