Herceptin Targets Breast Cancer Stem Cells Jul 14, 2008
ScienceDaily (July 13, 2008) A gene that is overexpressed in 20 percent of breast cancers increases the number of cancer stem cells, the cells that fuel a tumor s growth and spread, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The gene, HER2, causes cancer stem cells to multiply and spread, explaining why HER2 has been linked to a more aggressive type of breast cancer and to metastatic disease, in which the cancer has spread beyond the breast, the... (Science Daily)
Look out for fraud Jul 13, 2008
NEW YORK: In 1996, editors of the journal Oncogene contacted Francis Collins, director of the US Center for National Genome Research, about a seemingly important paper on leukemia that had come out of his lab. A reviewer had noticed something strange in the paper which claimed that acute leukemia was influenced by a defective gene. (India Times, India)
Crucial Factors In Lymphoma Development And Survival Discovered Jun 26, 2008
The B-cell receptor on the surface of B cells can cooperate with the MYC oncogene to accelerate the development of lymphomas ... It has long been known that the oncogene MYC plays a crucial role in the development of lymphomas ... They found that the presence of a functional B-cell receptor increased the development of tumors in mice with a translocated MYC oncogene. (Science Daily)
Five Genes Identified In Metastasis Of Breast Tumors To The Lung Jun 25, 2008
For this research, recently published in the scientific journal Oncogene, a transgenic mouse model which presented a greater tendency for developing metastasis was employed. The increase in what is known as the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in its mammary glands triggered profound changes in the tumoural structure, which enabled the malignant cells to leave the tumour and invade the lungs. (Science Daily)
Research Uncovers Clues to Lymphoma Jun 24, 2008
In experiments with mice, researchers at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, found that the B-cell receptor on the surface of B-cells can cooperate with the MYC oncogene to accelerate the development of lymphomas ... Oncogenes are genes thought to encourage cancer ... It was already known that the oncogene MYC played an important role in the development of lymphomas. (Health-Finder)
Ambrilia Validates its Targeted Delivery Technology for Cancer in Vivo Jun 19, 2008
Data in animal tumor models showed efficient siRNA delivery to the tumor tissue, internalization and suppression of a cancer-promoting gene (oncogene) ... In the past years, a number of oncogenes have been suppressed with RNA interference (RNAi), which can be achieved by siRNAs, showing the potential for therapeutic applications in humans. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Gene mutation improves leukemia drug's effect Jun 18, 2008
"This appears to be the first example in AML of a mutation in an oncogene that favorably modifies a patient's response to the dose of a routinely used chemotherapeutic drug," Bloomfield says. "If confirmed, AML patients in the future will likely be screened for RAS mutations, and those who have one may get high-dose cytarabine for post-remission therapy rather than a stem-cell transplant.". (EurekAlert!)
Key Regulator Of DNA Mutations Identified Jun 13, 2008
Rather, they found up to a fifteen percent increase in a translocation pathway whereby the oncogene c-myc breaks off from its designated spot and migrates to the strip of antibody-encoding DNA. The vigorous gene activity that occurs in this region can ramp up the oncogene s expression and lead to a highly aggressive cancer known as Burkitt s lymphoma. Although other lymphomas have been found to overexpress miR-155, Burkitt s lymphoma lacks the expression of it. (Science Daily)
Traits Of Aggressive Form Of Prostate Cancer Identified Jun 12, 2008
11, 2008) A new study reveals a previously unidentified candidate oncogene that appears to play a significant role in a subset of prostate cancers. The research describes a new strategy that can be used to. (Science Daily)
Outing The Outliers: Strategy Matches Oncogene With Subtype Of Prostate Cancer Jun 12, 2008
11, 2008) A new study reveals a previously unidentified candidate oncogene that appears to play a significant role in a subset of prostate cancers ... "We know that ETS gene fusions occur in 40%-80% of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-screened prostate cancers, leaving 20%-60% of prostate cancers in which the key genetic aberration is unknown. Further, we have shown that ETS-positive and --negative cancers have distinct transcriptional signatures, suggesting that unique oncogenes and downstream... (Science Daily)
