http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —A potentially lethal fungal infection appears to gain virulence by being able to anticipate and disarm a hostile immune attack in the lungs, according to findings by researchers at Duke Medicine. http://phys.org/news282469118.html Biology Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:38:47 EST news282469118 (Phys.org) —It's the spread of the original cancer tumor that kills most people. That's why cancer researchers vigorously search for drugs that can prevent metastases, the spread of cancer. The research team co-led by Angela Wandinger-Ness, PhD, and Larry Sklar, PhD, at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center has found a chemical compound that appears to control cell migration and adhesion, two important characteristics of metastatic cancer cells. The team recently published a paper describing how the first-in-class compound acts on various cells. http://phys.org/news282410377.html Chemistry Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:19:46 EST news282410377 Double-strand breaks in DNA happen every time a cell divides and replicates. Depending on the type of cell, that can be pretty often. Many proteins are involved in everyday DNA repair, but if they are mutated, the repair system breaks down and cancer can occur. Cells have two complicated ways to repair these breaks, which can affect the stability of the entire genome. http://phys.org/news279112980.html Biology Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:00:01 EST news279112980 A common point in all human tumors is that they produce an activation of oncogenes, genes that cause cancer and they also cause a loss of function of the protective genes, called anti-oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes. Normally both categories of anticancer and procancer genes are in different regions of our chromosomes. http://phys.org/news258112196.html Biology Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:50:10 EST news258112196 Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a method for building complex nanostructures out of short synthetic strands of DNA. Called single-stranded tiles (SSTs), these interlocking DNA "building blocks," akin to Legos, can be programmed to assemble themselves into precisely designed shapes, such as letters and emoticons. Further development of the technology could enable the creation of new nanoscale devices, such as those that deliver drugs directly to disease sites. http://phys.org/news257590618.html Nanotechnology Wed, 30 May 2012 13:00:04 EST news257590618 A major discovery about an enzyme's structure has opened a window on understanding DNA repair. Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have determined the structure of a nuclease that will help scientists to understand several DNA repair pathways, a welcome development for cancer research. http://phys.org/news222516627.html Biology Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:10:49 EST news222516627 Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have found some compounds that improve a cell's ability to properly "fold" proteins and could lead to promising drugs for degenerative nerve diseases, including Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. http://phys.org/news183141591.html Medicine & Health Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:40:16 EST news183141591 Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. This breakthrough discovery shows that the mutated form of IDH1 produces a metabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG), which may contribute to the formation and malignant progression of gliomas, the most common type of brain cancers. This discovery appears to reverse the previously held belief that IDH1 was non functional for cancer-causing activity. It is also one of the first reported instances where a metabolic enzyme such as IDH1 is shown to play a role in cancer formation, in this case through altered metabolic activity. http://phys.org/news178121436.html Medicine & Health Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:11:45 EST news178121436 Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy. http://phys.org/news176738875.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:20:02 EST news176738875 A team of scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, USA, says that studying pet dogs with cancer could yield valuable information on how to diagnose and treat human cancers. In this week's PLoS Medicine, the team discusses an ongoing initiative in which spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs are being studied to help inform the development of new cancer drugs, devices and imaging strategies for human cancer patients. http://phys.org/news174634146.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:41:23 EST news174634146 A multi-institutional team of Boston-area researchers has discovered a chemical that works in mice to kill the rare but aggressive cells within breast cancers that have the ability to seed new tumors. http://phys.org/news169385651.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:42:25 EST news169385651 (PhysOrg.com) -- Stress can be adaptive. It can make you sharper, help you focus and it can even improve your performance. But too much of it can tax cells to the point where they can no longer cope and slowly self-destruct. Scientists at Rockefeller University now show that when the protein-making factory of the cell is exposed to moderate stress, neurons in the fruit fly retina and other cells not only resist death but also shore up their defenses against damaging free radicals and ultraviolet radiation. http://phys.org/news160159407.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:43:48 EST news160159407 Cancer that spreads to other organs finds a particularly inviting hideout in the brain, where these metastases are usually far harder to treat than they are in other locations. Two researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center discussed ways to more successfully target these tumors in their "sanctuary" at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009 in Denver. http://phys.org/news159372220.html Medicine & Health Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:04:04 EST news159372220 Researchers have developed a new mouse model that allows them to replicate normal pigment cells at the earliest stages of conversion to malignant skin cancer in humans. After testing the mouse with a combination of two drug therapies, the team found the treatment caused a statistically significant regression in cancer cell development. http://phys.org/news156094787.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:40:11 EST news156094787