Cancer Gene Therapy Week articles from November 2008

Cancer Gene Therapy Week archives from November 2008

Findings from N. Lecatguillet and co-researchers advance knowledge in cancer gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... "The ability of the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) to take up iodide has long provided the basis for cytoreductive gene therapy and cancer treatment with radioiodide. One of the major limitations of this approach is that radioiodide retention in...

Findings from Seoul National University provide new insights into gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... " The use of retroviral vectors has shown an actual clinical benefit in a few inherited diseases. However, the occurrence of cases of leukemia after the X-SCID gene therapy trial raised concerns about the safety of insertional mutagenesis...

New gene therapy study findings have been reported by scientists at St. James University.
November 3, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Oncogene, "The LIM-domain protein LMO2 is a T-cell oncogenic protein first recognized by gene activation through chromosomal translocations, but it is also responsible for leukaemias arising...

Study data from S. Guedan and co-authors update knowledge of gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... "Fusogenic membrane glycoproteins (FMGs) may enhance the cytotoxicity of conditionally replicative adenoviruses. However, expression at early stages of infection impairs virus replication," scientists in Barcelona, Spain report (see also Gene...

Study data from University of Texas update understanding of glioblastoma.(Report)
November 3, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Oncolytic adenoviruses are a promising tool in cancer therapy. In this study, we characterized the role of autophagy in oncolytic adenovirus-induced therapeutic effects." "OBP-405, an oncolytic...

Investigators at National Taiwan University, Department of Pharmacology have published new data on cancer gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... Researchers detail in '15-deoxy-{Delta}12,14-prostaglandin J2 up-regulates death receptor 5 gene expression in HCT116 cells: involvement of reactive oxygen species and C/EBP homologous transcription factor gene transcription,' new data in...

Investigators at University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center publish new data on cancer gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... Fresh data on cancer gene therapy are presented in the report 'Coronarin D, a labdane diterpene, inhibits both constitutive and inducible nuclear factor-{kappa}B pathway activation, leading to potentiation of apoptosis, inhibition of invasion,...

Recent findings from University of Rostock, Department of Medicine highlight research in gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... Scientists discuss in 'Molecular insights into connective tissue growth factor action in rat pancreatic stellate cells' new findings in gene therapy. "Pancreatic fibrosis, a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, is mediated...

Researchers from University of Toronto, Department of Medicine detail new studies and findings in the area of life sciences.
November 3, 2008... A new study, 'Wnt and beyond Wnt: multiple mechanisms control the transcriptional property of beta-catenin,' is now available. "The bipartite transcription factor beta-catenin/TCF (cat/TCF) has been recognized as the major effector of the Wnt...

Researchers from University of Nantes detail findings in osteosarcoma gene therapy.
November 3, 2008... A new study, 'Therapeutic efficacy of soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-{kappa}B-Fc delivered by nonviral gene transfer in a mouse model of osteolytic osteosarcoma,' is now available. According to a study from France, "Osteosarcoma...

A/C Diagnostics Unit of AntiCancer, Inc., Receives FDA Clearance for a Portable Homocysteine Test.
November 3, 2008... The A/C Diagnostics unit of AntiCancer, Inc., has received FDA clearance to market its A/C Portable Enzymatic Homocysteine Assay on the A/C Diagnostic Reader. The new homocysteine assay uses a genetically-engineered enzyme specific for...

RNA molecules, delivery system improve vaccine responses, effectiveness.
November 3, 2008... A novel delivery system that could lead to more efficient and more disease-specific vaccines against infectious diseases has been developed by biomedical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin (see also University of Texas at Austin)....

Data on cancer gene therapy reported by researchers at Medical College.(Report)
November 10, 2008... According to recent research from Harbin, People's Republic of China, "The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of MMP-2 silencing on the invasion and growth of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Hep-2 cells were transfected...

Research from M. Croce et al has provided new information about cancer gene therapy.
November 10, 2008... " IL-21 is the most recently identified member of the IL-2 cytokine family. Here we studied the therapeutic efficacy of IL-21-gene-modified cells (Neuro2a/IL-21) in a syngeneic metastatic neuroblastoma (NB) model," scientists writing in the...