Genetic Susceptibility to Neuroblastoma Jun 12, 2008
02), amplification of the MYCN oncogene in the tumor cells (P=0. 006), and disease relapse (P=0. (New England Journal of Medicine)
New Cancer Clue: MicroRNA Controls Expression Of Oncogenes Jun 11, 2008
Recent studies have suggested that increases or decreases in miRNA expression may be linked with regulation of oncogenes or tumor suppressors and are therefore likely to play an important role in human cancers ... The researchers went on to show that transcriptional silencing of miR-203 lead to upregulation of the oncogene ABL1 and the BCR-ABL1 oncogenic fusion protein in various mouse and human hematopoietic malignancies ... 11, 2008) A new study reveals a previously unidentified candidate... (Science Daily)
Estrogen Helps Drive Distinct, Aggressive Form Of Prostate Cancer May 30, 2008
"The discovery showed that these malignancies occur after an androgen (male hormone)-dependent gene fuses with an oncogene a type of gene that causes cancer," he explains. Experts have long understood that male hormones help spur prostate cancer in fact, androgen-deprivation therapy is a first-line treatment against the disease. (Science Daily)
Subsc00001174ribe May 14, 2008
Subscription Step 1 - Product Selection. Select if you are buying online access for multiple users. (Nature News Service)
New Cancer Gene Found May 10, 2008
The ground-breaking research appears April 28 in Nature s cancer journal Oncogene. See also. (Science Daily)
How Cells Communicate To Activate The Cell Division Machinery May 8, 2008
Researchers ask how, for example, in function of the tissue that is affected, Notch can serve as a tumor suppressor or as an oncogene. The conclusions drawn from this study, point to effectors being regulated by this pathway. (Science Daily)
Gene Mutations in Cytogenetically Normal Acute Myeloid Leukemia May 2, 2008
gene (CEPBA), the myeloid lymphoid or mixed-lineage leukemia gene (MLL), and the neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS). We evaluated the associations of these mutations with clinical outcomes in patients. (New England Journal of Medicine)
New Technologies Offer More Accurate Means Of Diagnosis And Monitoring Cancer Apr 21, 2008
The researchers then examined PMAIP1, a tumor suppression gene on chromosome 18, and PTPN1, an oncogene on chromosome 20. An increase in PMAIP1 alone or with an increase in PTPN1 identified all subjects with HNSCC with 100 percent sensitivity, the true positive rate, and 100 percent specificity, the true negative rate. (Science Daily)
Breast Cancers : What If Their Invasive Power Were 'Latent' From The Beginning Of Their Development? Apr 16, 2008
18, 2006) A test that measures the amounts of two members of the same protein family -- one of which appears to act as an oncogene, and the other as a tumor suppressor -- helps identify patients with breast. (Nov. (Science Daily)
St. Jude discovery offers new avenues to understanding an aggressive form of leukemia Apr 15, 2008
Cells contain oncogenes, which exist harmlessly until something triggers them to turn the cells malignant ... "You may get activation of an oncogene, but you may also need activation of a tumor suppressor gene and an alteration in a cell-death pathway." ... The result of this translocation is the expression of BCR-ABL1, an oncogene. (EurekAlert!)
Molecule Disrupts DNA Sequence in Ewing's Sarcoma Apr 14, 2008
MONDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- A molecule that disrupts the oncogene that causes Ewing's sarcoma has been identified by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers. Ewing's sarcoma is a rare cancer that strikes children and young adults and can cause tumors to grow anywhere in the body. (Health-Finder)
Biomarkers allow doctors to match therapy to patient Apr 14, 2008
The treatment involves inhibiting the production of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC1), a gene driven by the MYCN oncogene that is a powerful predictor of death from this disease ... This disease, particularly in patients whose tumors carry multiple copies of the MYCN oncogene, has a particularly poor prognosis and new therapies are urgently needed, said Michelle Haber, Ph ... DFMO/chemotherapeutic drug therapy prolonged tumor-free survival by comparison with chemotherapeutic drugs alone,... (EurekAlert!)
