Cancer
Discovering Cancer-Fighting Secrets in the Elephant Genome
Scientists are delving into the cancer-fighting secrets of the elephant genome in hope of discovering a viable treatment for cancer.
Arresting Deadly Cancers Using a New Surveillance System
Look out cancer, there's a new police force in town and it's CAR T-cell therapy. With Dr. Jae Park’s help, scientists are equipping T-cells with an improved surveillance system to help target the bad guys: cancer cells.
BREAKING: Cells Mutiny after Communicating with Cancer
Every story has its good and bad guys. But what if you can no longer tell the difference, a situation that occurs when cancer cells force the body's immune cells into mutiny. Essentially, cells that are supposed to protect you from disease turn on you and support cancer.
Could there be a happy ending to this tragic tale of mutiny? Find out more on cSw.
Immunoengineering a Better Cancer Treatment
BREAKING: Cancer treatment doesn’t have to be harmful to the body. A team at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University has engineered the immune system to fight cancer cells directly.
Spicing Up Tumor Treatment With Silibinin
A different application of the same substance can yield amazing results. Silibinin, an extract of the milk thistle plant, has long been used as a supplemental treatment for liver disease. Research at the University of Colorado, however, is showing that silibinin can be used for so much more—in particular, to treat tumors, both cancerous and otherwise.
A New Breakthrough in Breast Cancer Therapy: Wasp Venom
Spanish scientists are using the poison in wasp venom to develop a new weapon in the battle against breast cancer. Other researchers are exploring ways to incorporate wasp venom in a new class of anticancer drugs designed to attack different parts of cancer cells at the same time.
Targeting Cancer: Aptamers Help Hit the Bullseye
If you have ever played a video game, you know that precision is the goal. Now imagine that busting cancer cells is your target, and pieces of genetic material called aptamers are your helpers. Cancer researchers are exploring aptamers as a promising new approach to targeting cancer treatment.
Sharks Offer Hope to Breast Cancer Patients
Characterized in film and media as ferocious and malicious creatures, sharks ignite our basic survival instincts: kill or be killed. However, antibodies in the blood of these ocean carnivores could lead to a new treatment for breast cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States.
The Naked Truth: The Naked Mole Rat and the Elusive Cure for Cancer
The naked mole rat has a very long life span, with some living as long as 32 years, but what makes it unique is its apparent resistance to developing cancer. A team at the University of Rochester first described a process of tumor blockade called early contact inhibition that is present in the naked mole rat but not in any other mammalian species. This process might be part of this rat’s unique tumor busting superpower, effectively protecting it from the rapid cell growth and division that occurs with cancer.
Dogs Really Are Man’s Best Friend: Osteosarcoma Research in Great Danes
Great Danes are one of the best canine models for human cancer research because they have the highest chance of developing a malignancy in their lifetime. Compared to lab rats and mice, Great Danes are better models for human disease because they are genetically more similar. All too often, treatments that have worked in lab mice haven't worked when we've taken them to human clinical trials. [The canine] model is much closer to human disease.