Scientists
develop blood test to detect cancer in children
A research to be presented at the National Cancer
Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference, in Liverpool, Nov 2-5 will reveal
a new diagnostic test for cancers in children. Developed by researchers from
University of Cambridge in Britain the blood test serves a better and more
accurate method of detecting cancer cell fingerprints in blood.
In the study, researchers found unique molecular
fingerprints for 11 different types of cancerous tumours detected in
children and used them to develop diagnostic tests for cancers.
They uncovered these fingerprints left behind by the tumours with the
help of analysis of blood samples from children when they were
diagnosed with the disease. They looked for proteins or molecules that were
responsible for switching on and off of the genes in order to
identify common changes that were linked to different tumours.
According to lead
researcher Matthew Murray, the test could replacement of surgical removal
of a tumour sample and improve cancer diagnosis, since it is non-invasive
and takes only a few hours to complete produce results rather than
days or weeks, Murray added. The study also suggests that the findings
could reduce the need for children to undergo surgery to receive a
diagnosis.
‘We hope that this early research could eventually
lead to the development of non-invasive tests which are faster, more accurate
and gentler, transforming the way we make a cancer diagnosis in the future,’
said lead researcher Matthew Murray from University of Cambridge in Britain.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
03.11.2014
Dysfunctional
protein main culprit for Alzheimer’s
Debunking a prevalent theory of Alzheimer’s development,
researchers have now found that it is not the amyloid-beta (A-beta) protein
fragments but the tau tangle proteins which are the real culprits behind the
disease. Plaque made of beta-amyloid protein fragments and tangles formed from
tau proteins are familiar hallmarks of disease in the brains of Alzheimer’s
patients.
Tau protein spurs neuron death in disorders such as
Alzheimer’s disease, showed the findings that could explain why some people
with plaque build-up in their brains do not have dementia. ‘The common culprit
is tau, so a drug that helps tau do its job may help protect against
progression of these diseases,’ said Charbel Moussa, senior study investigator
and assistant professor of neuroscience at the Georgetown University Medical
Centre.
He found that nilotinib, a drug approved to treat cancer, can aid tau
proteins function better. ‘Nilotinib helps the neuron clear toxins but requires
some functional tau,’ Moussa added. Neuronal death happens when tau, found
inside neurons, fails to function. ‘When tau is abnormal, these proteins, which
include A-beta, accumulate inside the neurons,’ Moussa said.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
03.11.2014
The difference between what you were yesterday and what you will be tomorrow is what you do today
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