In lab study, researchers find molecule that disrupts Ewing's sarcoma oncogene Apr 14, 2008
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have found a small molecule they say can block the action of the oncogene that causes Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer found in children and young adults. If further studies continue to prove beneficial, they say the novel agent could be the first targeted therapy to treat the disease, which can produce tumors anywhere in the body. (EurekAlert!)
Small Molecule MiRNAs Regulate Female Mouse Fertility Apr 13, 2008
15, 2006) Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered that two microRNA (miRNA) molecules help control the oncogene responsible for a dangerous form of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), the. . (Science Daily)
Cancer Stem Cells Created in Lab Apr 11, 2008
The researchers found that one oncogene, "Myc," seems to be a key regulator in converting skin cells to stem cells. But when overexpressed, this gene can induce tumors. (MEDLINEplus)
Targeting Aggressive Breast Cancers By Putting Them To Sleep Mar 27, 2008
24, 2003) A collaboration of scientists mainly from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and at the University of Washington (Seattle) has made an important discovery linking the powerful cancer-causing oncogene. (Apr. (Science Daily)
A MicroRNA Molecule Can Reduce Lung Cancer Growth, Study Shows Mar 24, 2008
They went on to show that in humans, let-7 negatively regulates a well-known determinant of human lung cancers, the RAS oncogene. In collaboration with scientists at Asuragen, the Slack lab has studied the tumor suppressor activity of this small RNA. Their work revealed that let-7 is commonly present at substantially reduced levels in lung tumors -- and that reduced levels of let-7 likely contribute to the development of the tumors. (Science Daily)
First study hints at insights to come from genes unique to humans Mar 22, 2008
Wainszelbaum MJ, Charron AJ, Kong C, Kirkpatrick DS, Srikanth P, Barbieri MA, Gygi SP, Stahl PD. The hominoid-specific oncogene TBC1D3 activates RAS and modulates EGF receptor signaling and trafficking. Journal of Biological Chemistry, online publication. (EurekAlert!)
Inverted DNA turns quiet developmental gene into a potent driver of t-cell lymphoma Feb 28, 2008
In the March 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, the researchers detail how a gene called Dlx5 works cooperatively with a known oncogene, Akt2, to drive cancer in mice ... While their findings are the first to assert that Dlx5 can be an oncogene, the gene has previously been implicated in a number of human endometrial and lung cancers. (EurekAlert!)
Gene Plays 'Jekyll And Hyde' In Brain Cancer Feb 12, 2008
In several tumors, STAT3 takes the role of an oncogene, that is, a gene whose normal functions are derailed and, as a result, becomes a driving force in a tumor's development ... While it does behave as an oncogene in certain types of glioblastoma, in others it becomes what's called a "tumor suppressor gene," a type of gene often responsible for keeping the renegade cancer cells in check ... And since STAT3 is a key gene that turns neural stem cells into astrocytes during normal development,... (Science Daily)
Natural Secretion Marks Difference Between Mole And Melanoma Feb 9, 2008
8, 2008) One might call it a tale of two melanocytes. Given the same genetic mutation, why does one melanocyte shut down growth and become a relatively benign mole, while another rages out of control and develops into deadly melanoma. (Science Daily)
Gene Plays 'Jekyll-and-Hyde' Role in Deadly Brain Cancer Feb 8, 2008
Previous research has shown that STAT3 is an oncogene in several types of glioblastoma. An oncogene is a gene whose normal functions are disrupted and, as a result, helps promote tumor development. (Health-Finder)
'Normal' genes key to cancer growth Feb 1, 2008
In an alternative approach to the traditional search for oncogenes (rogue genes that can turn normal cells into tumours), two teams of US scientists publish support this week for what they call the non-oncogene addiction idea: that a tumour relies heavily on certain normal cell pathways, and that drugs disabling gene products in those pathways could be deadly to cancer ... Oncologists say that drugs against oncogene products, such as Novartis Gleevec (imatinib) and Genentechs Tarceva... (Nature News Service)
2 microRNAs promote spread of tumor cells Jan 29, 2008
D., an assistant professor in Wistars Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program and lead author and co-corresponding author on the study. In 2006, miR-373 was identified as a possible oncogene a modified gene that causes cancer in testicular cancer. (EurekAlert!)