Investigators at University of London publish new data on gene therapy.
November 10, 2008... "Recombinant adenovirus (Ad) is a powerful tool in gene therapy. However, the ability to deliver Ad by systemic administration is limited due to rapid clearance from blood circulation, transfection of nontarget tissues, toxicity, and...

Research reports on gene therapy from National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute provide new insights.(Report)
November 10, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Molecular Therapy, "Insertional mutagenesis continues to be a major concern in hematopoietic stem-cell gene therapy. Nonconventional gene transfer vectors with more favorable integration...

Research results from St. James's University update understanding of gene therapy.
November 10, 2008... "Reovirus is a promising unmodified double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) anti-cancer oncolytic virus, which is thought to specifically target cells with activated Ras. Although reovirus has been tested in a wide range of preclinical models and has...

Data on cancer gene therapy reported by researchers at Vanderbilt University, Department of Cancer Biology.
November 10, 2008... Fresh data on cancer gene therapy are presented in the report 'Transforming growth factor-beta signaling-deficient fibroblasts enhance hepatocyte growth factor signaling in mammary carcinoma cells to promote scattering and invasion.'...

New research on cancer gene therapy from Peking Union Medical College summarized.
November 10, 2008... Investigators publish new data in the report 'Derlin-1 is overexpressed on the tumor cell surface and enables antibody-mediated tumor targeting therapy.' According to recent research published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, "Tumor...

Researchers from Nanjing University report on findings in cancer gene therapy.
November 10, 2008... Researchers detail in 'Growth inhibition of a tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line (Tca8113) in vitro and in vivo via siRNA-mediated down-regulation of skp2,' new data in cancer gene therapy. "Human S-phase kinase-associated protein (skp)...

Study findings from Cancer Institute, Division of Pathology broaden understanding of cancer gene therapy.
November 10, 2008... A report, 'Multiplex reverse transcription-PCR screening for EML4-ALK fusion transcripts,' is newly published data in Clinical Cancer Research. "EML4-ALK is a fusion-type protein tyrosine kinase that is generated by inv(2)(p21p23) in the genome...

Study findings from National Taiwan University, Department of Pharmacology broaden understanding of cancer gene therapy.(Report)
November 10, 2008... Data detailed in 'YC-1 induces apoptosis of human renal carcinoma A498 cells in vitro and in vivo through activation of the JNK pathway' have been presented. "The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of YC-1{3-(5'-hydroxy...

University of Colorado, Department of Surgery publishes research in cancer gene therapy.
November 10, 2008... Researchers detail in 'Focal adhesion kinase controls aggressive phenotype of androgen-independent prostate cancer,' new data in cancer gene therapy. According to recent research from the United States, "Overexpression of focal adhesion kinase...

University of Torino publishes research in cancer gene therapy.(Report)
November 10, 2008... Research findings, 'RhoA silencing reverts the resistance to doxorubicin in human colon cancer cells,' are discussed in a new report. According to a study from Torino, Italy, "The efficacy of doxorubicin in the treatment of cancer is limited by...

Research on physiology detailed by scientists at Queen's University, Department of Physiology.(Report)
November 10, 2008... New research, 'CaSR stimulates secretion of Wnt5a from colonic myofibroblasts to stimulate CDX2 and sucrase-isomaltase using Ror2 on intestinal epithelia,' is the subject of a report. "To understand whether extracellular calcium-sensing...

Mechanism in Cells that Generate Malignant Brain Tumors may Offer Target for Gene Therapy.
November 10, 2008... Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute who first isolated cancer stem cells in adult brain tumors in 2004 have now identified a molecular mechanism that is involved in the development of these cells...

New cancer gene therapy findings from Mayo Clinic published.
November 17, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most aggressive thyroid cancer variant, accounting for 1-2% of all cases, but 33% of deaths, and exhibiting an average life expectancy of 5 months....

New data from Y.Y. Mahller et al illuminate research in cancer gene therapy.
November 17, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "Oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs) are promising anticancer therapeutics. We sought to characterize the functional genomic response of human cancer cells to oHSV infection using G207,...

New findings from University of Queensland in the area of cancer gene therapy published.(Report)
November 17, 2008... According to recent research from Australia, "Gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy is a promising approach to the local management of cancer and a number of gene prodrug combinations have entered clinical trials. The antitumor activity of...

