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Category: biotech/medical – Page 27

A Novel Cancer Treatment Reprograms Cell Death and Triggers Robust Immunity

Cancer is classified as the uncontrollable growth of mutated cells. There are different types of cancers that correlate to various tissues and organs. When individuals hear “cancer” they tend to think of breast cancer or another type of solid tumor. While about 90% of new cancer diagnoses are solid tumors, the remaining 10% are hematologic or blood cancers. Hematological malignancies affect the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Specific blood cancers include leukemia, lymphoma (Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s), and multiple myeloma. Around the world, these cancers account for about 7% of all cancer-related deaths, with a projection to increase to about 4.6 million cases in 2030.

Symptoms for hematological malignancies can vary and present in a wide range. Most common symptoms include fatigue, fever, weight loss, bruising, bleeding easily, anemia, low platelet count, and low white blood count. Many patients will also feel bone pain and muscle weakness accompanied by headaches and seizures. Current standard-of-care therapy include chemotherapy combined with another form of treatment. Dependent on the patient and the stage of the cancer, physicians can prescribe targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and stem cell transplants. However, some cancers find ways to resist therapy and continue to progress. Currently, many scientists are working to overcome barriers and improve therapy for patients with hematological malignancies.

A recent article in Science Advances, by Dr. Philippe Bousso and others, demonstrated that an immunotherapy can elicit a strong antitumor response by reprogramming malignant immune cells in lymphomas and leukemias. Bousso is an immunologist and head of the Dynamics of Immune Responses Unit at the Pasteur Institute in France. His work focuses on understanding immune responses in different diseases using innovative imaging approaches. Importantly, his work has helped the field of immunology redefine immune cell functions and showed how proteins secreted by immune cells can have an effect in distal locations throughout the body.

Physical exercise can ‘train’ the immune system

In addition to strengthening the muscles, lungs, and heart, regular physical exercise also strengthens the immune system. This finding comes from a study of older adults with a history of endurance training, which involves prolonged physical activity such as long-distance running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and walking.

An international team of researchers analyzed the defense cells of these individuals and found that “natural killer” cells, which patrol the body against viruses and diseased cells, were more adaptable, less inflammatory, and metabolically more efficient.

The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, investigated natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte) that can destroy infected and diseased cells, including cancer cells. They are at the forefront of the immune system because they detect and fight viruses and other pathogens. The researchers analyzed the cells of nine individuals with an average age of 64, divided into two groups: untrained and trained in endurance exercise.

‘Milestone’: Google AI reveals new method to make cancer treatable

In a major leap for cancer research, Google DeepMind and Yale University have unveiled an artificial intelligence system capable of uncovering new biological insights directly validated in living cells.

Announced on October 15, the new foundation model, C2S-Scale 27B, represents one of the largest and most sophisticated AI systems ever developed to study cellular behavior.

Built on Google’s Gemma family of models, it has generated a groundbreaking hypothesis about how cancer cells interact with the immune system—one that could reshape how future therapies are designed.

Disconnected cerebral hemisphere in epilepsy patients shows sleep-like state during wakefulness

Sleep-like slow-wave patterns persist for years in surgically disconnected neural tissue of awake epilepsy patients, according to a study published in PLOS Biology by Marcello Massimini from Universita degli Studi di Milano, Italy, and colleagues.

The presence of slow waves in the isolated hemisphere impairs consciousness; however, whether they serve any functional or plastic role remains unclear.

Hemispherotomy is a used to treat severe cases of epilepsy in children. The goal of this procedure is to achieve maximal disconnection of the diseased neural tissue, potentially encompassing an entire hemisphere, from the rest of the brain to prevent the spread of seizures.

Genome-Wide Variation Profile of the Genus Tobamovirus

The genus Tobamovirus belongs to the family Virgaviridae, and the genome consists of monopartite, positive, single-strand RNA. Most species contain four open reading frames encoding four essential proteins. Transmission occurs primarily through mechanical contact between plants, and in some cases, via seed dispersal. Tobamovirus fructirugosum (tomato brown rugose fruit virus, ToBRFV), the most recently described species in the genus, was first reported in 2015. It overcame genetic resistance that had been effective in tomato for sixty years, causing devastating losses in tomato production worldwide, and highlights the importance of understanding Tobamovirus genomic variation and evolution. In this study, we measured and characterized nucleotide variation for the entire genome and for all species in the genus Tobamovirus.

Cancer cells reactivate embryo-like gene editors to fuel growth, research reveals

Cancer cells are known to reawaken embryonic genes to grow. A new study reveals the disease also hijacks the proteins, or “editors,” that control how those genes are read.

The findings, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, help explain why tumors grow so fast and adapt so well, and may point the way to new treatments.

Embryonic cells have to grow fast and must be able to transform into many different tissue types. The cells rely on genetic programs that are eventually switched off as tissues mature. Cancer reawakens these programs, giving the disease embryonic-like potential to fuel growth.

Smartphone imaging system shows promise for early oral cancer detection in dental clinics

Oral cancer remains a serious health concern, often diagnosed too late for effective treatment, even though the mouth is easily accessible for routine examination. Dentists and dental hygienists are frequently the first to spot suspicious lesions, but many lack the specialized training to distinguish between benign and potentially malignant conditions.

To address this gap, researchers led by Rebecca Richards-Kortum at Rice University have developed and tested a low-cost, smartphone-based imaging system called mDOC (mobile Detection of Oral Cancer). Their recent study, published in Biophotonics Discovery, evaluates how well this system can help dental professionals decide when to refer patients to specialists.

The mDOC device combines and autofluorescence imaging with machine learning to assess oral lesions. Autofluorescence imaging uses to detect changes in tissue fluorescence, which can signal abnormal growth. However, this method alone can be misleading, as benign conditions like inflammation also reduce fluorescence.

How poisonous glands helped modern toads conquer the world

Modern toads (Bufonidae) are among the most successful amphibians on the planet, a diverse group of more than 600 species that are found on every continent except Antarctica. But just how did they conquer the world? An international team of researchers set out to find the answer and discovered the toads’ global success was due to their toxic glands and geological timing.

Modern toads are a type of frog with a stout, squat body, relatively short legs, toothless mouths and a thick, dry, warty skin. One of their most distinctive features is a large behind each eye that secretes a poison to deter predators. They originated in South America and are found in diverse habitats like deserts and rainforests.

To find out how they got from South America to almost every other continent, the scientists analyzed fresh DNA samples from 124 species from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Oceania. They combined this with existing from hundreds of other species. Using powerful computer models to process the genetic information, they traced the geological spread of toads over millions of years, identifying when survival features like their poisonous glands evolved and when they branched out to form new species.

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