PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New therapy found for lung and skin cancer, based on suicide gene E

2010-09-22
(Press-News.org) Scientists at the University of Granada have developed a new therapy for the treatment of skin and lung cancer. This therapy involves the use of a suicide coliphage-gene (gene E) that can induce death to cells transfected with it.. Their studies have demostrated that this technique is not only effective in vitro (using tumour cell cultures), but also in vivo through the use of experimental animals in which tumours were induced.

Although further research is required, the results obtained at the University of Granada revealed gene E's intensive antitumour activity, which means that it could be used in new treatments for this type of pathology.

This study was carried out by Raúl Ortiz Quesada, from the Department of Human Anatomy and Embriology, at the University of Granada, and led by professors Antonia Aránega Jiménez, José Carlos Prados Salazar y Consolación Melguizo Alonso.

In this study developed at the University of Granada, gene E and gene gef -which are bacterial lysis genes- were employed. This is the first time that this type of genes is used in eukaryotic cells in the treatment of tumours. During the in vitro tests, the researchers studied the effect of these genes on the B16-F10 melanoma line. This line was then used to generate tumours in vivo and analyse their effect.

Experimental Approach

This is an experimental technique that could be used in clinical tests in the future. This new therapy was also tested on the lung adenocarcinoma A549 line. Then, they studied how these genes affect cell proliferation -both in vitro and in vivo experiments- and their mechanism of action. To such purpose, they studied the alterations that such genes render on outer mitochondrial membranes, and carried out cell-death tests and cell and tissue morphology analysis through microscopy techniques.

Tumour growth inhibition in cultured cells of gene E and gef within 72 hours was 72% and 35% respectively, in comparison to in vivo experiments. Gen E action on melanoma tumours induced in mice was 70-80% of tumour regression within 8 days of treatment.

Raúl Ortiz Quesada stated that in a near future, when genetic therapies allow to improve the controlled expression of these genes in tumour cells, and reduce the risks involved in their clinical use, "they could be employed as an efficient tool in the treatment of these pathologies".

The researcher points that they have already noticed the significant antitumour effects of gen E when employed separately. He also thinks that when this gene is combined with chemotherapy "it can reduce the effects of chemotherapy agents, which would allow the reduction of the dose required, as well as the reduction of side effects of chemotherapy".

INFORMATION:

The results of this research were published in prestigious scientific journal within the field of Oncology (as Journal of Molecular Medicine) or Dermatology (as in Experimental Dermatology)

Contact: Pr. Antonia Aránega Jiménez. Departament of Human Anatomy and Embriology Humana, University of Granada. Phone: +34 958241000, (ext: 20032). E-Mail: aranega@ugr.es

Accessible on English version

Accesible en Versión española

Accessible sur le site Version française

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

First observation of the folding of a nucleic acid

2010-09-22
The prediction of the structure and function of biological macromolecules (i.e., the machinery of life) is of foremost importance in the field of structural biology. Since the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of DNA (the molecule that carries all genetic information) by Watson and Crick, scientists have strived to decipher the hidden code that determines the evolution of the spatial arrangement of these molecules towards their functional native state. Attempts to follow these structural transitions experimentally and with atomic resolution are hampered by ...

'Halfalogue': Overheard cell-phone conversations are not only annoying but reduce our attention

2010-09-22
"Yeah, I'm on my way home." "That's funny." "Uh-huh." "What? No! I thought you were – " "Oh, ok." Listening to someone talk on a cell phone is very annoying. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds out why: Hearing just one side of a conversation is much more distracting than hearing both sides and reduces our attention in other tasks. Lauren Emberson, a psychology Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University, came up with the idea for the study when she was taking the bus as an undergraduate student at the ...

War on cancer produces collateral damage to the heart

2010-09-22
Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2010 – For the past two decades, cancer therapy has become more sophisticated and effective, resulting in an ever-expanding group of long-term cancer survivors. There is also a growing awareness of the potentially negative effects of cancer treatment on the heart and the management of cardiac disease during and after cancer therapy. In the September/October issue of Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases an international group of experts takes an in-depth look at the ways in which cancer treatment profoundly impacts patients' cardiovascular ...

New study links political connections to corporate corruption

2010-09-22
West Lafayette, IN—September 21, 2010— While most citizens recognize that corruption is "bad," the average citizen is unaware of the benefits enjoyed by politically connected firms, or how common government favors are worldwide. In the U.S., many citizens were outraged at the provision and size of bailouts for "too big to fail" banks. A new study from the journal Financial Management claims that not only does corruption exist in the corporate world, but that political connections are extremely important for corporate success. Author Mara Faccio studied several thousand ...