Findings Point To Molecular 'Achilles Heel' For Half Of Breast Cancer Tumors Jan 17, 2008
In the December 10th online edition of the journal Oncogene, investigators say the findings support testing an experimental class of drugs that aim to inhibit the cyclin D1 protein in women with ER+ breast cancers. These agents are currently being tested in this disease as well as in many other types of cancer, the researchers say, and the study provides additional molecular support for their use in breast cancer. (Science Daily)
Scientists Discover New Role For MiRNA In Leukemia Jan 1, 2008
15, 2006) Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered that two microRNA (miRNA) molecules help control the oncogene responsible for a dangerous form of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), the. (Mar. (Science Daily)
Area around Breast Tumor May Predict Cancer's Spread Dec 21, 2007
So is p53, a much-studied oncogene. P53 is involved in repairing DNA damage and other functions which prevent cells from turning malignant. (MEDLINEplus)
'Bubble boy' develops leukaemia Dec 19, 2007
It is thought the implanted gene was planted next to, and switched on, an oncogene, which is a gene that causes cancer. The UK used a slightly different vector to that in the French trial. (BBC News -- Health)
Gene therapyThe implications of a patient developing leukaemia Dec 19, 2007
There is no doubt in the Paris cases that the leukaemia was caused by the gene therapy, where the introduced gene was implanted next to, and switched on, an oncogene (a cancer causing gene). The three other children are in remission from leukaemia, their immune systems are now working again, and they are doing very well. (BBC News -- Health)
Child gets leukaemia after gene therapy Dec 19, 2007
They are unable to control where it ends up, and believe that if it lands next to an oncogene (a cancer gene) it can switch it on, causing cancer. They are planning another trial using a vector that has been modified so that even if it lands next to an oncogene it will not switch it on. (Guardian Unlimited)
Oncology: A 'Neu' Protein Target In The Treatment Of Breast Cancers Dec 16, 2007
MMTV-Neu is a mouse model for overexpression of NEU, a cancer-causing gene (oncogene) that is overexpressed in about 30% of human breast cancer cases. In contrast, the MMTV--PyV-mT mouse models multistep progression of human breast cancers by activation of a number of oncogenes. (Science Daily)
MicroRNA Regulates Cancer Stem Cells: Could Lead To Treating Cancer As A Whole Dec 14, 2007
Further studies showed that let-7 did this by switching off two cancer-related genes: the oncogene Ras, and HMG2A, which when switched off caused the cells to differentiate. If this finding applies to other tumor types, let-7 may offer a unique opportunity to attack tumor stem cells using therapeutic RNA. Delivery of the let-7 RNA to tumors could potentially deplete stem cells by pushing them down the path of differentiation. (Science Daily)
Top Scientists to Receive Prestigious Awards From the American Society of Hematology Dec 6, 2007
"It is my honor to recognize these outstanding individuals for their achievements." With his discovery of the workings of the MYC oncogene in Burkitt lymphoma, Dr. Croce was one of the first to make a case for the genetic basis of cancer. A prolific researcher, he later identified several other genes and their mechanisms of action responsible for the pathogenesis of lymphoma, leukemia, and many other cancers. (PR Newswire)
3D Structure Of A DNA Damage Repair Complex Dec 6, 2007
A potential hazard of this mechanism is simultaneous ruptures, since it is possible that the strands are confused and the wrong strands are glued together, and such a translocation could activate an oncogene. This study identifies the structural bases of the NHEJ process in the DNA of the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and shows for the first time the 3D structure of a NHEJ repairing complex. (Science Daily)
A simpler recipe for human stem cells Dec 3, 2007
But one of those genes, c-myc, is known as an oncogene, which can cause cancer. When Yamanaka produced live mice from embryos injected with these pluripotent cells, 20% of them developed tumours. (Nature News Service)
Gene 'protects against cancers' Nov 23, 2007
Two variants of the B-MYB gene carried by up to half of the world's population are found less often in people with cancer, the journal Oncogene reports. The Institute of Child Health's Dr Arturo Sala said it might prove a "key player" in cancer. (BBC News -- Health)
Wake up and smell the sweat Nov 22, 2007
Doron Lancets research is supported by the Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases; the Crown Human Genome Center; and the Laub Fund for Oncogene Research. Prof. (EurekAlert!)
