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Category: biotech/medical – Page 38

Cells use a little-known molecule to protect themselves from iron overload

Iron is essential. Our cells need it to produce energy, carry oxygen throughout the body and power countless chemical reactions that sustain life. But this metal has a dark side. When too much of it is left free inside cells, it can trigger destructive reactions that break down DNA, proteins and even cell membranes.

Now, Whitehead Institute Member Ankur Jain, former postdoc Whitney Henry and graduate student Pushkal Sharma have discovered that cells rely on an unexpected protector against this threat: small molecules called polyamines.

The researchers’ detailed findings, published in the journal Cell, reveal that polyamines act like storage lockers for iron, safely holding the metal in a nonreactive state until cells need it.

Abstract: 1 Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and the Joan and Sanford I

1 Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Center for Metabolic Health, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

2Diabetes Division, UMASS chan medical school, worcester, massachusetts, USA.

3Ansary Stem Cell Institute, Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

This retrospective study used the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to identify patients 50 years or older with nonmetastatic prostate cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2023 and seen at US centers with Commission on Cancer accreditation.9 Treatment categories were derived from NCDB first-course treatment variables. The study was approved by the University of Pittsburgh institutional review board (STUDY26020146) and followed Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guidelines.10

Inappropriate focal therapy use was defined as focal therapy in low-, high-, or very–high-risk disease.2 Intermediate-risk focal therapy was reported separately because the NCDB does not capture trial enrollment, registry participation, or lesion characteristics needed to classify appropriateness.

Temporal trends were assessed using Cochran-Armitage tests. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated patient-and facility-level characteristics associated with focal therapy vs radical prostatectomy. Adjusted predicted probabilities and average marginal effects were estimated using facility-clustered robust standard errors. The eMethods in Supplement 1 provide additional methodologic detail.

Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in MultiOmics Integration for Personalized Healthcare

The field of multi-omics has witnessed unprecedented growth, converging multiple scientific disciplines and technological advances. This surge is evidenced by a more than doubling in multi-omics scientific publications within just two years (2022–2023) since its first referenced mention in 2002, as indexed by the National Library of Medicine. This emerging field has demonstrated its capability to provide comprehensive insights into complex biological systems, representing a transformative force in health diagnostics and therapeutic strategies. However, several challenges are evident when merging varied omics data sets and methodologies, interpreting vast data dimensions, streamlining longitudinal sampling and analysis, and addressing the ethical implications of managing sensitive health information. This review evaluates these challenges while spotlighting pivotal milestones: the development of targeted sampling methods, the use of artificial intelligence in formulating health indices, the integration of sophisticated n-of-1 statistical models such as digital twins, and the incorporation of blockchain technology for heightened data security. For multi-omics to truly revolutionize healthcare, it demands rigorous validation, tangible real-world applications, and smooth integration into existing healthcare infrastructures. It is imperative to address ethical dilemmas, paving the way for the realization of a future steered by omics-informed personalized medicine.

Electric fields offer new hope against aggressive brain cancer

More than a decade ago, Dr. Matthew Hebb was treating patients with Parkinson’s disease using deep brain stimulation by implanting tiny electrodes into the brain and delivering electrical signals to control tremors. He wondered if the same basic technology could be used against brain cancer.

Hebb, a neurosurgery professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, took tumor samples removed during surgery back to his laboratory, implanted electrodes and stimulated the cancer cells. The tumors responded.

That unexpected observation set in motion years of research into what is now called Intratumoral Modulation Therapy, or IMT—an original approach that uses low-amplitude electric fields to disrupt the growth of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat brain cancers.

Scientists uncover ‘hidden switch’ that helps cancer cells hide from the immune system

Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps cancer cells evade detection by the body’s immune system. The finding could pave the way for the development of more effective cancer immunotherapies.

Published in Science Immunology, the study identifies the RNA helicase DDX6 as a previously unrecognized “hidden switch” that prevents the immune system from recognizing cancer cells. Targeting DDX6 could make tumors more visible to the immune system, improving existing or new immunotherapies.

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