Cancer News and Research

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Cancer begins in your cells, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, your body forms new cells as you need them, replacing old cells that die. Sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells grow even when you don't need them, and old cells don't die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass called a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren't cancer while malignant ones are. Cells from malignant tumors can invade nearby tissues. They can also break away and spread to other parts of the body.

Gene Loss and Gain Shaped the Evolution of Relapsing Fever Bacteria

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and how it gained and lost genes in the process.

24 May 2025

Study Reveals How Introns Multiply and Move Across Genomes

DNA is the genetic code that provides the biological instructions for every living species, but not every bit of DNA helps the species survive. Some pieces of DNA are more like parasites, along for the ride and their own survival.

24 May 2025

Scientists Develop Method to Overcome Key Limitations of Cryo-EM

Sample loss has been a persistent problem in cryo-EM, a high-tech method for creating 3D models of molecules that reveals their inner structures.

22 May 2025

Cell Painting Technology Reveals Potential Cancer-Fighting Flavonoids

A team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has identified flavonoids, natural compounds found in plants, that are toxic to bladder cancer cells cultured in the lab.

21 May 2025

Compression Drives Aggressive Behavior in Liver Cancer Cells

Yale researchers are providing new insights into how physical forces, such as cells being compressed in physically restrictive environments, play key roles in cancer progression.

21 May 2025

Autophagy: A Double-Edged Sword in Cancer and Protein Conformational Disorders

A new FEBS Letters review explores the dual role of autophagy in cancer and protein misfolding diseases—highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target and the challenges of tipping the balance between protection and harm.

20 May 2025

How LEM-3 Cleaves DNA Bridges During Cell Division Revealed

If DNA bridges remain between chromosomes after cell division, chromosomes become improperly segregated, resulting in genetic instability and cancer.

20 May 2025

Study Resolves Longstanding Mystery of Ashwell-Morell Receptor

Study applies new techniques to reexamine a receptor linked to sepsis and resolve contradictions regarding its binding interactions with other proteins.

19 May 2025

Breakthrough Study Identifies Unique Breast Cancer Genes in South African Women

Genetic factors contribute to some 30% of breast cancer cases in SA, necessitating investment in genomic research in African contexts.

16 May 2025

New 3D Stem Cell Model Mimics Human Amniotic Sac Development

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have developed a new stem cell model of the mature human amniotic sac, which replicates development of the tissues supporting the embryo from two to four weeks after fertilization.

16 May 2025

Scientists Develop EvoCAST for Efficient and Accurate Gene Insertion

Ask scientists what gene editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they'd probably describe a system that's now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

16 May 2025

Protein Balance Offers Key to Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance

Immunotherapy uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are one class of immunotherapy that block specific proteins from slowing the immune response.

15 May 2025

Loss of SOX9 Gene Linked to Aggressive Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Although some of the molecular changes associated with colorectal cancer are known, how they contribute to cancer development is not yet well defined.

15 May 2025

DiffInvex Reveals Genetic Escape Routes Used by Tumors Against Treatment

Just as species adapt over generations, our body's cells accumulate DNA changes throughout life. Most are harmless, yet a few "driver" mutations give a cell a competitive edge and can spark cancer.

14 May 2025

Skin Microbiome Found to Help Regulate Immune Response to UV Radiation

The skin microbiome plays an important role in health and disease. Researchers have now substantiated that certain skin bacteria can protect us from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation specifically by metabolizing cis-urocanic acid using an enzyme called urocanase.

14 May 2025