Cancer drug works by overactivating cancer gene Nov 21, 2007
The U-M scientists found that bortezomib, a drug approved by the FDA to treat advanced multiple myeloma, is able to selectively inhibit melanoma tumor cells because it causes the c-MYC oncogene to overproduce a cell-death promoter called NOXA. Their results place c-MYC and NOXA, well studied among cancer researchers, in a new light ... Many cancer treatments aim to block specific oncogenes, genes that wreak havoc with the normal signals that dictate when cells multiply and die ... The thinking... (EurekAlert!)
M. D. Anderson researchers identify tumor-suppressor gene for lung cancer Nov 14, 2007
The team also found that the tumors generated in the mice without the genes lacked mutations to the K-Ras gene, a common oncogene that fuels cancer growth. "This may be important because the carcinogenesis pathway observed in our model may be relevant to the more than 65 percent of human non-small cell lung cancers that don't have K-Ras mutations," Lotan says. (EurekAlert!)
Breast Cancer Survival Rates Nov 8, 2007
An oncogene is a piece of genetic material carried in the chromosome that can cause normal cells to develop into cancerous ones. An oncogene of particular interest to breast cancer researchers is the HER-2 breast cancer oncogene, produced by approximately one-third of breast cancer patients ... Researchers note that breast cancer patients who express the HER-2 oncogene tend to have earlier cancer recurrences and lower survival rates. (Suite101.com)
Genetically Engineered 'Mighty Mouse' Can Run 6 Kilometers Without Stopping Nov 3, 2007
(May 19, 2004) Using genetically engineered mice, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have identified a gene that functions as a cancer-causing gene (or oncogene) and may play a key role in the. . (Science Daily)
Ways To Teach Approved Drugs New Tricks: How To Combat Cancer Oct 30, 2007
Many cancers rely on what scientists call "oncogene addiction," which refers to malignant processes that are driven by a single alteration, such as mutations in the EGFR gene in lung cancer or over-expression of HER2 in breast cancer. "Therapies have been successfully developed targeting those key alterations, turning the presence of the abnormality into a hallmark of activity, or a predictive biomarker," Dr. Jimeno said. (Science Daily)
Epeius Biotechnologies Leads With Keynote Address on the Advent of Pathotropic Medicine for Cancer at the Global Pharma R&D Summit Conference in Boston MA Oct 19, 2007
Credited with innovations ranging from oncogene discovery, to designer therapeutic genes, to pathotropic (disease-seeking) targeting, to high-performance vector engineering, to advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing and bioprocess development, Epeius Biotechnologies is well positioned to "launch" its enabling platform technologies for the benefit of cancer patients worldwide. Rapid advances in clinical drug development provide Epeius with a unique opportunity for early revenues from the... (PR Newswire)
EpiCept to Present Pre-clinical Advances of Myc Oncogene Directed Drug Discovery at Assays and Cellular Targets Conference Oct 16, 2007
Dr. Drewe will describe the advances into pre-clinical testing of drug discovery efforts targeting the Myc oncogene pathway utilizing EpiCept's Anti-cancer Screening Apoptosis Platform (ASAP). (Logo: ) The presentation will focus on the rapid identification and optimization of lead product candidates related to the Myc oncogene pathway which utilized the cell- and caspase-based apoptosis induction assay for both discovery and successive structure-activity relationship studies ... Oncogenes such... (PR Newswire)
Jefferson researchers uncover new evidence of prolactin's possible role in breast cancer Sep 29, 2007
Prolactin is also known toactivate Stat3, which has been implicated as an oncogene involved in cancer cell growth and survival. In the current study, when Jak1 protein expression was experimentally disrupted in breast cancer cells, prolactin signaling through Stat3 and ERK was completely blocked. (EurekAlert!)
