Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have identified a small molecule named 5D4 that can suppress the growth of breast and ovarian cancers in animal models. 5D4 works by binding to TopBP1 protein in cancer cells, disrupting its interactions with several pathways that promote cancer growth. Combining 5D4 with another cancer inhibitor, talazoparib, enhances the effectiveness of the anti-cancer activity.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, strongly supports continuing the investigation toward further developing this strategy for clinical use.

“Cancer development involves many steps of genetic alterations and signaling pathway deregulation. About 10 years ago, our team discovered that protein TopBP1 is at a convergent point of multiple cellular pathways involved in cancer growth and progression, making it a potential candidate for targeted cancer therapy,” said corresponding author Dr. Weei-Chin Lin, professor of medicine-hematology and oncology and of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor. He also is a member of Baylor’s Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Our idea was to identify molecules that would bind to TopBP1 and interfere with its interactions with molecular pathways that promote cancer growth.”

The FLAMINGO project reveals the distribution of dark and ordinary matter in the universe and its impact on the S8 tension in cosmology.

We gaze up at the night sky, captivated by the glittering stars and galaxies that decorate the cosmos. Yet, beneath this mesmerizing spectacle lies a perplexing cosmic conundrum: How is matter truly distributed throughout the universe?

Despite its apparent simplicity, the answer to this question has become a baffling puzzle for scientists. However, a glimmer of hope has emerged in the form of a groundbreaking computer simulation conducted by an international team of astronomers known as the FLAMINGO project, the Royal Astronomical Society announced in a release.

Scientists discovered a molten layer at the base of Mars’s mantle that affects its evolution and magnetic field.

A new study has revealed that Mars has a layer of molten silicates at the base of its mantle, above its metallic core. This finding challenges the previous estimates of the internal structure of the red planet, which were based on the first data from the InSight mission.

The InSight mission, which landed on Mars in 2018, deployed a seismometer to measure the seismic waves generated by quakes and meteorite impacts on the planet. By analyzing these waves, scientists could infer the size and density of Mars’s core, mantle, and crust in a series of papers published in 2021.

Scientists discover rare elements in a cosmic explosion of neutron star merger.

A spectacular cosmic explosion brighter than a million suns has revealed the secrets of how heavy elements are made in the universe.

Pitris/iStock.

Continue reading “James Webb finds rare elements in cosmic fireworks of star collision” »

A new “structure reduces the amount of materials necessary – bringing down the weight, volume, and, crucially, the cost of manufacturing.”

In what can provide a major boost to renewable energy generation initiatives, a cutting-edge tidal turbine blade has been indigenously developed in Scotland at a more affordable price.

The turbine was manufactured by a team of design engineers from the University of Edinburgh and is slated to help reduce the levelized cost of tidal energy. The new “structure reduces the amount of materials necessary – bringing down the weight, volume and, crucially, the cost of manufacturing the blade,” said the team in a statement.

Monika Schleier-Smith is testing the idea that space-time emerges, like a hologram, from quantum interactions by attempting to make it in the lab.

By Lyndie Chiou

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. The main types of liver cancer in adults are hepatocellular carcinoma and bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma. Read our expert-reviewed summary of these diseases.

Primary liver cancer is a disease in which cancer forms in the liver. The most common type is hepatocellular carcinoma. Learn more about liver cancer, signs, and symptoms from the National Cancer Institute.

A new study shows that cerebrospinal fluid reduces current treatment efficacy in brain cancer and identifies new therapeutic opportunities.

Cerebrospinal fluid, the clear colorless liquid that protects the brain, also may be a factor that makes brain cancers resistant to treatment, Australian researchers led by Associate Professor Cedric Bardy at the South Austraila Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and Flinders University reveal in the journal Science Advances.

Reporting how this occurs, the study, titled “Human cerebrospinal fluid affects chemoradiotherapy sensitivities in tumor cells from patients with glioblastoma,” in Science Advances shows that a decades-old anti-anxiety drug can improve the effectiveness of chemo-radiotherapy towards glioblastoma, or GBM, the most common and lethal brain cancer.

The price difference between a barrel of crude and a barrel of petrol offers a glimpse of things to come for the industry.