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

Nanotechnology brings personalized therapy 1 step closer to reality

2010-09-29
(Press-News.org) DENVER — A novel technology can make nanoscale protein measurements, which scientists can use in clinical trials to learn how drugs work.

"We are making progress toward the goal of understanding how drugs work in different individuals," said Alice C. Fan, M.D., instructor in the division of oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "Using new technologies makes it possible to measure effects of therapeutic agents in tumor cells and different cell populations within our patients. Now that we can make these measurements, we are one step closer to being able to tailor therapy for each patient."

This research was presented at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

Currently, research on cancer agent activity requires patients to undergo several invasive biopsies to generate enough cells for testing. Fan and colleagues developed a highly sensitive test called the nano-immunoassay (NIA) that can make nanoscale protein measurements in cells from minimally invasive blood draws or fine-needle aspirates. The researchers used a microfluidic instrument called the Nanopro1000 (Cell Biosciences).

After studying NIA in several clinical trial settings, diagnostic testing results showed that protein profiles in the RAS and MAP kinase pathways could distinguish tumor cells from normal cells. Researchers could use these profiles to group different tumor types.

The researchers analyzed proteins in cells from patients with lymphoma or myelodysplastic syndrome. Two novel treatments for these diseases had a measurable effect on protein activity in tumor cells, Fan said.

Finally, the team used NIA in conjunction with flow cytometry to determine a drug's differential effects in tumor cells vs. normal cells within each patient.

"These results have immediate application because they can identify which drugs actually hit protein targets in patient cells," Fan said.

In the long-term, nanoscale approaches may eventually affect all stages of cancer care.

"The ability to make meaningful protein measurements using minute quantities of tissue will allow for earlier discovery of tumors, characterization of small amounts of residual disease and detection of recurrence," Fan said.

NIA could be particularly useful in studying rare cell populations such as circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells.

###

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @AACR #AACR
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 32,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 18,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists, providing a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Method to detect bladder cancer earlier is under development

2010-09-29
DENVER — Scientists may have discovered a way to diagnose bladder cancer at its earliest and, therefore, most treatable stages by measuring the presence or absence of microRNA using already available laboratory tests. "Measuring expressions of microRNA in bodily fluid represents a very promising tool with widespread implications for screening," said Liana Adam, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in urology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Adam presented her findings at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic ...

c-Met may be a biomarker for metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma

2010-09-29
DENVER — Targeting c-Met may be a promising personalized treatment method for approximately 45 percent of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have c-Met-positive tumors, according to study results presented at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development. HCC is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver; c-Met is a receptor for hepatocyte growth factor that appears to drive liver cancer growth, invasion and metastasis. "Current therapies for HCC patients are 'one size fits all.' We propose ...

Cost-effectiveness of routine use of pooled nucleic acid amplification testing

2010-09-29
Detection of acute HIV infection (the stage of disease immediately after HIV acquisition but before HIV antibodies are detectable) with pooled nucleic acid amplification testing (that detects the presence of HIV genetic material in the blood before antibodies are detectable) is feasible but not cost-effective in all settings. Rather, pooled nucleic acid amplification testing after testing for antibodies with third-generation enzyme immunoassays (which can detect the first antibody to appear after infection) or rapid testing is only cost-effective when targeted to settings ...

Chest physiotherapy not effective in infants hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis

2010-09-29
In research published this week in PLoS Medicine, Vincent Gajdos and colleagues report the results of a randomized trial conducted among hospitalized infants with bronchiolitis. The researchers enrolled nearly 500 children aged 15 days to 2 years who were admitted to seven French hospitals for a first episode of acute bronchiolitis. Their results show that a physiotherapy technique (increased exhalation and assisted cough) commonly used in France does not reduce time to recovery in this population. The researchers conclude "Our results did not support the recommendation ...

19-million-year-old genomic fossils of hepatitis B-like viruses in songbirds

2010-09-29
Biologists from The University of Texas at Arlington have uncovered virus fragments from the same family of the modern Hepatitis B virus locked inside the genomes of songbirds such as the modern-day zebra finch. The article, publishing next week in the online, open access journal PLoS Biology, marks the first time that endogenous hepadnaviruses have been found in any organism. An endogenous virus is one that deposits itself or fragments of itself into the chromosome of an organism, allowing it to be passed from generation-to-generation. Previously, most of these known "fossilized" ...