'Jumping genes' could make for safer gene delivery system Sep 27, 2007
The catch is that viruses can be infectious and some types of viruses occasionally land in a target genome near an oncogene and raise the risk of cancer. Plasmids don't carry that risk, but they are not nearly as efficient at reproducing in cells, which is important when the goal is to integrate an introduced gene into the targeted cells of the organism or patient. (EurekAlert!)
Can a High-Fat Diet Beat Cancer? Sep 18, 2007
Robert Weinberg, a biology professor at MIT's Whitehead Institute who discovered the first human oncogene, has long been critical of therapeutic approaches based on the Warburg effect, and has certainly dismissed it as a primary cause of cancer. Nevertheless, he conceded, in an email, for tumors that have been affected by the ketogenic diet in animal models, "there might be some reason to go ahead with a Phase I clinical trial, especially for patients who have no other realistic therapeutic... (Time.com)
New Clues To Breast Cancer Development In High-risk Women Sep 17, 2007
In a study published electronically on July 23 in the journal Oncogene, Georgetown researchers found that mutations of the BRCA1 gene can cause the estrogen-signaling pathway to go awry after cancer starts to grow. The mutated gene somehow causes the tumor cells to stop expressing the estrogen receptor, a protein that sits on the surface of the cell and recognizes the presence of the hormone. (Science Daily)
Presence Of Gene Mutation Helps Guide Thyroid Cancer Treatment Sep 7, 2007
The mutation, called BRAF V600E, is a genetic alteration in the BRAF oncogene, a modified gene believed to cause cancer. Past studies have shown that the mutation frequently occurs in the most common type of thyroid cancer, conventional papillary thyroid cancer or PTC, but this is the largest study to classify thyroid cancer by cell structure subtype and to show that the mutation is significantly associated with cancer recurrence after treatment, according to the research team. (Science Daily)
How Tumors Prevent Immune Cell Entry Aug 23, 2007
Article: Oncogene MYCN regulates localization of NKT cells to the site of disease in neuroblastoma. Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Journal of Clinical Investigation. (Science Daily)
Scientists Create Breast Tumor Stem Cells Aug 14, 2007
Dr. Robert A. Weinberg, who discovered the first human oncogene in 1982, was senior author of this paper. Recent research has suggested that not all cells in a tumor are created equal and that only some are capable of causing trouble. (Health-Finder)
Pathway Links Inflammation, Angiogenesis And Breast Cancer Aug 10, 2007
Earlier this year in a paper published in Molecular Cell, Hung's lab established that IKKa works individually by following NF B into the nucleus, where IKKa plays the pivotal role in the oncogene's competition with the tumor-suppressing gene p53 for access to CREB-binding protein (CBP) ... In the case of the tumor suppressor and the oncogene, CBP will bind to only one at a time ... Hung and colleagues showed that IKKa phosphorylates CBP in the nucleus, switching CBP's binding preference to the... (Science Daily)
U-M researchers identify gene involved in breast cancer Jul 27, 2007
FOXP3 is the first X chromosome-linked gene that suppresses breast cancer and represses the HER-2/ErbB2 oncogene. Given the significant role HER-2 plays in breast cancer and the widespread defects we found on FOXP3, it is likely that this gene play an important role in suppressing breast cancer, says Pan Zheng, M.D., Ph. (EurekAlert!)
Marguerite Vogt dies Jul 20, 2007
A. Gawrylewski, "Oncogene roles in moles," The Scientist, April, 2007. M. Vogt et al., "Independent induction of senescence by p16(INK4a) and p21(CIP1) in spontaneously immortalized human fibroblasts," Cell Growth rentiation, February, 1998. (The Scientist)
Scientists Identify The Cytokine IL6 As A New Chemotherapeutic Target For Ras-driven Cancers Jul 19, 2007
Over-expression of the Ras oncogene, or of its growth-promoting pathway, is an integral step in the development of a number of human cancers, particularly pancreatic and lung cancer. Unfortunately, though, attempts to target Ras for inhibition in a clinical setting have proved unsuccessful. (Science Daily)
