(Press-News.org) The development of more effective cancer drugs could be a step nearer thanks to the discovery, by scientists at Warwick Medical School, of how an inbuilt 'security check' operates to guarantee cells divide with the correct number of chromosomes.
Most cells in our bodies contain 23 pairs of chromosomes that encode our individual genetic identities. The process of chromosome segregation is monitored by a system called the spindle checkpoint that ensures daughter cells receive the correct number of chromosomes.
If daughter cells receive an unequal number of chromosomes, known as 'aneuploidy', this drives normal cells to become cancerous. Indeed, the cells of aggressive human tumours are frequently 'aneuploid' with many components of the spindle checkpoint being mutated or mis-expressed. Therefore, determining how the spindle checkpoint operates is vital to understanding what causes, and what can prevent, the formation of tumours.
Current Biology has published research by Professor Jonathan Millar at the University of Warwick that pinpoints the precise mechanism by which spindle checkpoint proteins bind chromosomes.
Professor Millar explained: "Components of the spindle assembly checkpoint were first discovered 22 years ago by researchers in America and yet, until now, the binding sites for these proteins on chromosomes have remained unknown. We have been able to answer this question and as a result, we are now in a much better position to design more selective and effective drugs."
Currently, one of the most frequently used anti-cancer drugs are taxanes, which prevent proper inactivation of the spindle checkpoint and result in selective death of cancer, but not normal, cells. However, this class of drug can have debilitating side effects including permanent neurological damage and hair loss – side effects that could be reduced if cancer cells could be targeted more selectively.
Professor Millar was quick to point out that this is not an overnight cure: "This research is a significant advance in our understanding of how the spindle checkpoint operates but it is really just the start. More research has to be done before we can convert this into a commercial treatment for patients. But we are greatly encouraged that our research here at Warwick is leading the way in the search for more effective cancer drugs."
INFORMATION:
The paper can be viewed at Current Biology: www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(12)00338-7
END
NEW ORLEANS – Teasing out the exact type or types of dementia someone suffers from is no easy task; neurodegenerative brain diseases share common pathology and often co-occur. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are continuing efforts to differentiate diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), as FTLD is often clinically difficult to distinguish from atypical presentations of AD.
In a series of studies being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting ...
The recent mild winter throughout much of the United States was a cause for celebration for many. However, butterfly aficionados shouldn't be joining in the celebration.
A new study by Jessica Hellmann, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, and researchers from Western University found that mild winters, such as the one many of us just experienced, can be taxing for some butterfly or possibly other species.
Hellmann and her fellow researchers studied caterpillars of the Propertius Duskywing butterfly, which feed on Gary Oak trees. ...
CINCINNATI—Researchers at UC have confirmed that fat surrounding the outside of arteries in humans—particularly the left coronary artery—may influence the onset of coronary artery disease, or atherosclerosis, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.
These findings, being presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago April 20, 2012, may help in identifying the molecular culprit, with the goal of creating targeted therapies for atherosclerosis before the disease forms.
Coronary ...
Athens, Ga. – On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a national panel of researchers including University of Georgia marine scientist Samantha Joye is urging the federal government to reassess how it would respond to similar oil spills that might occur in the future.
The 22 researchers, whose paper was published April 20 in the peer-reviewed journal Bioscience, noted that the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was unlike any other oil spill encountered previously. Although the well blowout occurred at unprecedented depths and released enormous quantities ...
(New Orleans) A dozen recommendations to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to high-quality, coordinated care were provided today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The new policy paper, Reforming Medicare in the Age of Deficit Reduction, was released at Internal Medicine 2012, ACP's annual scientific meeting.
"This position paper considers the potential advantages and disadvantages of proposals to reform Medicare in an attempt to quell rising Medicare/health care costs. Options such as transforming Medicare into a premium support program, increasing ...
Radisson Blu Hotel, Toulouse is proud to introduce fiber to the home (FTTH), a 100 megabyte per second high-speed Internet access.
The 100 megabyte per second high-speed Internet will provide guests of the airport hotel Toulouse with free access to the Internet in and around the hotel, making it possible to work in comfort and send attachments and large files in a few seconds. Users can download and share content at light speed while watching a High Definition video or even playing network games.
Customer needs are always changing and the Internet has become indispensable ...
NASA satellites have been monitoring the slow-to-develop low pressure area called System 99P for four days as it lingers in the Arafura Sea, north Australia's Northern Territory. Satellite data indicates that System 99P is likely to continue struggling because of weak organization and nearby dry air.
System 99P was captured in an infrared image on April 20, 2012 at 04:55 UTC (12:55 a.m. EDT) by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. At that time, System 99P was centered about 190 nautical miles (218.6 ...
NJIT's Center for Wireless Communications and Signal Processing Research showcased earlier this week the research of six doctoral students. The students' work was featured in presentations and displayed posters. The annual event gives doctoral students and their professors a chance to exchange information from a year's worth of work. The Center is located in the department of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT's Newark College of Engineering.
Six presentations focused on the field's newest technology. They were "Spatial Compressive Sensing in MIMO Radar ...
Park Inn by Radisson Al Khobar was recently named as Highly Commended 'Best 4 Star Hotel in Saudi Arabia' at the second Saudi Excellence in Tourism Awards gala ceremony. The awards are held under the patronage of HRH Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.
Nearly one hundred thousand votes were cast in the 2012 Saudi Excellence in Tourism Awards before voting closed on Thursday 14 March. Across the 22 sub-categories there were more than 600 nominations with the most hotly contested category being Best ...
NEW ORLEANS – Two new studies analyzing treatment decisions in late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients shed light onto treatments aimed to extend the duration and quality of life in this progressively debilitating neuromuscular disorder. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that waiting until the last minute to receive one treatment resulted in not living long enough to experience the benefits. In a separate study, Penn researchers uncovered polarized preferences among patients regarding the value of an ...