Reports summarize cancer gene therapy research from University of Hong Kong.
November 17, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Cancer Gene Therapy, "The low in vivo transduction efficiency of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) and the undesirably strong immunogenicity of adenovirus (rAdv) have limited their...

Research conducted at R.L. Novak and co-authors has provided new information about cancer gene therapy.
November 17, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Previous work demonstrated that exogenous expression of Rybp (Ring 1 YY1-binding protein or DEDAF) kills tumor but not non-transformed cells. This tumor-preferential killing activity could be...

Study results from Pohang University of Science and Technology broaden understanding of cancer gene therapy.
November 17, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Cancer Gene Therapy, "Protein transduction domains (PTDs) are small peptides that facilitate the transduction of large molecules such as polyproteins, DNA and viruses into a eukaryotic cell....

Data from G. Jeudy et al provide new insights into gene therapy.
November 17, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Cancer Gene Therapy, "Immunotherapy has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy in advanced-stage melanomas in which other therapeutic options have little effect. The Staphylococcus...

Research from Pohang University of Science and Technology provides new data on gene therapy.
November 17, 2008... "A novel cytokine interleukin (IL)-23 bears a structural and functional resemblance to IL-12. A recombinant adenovirus expressing IL-23N220L (recombinant replication-defective adenovirus (rAd)/IL-23N220L) that selectively secrets IL-23 was...

Ludwig-Maximilians University, Department of Internal Medicine II describes research in cancer gene therapy.
November 17, 2008... Fresh data on cancer gene therapy are presented in the report 'The potential of 211Astatine for NIS-mediated radionuclide therapy in prostate cancer.' According to recent research from Munich, Germany, "We reported recently the induction of...

Recent findings in cancer gene therapy described by researchers from Abbott Laboratories.(Report)
November 17, 2008... New research, 'Cyclin B1 is an efficacy-predicting biomarker for Chk1 inhibitors,' is the subject of a report. "Chk1 is the major mediator of cell-cycle checkpoints in response to various forms of genotoxic stress. Although it was previously...

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Cancer Institute publishes research in cancer gene therapy.(Report)
November 17, 2008... Research findings, 'Gene transfer: the challenge of regulated gene expression,' are discussed in a new report. According to a study from the United States, "Gene therapy is expected to have a major impact on human healthcare in the future....

Research from Eberhard-Karls University, Department of Radiation Oncology has provided new data on DNA research.(Report)
November 17, 2008... New research, 'PI3K-Akt signaling regulates basal, but MAP-kinase signaling regulates radiation-induced XRCC1 expression in human tumor cells in vitro,' is the subject of a report. According to a study from Germany, "As demonstrated recently,...

Studies from H.S.R. Kotturi et al add new findings in the area of fusion proteins.
November 24, 2008... "Tumor cells evade immunosurveillance by elements of the innate immune system, such as natural killer (NK) cells, by downregulating or 'shedding' certain cell-surface molecules like mouse UL16-binding protein-like transcript 1 (MULT1) that can...

New findings from Nanjing Medical University in the area of gene therapy described.
November 24, 2008... "P-Glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major hurdle in cancer therapy. P-Glycoprotein is a 170 KD protein encoded by the MDR1 gene," researchers in Nanjing, People's Republic of China report (see also Gene Therapy). ...

New gene therapy study results reported from L.L. Zhou et al.
November 24, 2008... According to recent research from Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, "Anti-benzo[a]pyrene-trans-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (anti-BPDE) is the most important metabolite of benzo[a] pyrene which is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, and may...

Researchers at Osaka University publish new data on gene therapy.
November 24, 2008... "Dendritic cells (DCs) have a critical role in the induction of antigen- specific immune responses, transporting antigens from peripheral tissue to regional lymph nodes where they interact with antigen- specific T lymphocytes. Recent studies...

Researchers from University of Pittsburgh describe findings in life sciences.
November 24, 2008... "Neonatal injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (rAAV8) vectors results in widespread transduction in multiple organs and therefore holds promise in neonatal gene therapy. On the other hand, insertional mutagenesis causing...