TGen/Mayo Clinic/Arizona Cancer Center study finds gene associated with aggressive skin cancer

2010-09-29
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Sept. 28, 2010 — The loss of a gene known as INPP5A could predict the onset, and track the progression, of an aggressive type of skin cancer, according to a study published today by the Arizona Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Targeting INPP5A could provide physicians with better ways to prevent and treat cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC, a skin cancer that often spreads to other parts of the body, according to a scientific paper published today in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. "Loss ...

What next for the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic?

2010-09-29
WASHINGTON, DC – September 28, 2010 -- Now that the H1N1 influenza pandemic is officially over, what will happen to the virus? In a perspective article published today in the online open-access journal mBio®, scientists from the National Institutes of Health delve into history and explore the fates of other pandemic influenza viruses in order to speculate on the future of the most recent pandemic virus. "While human influenza viruses have often surprised us, available evidence leads to the hope that the current pandemic virus will continue to cause low or moderate mortality ...

Sodium plays key role in tissue regeneration

Sodium plays key role in tissue regeneration
2010-09-29
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Sodium gets a bad rap for contributing to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Now biologists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have discovered that sodium also plays a key role in initiating a regenerative response after severe injury. The Tufts scientists have found a way to regenerate injured spinal cord and muscle by using small molecule drugs to trigger an influx of sodium ions into injured cells. The approach breaks new ground in the field of biomedicine because it requires no gene therapy; can be administered after ...

Pharma must be held more accountable to its human rights responsibilities

2010-09-29
In this week's PLoS Medicine, the Editors argue that drug companies should be held much more accountable for their human rights responsibilities to make medicines available and accessible to those in need. Despite decades of advocacy on the part of the access to medicines movement, and human rights guidelines developed in 2008 for pharmaceutical companies that make clear that their responsibilities go beyond stakeholder value to encompass human rights, there is inadequate accountability, say the Editors. "At the same time that the 825 billion dollar global pharmaceutical ...

NIH scientists consider fate of pandemic H1N1 flu virus

2010-09-29
Whither pandemic H1N1 virus? In a new commentary, scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, review the fates of previous pandemic influenza viruses in the years following a pandemic and speculate on possible future courses for the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus during the upcoming flu season and beyond. The authors estimate that at least 183 million Americans (about 59 percent of the total U.S. population) have some immunity to pH1N1 because they were exposed to related viruses or vaccines ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

When cells run a red light: Double trouble for old models in cell division

Epigenetic reprogramming safely modifies multiple genes in T Cells simultaneously for CAR-T therapies

How hard is it to dim the Sun?

Researchers launch survey to unlock the secrets of vivid memory

Exotic roto-crystals

Dr Harriet Kildahl joins PeroCycle as Technical Director

Exercise counteracts junk food's depression-like effects through gut-brain metabolic signaling

Genetic link discovered between childhood intelligence and parental longevity

Psychedelics reshape time perception offering new therapeutic pathways

Genetic inflammation markers reveal distinct depression subtypes affecting treatment response

Understanding how menopause symptoms can complicate treatment of traumatic brain injuries

Digestive issues more common during perimenopause and menopause

Oral or transdermal hormone therapy? The mental health risks are not the same

When women initiate estrogen therapy matters

Risk of eye disease increases during menopause transition

Life in the fast (and slow) lanes for salmon

Early natural menopause linked with higher risk of metabolic syndrome

Earlier menopause and reduced cardiac function can take a toll on brain health

Feeling anxious during menopause? Hormone therapy may or may not help

Likelihood of being prescribed hormone therapy may depend on the type of provider seen

The role of genetics in modifying the link between earlier menopause and memory decline

Who watches the AI watchman?

Female bodybuilders at risk of sudden cardiac death

Garment factories are sweltering. These simple fixes could keep workers safe

‘Slums’ of Victorian Manchester housed wealthy doctors and engineers, new study reveals

Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2025 announced

Most of Wine Country’s agricultural workers have been exposed to wildfires, new survey finds

Obesity-related cancer rising among both younger and older adults worldwide

A 'Rosetta Stone' for molecular systems

What goes up must come down – scientists unearth “universal thermal performance curve” that shackles evolution

[Press-News.org] Nanotechnology brings personalized therapy 1 step closer to reality