Leaders of the pack display high EQ, Rotman study finds

2010-09-22
The ability to understand emotions is a key ingredient in people who become leaders in groups with no formal authority, a new paper has found. The findings come through two different studies using commerce students. Study participants were given an emotional ability test as part of the study, as well as a self-analysis of their emotional skills. Then, they organized themselves into small groups or were randomly assigned to small groups and were given a group project to do. At the end of the project they were asked to identify whom they thought had shown the greatest ...

Researchers investigate differences in quality of care delivered by US resident and staff physicians

2010-09-22
Research on the quality of US resident physician performance levels has often been limited by lack of a comparison group or strict focus on specific diseases and geographical areas. In order to gain insight on differences in quality of care provided by resident physicians versus staff physicians, Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Palo Alto Medical Foundation researchers investigated performance of physicians in 33,900 hospital-based outpatient visits throughout the US. The researchers collected data from the 1997-2004 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and ...

Invaders could devastate Florida avocado industry

2010-09-22
HOMESTEAD, FL—Florida's lucrative avocado industry could face a serious blow from a duo of deadly new invaders. Together, the invasive fungus called "laurel wilt disease" and the redbay ambrosia beetle, which carries laurel wilt, represent a significant economic threat to the industry. According to a report published in HortTechnology, direct losses from the invasion could range from $183 million to a remarkable high of $356 million. "The impact on the local economy would be catastrophic", noted Dr. Edward A. Evans of the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education ...

Immunization is key to achieving child survival goals

2010-09-22
NEW YORK, 20 September 2010 – Immunizing children against preventable diseases is critical to achieving United Nations-led goals to reduce child deaths, global health and development chiefs said in New York today. At an event hosted by UNICEF, the Republic of Kenya and the GAVI Alliance, health ministers, donors and the heads of UN agencies called for the introduction of new vaccines that can dramatically reduce deaths due to diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two biggest killers of children under five. Kenya's Minister of Public Health and Sanitation, Dr Rose Mugo, said her ...

Inner voice plays role in self-control

2010-09-22
TORONTO, ON – Talking to yourself might not be a bad thing, especially when it comes to exercising self control. New research out of the University of Toronto Scarborough – published in this month's edition of Acta Psychologica – shows that using your inner voice plays an important role in controlling impulsive behaviour. "We give ourselves messages all the time with the intent of controlling ourselves – whether that's telling ourselves to keep running when we're tired, to stop eating even though we want one more slice of cake, or to refrain from blowing up on someone ...

Community-based treatment of malaria, pneumonia could save lives, BU study finds

2010-09-22
Anti-malarial drugs are being used inappropriately for sick children in Zambia with fevers and difficulty breathing – a problem that can be addressed by arming community health workers with a simple rapid-diagnostic test and a supply of antibiotics, a study led by a team of Boston University School of Public Health [BUSPH] researchers has found. In the study, published online Sept. 21 in PLoS Medicine, the research team from the Center for Global Health and Development at BUSPH addressed the widespread practice of treating children with fevers with anti-malarial drugs, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mount Sinai experts present research at SLEEP 2025

Medigap protection and plan switching among Medicare advantage enrollees with cancer

Bubbles are key to new surface coating method for lightweight magnesium alloys

Carbon stable isotope values yield different dietary associations with added sugars in children compared to adults

Scientists discover 230 new giant viruses that shape ocean life and health

Hurricanes create powerful changes deep in the ocean, study reveals

Genetic link found between iron deficiency and Crohn’s disease

Biologists target lifecycle of deadly parasite

nTIDE June 2025 Jobs Report: Employment of people with disabilities holds steady in the face of uncertainty

Throughput computing enables astronomers to use AI to decode iconic black holes

Why some kids respond better to myopia lenses? Genes might hold the answer

Kelp forest collapse alters food web and energy dynamics in the Gulf of Maine

Improving T cell responses to vaccines

Nurses speak out: fixing care for disadvantaged patients

Fecal transplants: Promising treatment or potential health risk?

US workers’ self-reported mental health outcomes by industry and occupation

Support for care economy policies by political affiliation and caregiving responsibilities

Mailed self-collection HPV tests boost cervical cancer screening rates

AMS announces 1,000 broadcast meteorologists certified

Many Americans unaware high blood pressure usually has no noticeable symptoms

IEEE study describes polymer waveguides for reliable, high-capacity optical communication

Motor protein myosin XI is crucial for active boron uptake in plants

Ultra-selective aptamers give viruses a taste of their own medicine

How the brain distinguishes between ambiguous hypotheses

New AI reimagines infectious disease forecasting

Scientific community urges greater action against the silent rise of liver diseases

Tiny but mighty: sophisticated next-gen transistors hold great promise

World's first practical surface-emitting laser for optical fiber communications developed: advancing miniaturization, energy efficiency, and cost reduction of light sources

Statins may reduce risk of death by 39% for patients with life-threatening sepsis

Paradigm shift: Chinese scientists transform "dispensable" spleen into universal regenerative hub

[Press-News.org] New therapy found for lung and skin cancer, based on suicide gene E