A Spanish research team has recently published evidence which may provide the first direct functional link between differential expression of mRNA-specific translational regulators and tumor development.

A new awareness campaign warns of the dangers of improper cooling and handling of laboratory samples.

Mill Valley, California: Scientists working with laboratory samples are accustomed to having to control for many variables, but a new awareness campaign led by biotechnology firm BioCision aims to reduce deterioration of samples as a result of another potential threat in the lab--inconsistent sample temperature during cooling and handling.

The campaign, called Scientists Against Sample Abuse (SASA), takes a humorous approach to a serious issue that’s garnering more attention recently within the scientific community.

The fight against glioblastoma, one of the deadliest brain cancers, may have received a big boost thanks to a team of researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. In a new study published September 15 in Cancer Discovery, senior author Dr. Paul Mischel, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of molecular and medicinal pharmacology, and his colleagues discovered that blocking cholesterol uptake into glioma cells can potently kill cancer cell lines and malignant tumors in mice. This novel finding potentially offers a more effective treatment strategy for patients with glioblastomas that have become resistant to traditional chemo and radiotherapies.

Our graphic designer was inspired by an M.D. Anderson press release that came out yesterday offering age specific tips for men to manage their cancer risk. The graphic highlights these recommendations and we have republished the press release including detailed links to studies and resources for those wanting to understand more.

Men: Cancer Prevention Tips By Age

Since it's discovery in the early 1990's, scientists have identified hundreds of mutations in the BRCA1 gene, many of which are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Women with an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have up to a 60% risk of developing breast cancer by age 90.

Here's another reason to hold your breath while driving through a tunnel: you could be saving yourself from inhaling erionite, a natural rock mineral fiber present in road gravel that, like asbestos, can accumulate in lung tissue over time and cause malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the protective lining of internal bodily organs, most commonly the lungs due to asbestos exposure. Currently, the World Health Organization estimates that 125 million people are occupationally exposed to asbestos and over 107,000 deaths each year are attributed to asbestos-related mesothelioma.

The fifth deadliest cancer among women across the United States, ovarian clear cell carcinoma has proven to be an elusive killer and one which does not respond well to traditional therapies. To gain a better understanding into the genetic origins of this cancer, two independent research teams - using different approaches - embarked on efforts to examine the protein-coding regions (or exons) of ovarian tumor cells.

Dr. Nickolas Papadopoulos, of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, led one team in sequencing all 18,000 protein-coding genes from eight ovarian clear cell carcinoma patients. Comparing both tumor and normal cells, the group identified four (4) genes that were mutated in the tumors but not in the normal cells. Of these, the most common was the gene ARID1A, which had never before been linked to ovarian cancer.

An interesting paper from May 10th, the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reports on research from Vanderbilt University that used a "reporter molecule" and a custom camera equipped monitoring station for the monitoring of cell division division over a long period of time. What they discovered was the biological clock wasn't regulating cell division in their test cells. This implies that there is an opportunity to reactivate the biological clock in tumors with drug therapy, there by reducing growth rates.

On March 29, 2010, US District Judge Robert Sweet of New York ruled the patents held by Myriad Genetics, covering how to detect inherited breast cancer, invalid - citing they "are directed to a law of nature and were therefore improperly granted." Judge Sweet sided with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented groups including the Association for Molecular Pathology, the American Soci

Professor Gunter von Minckwitz, from the German Breast Group Forschungs GmBH, Neu-Isenburg set out to investigate the expression of a protein, known as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase - or PARP, in various hormone receptor subtypes of early breast cancer, with the hopes of predicting a total response to chemotherapy given before surgery.