Oncogene News and Research

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An oncogene is a gene that, when mutated or expressed at high levels, helps turn a normal cell into a tumor cell.

Researchers Show How a Virus can Induce Cleavage of Human Chromosome 11 to Cause Cancer

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is easily spread through bodily fluids, primarily saliva, such as kissing, shared drinks or using the same eating utensils.

17 Apr 2023

RXR: A key protein in the balanced production of different blood cells

In the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells—which are the immature stem cells that produce all the blood cell lineages—the cell protein retinoid X receptor (RXR) is an important element.

19 Dec 2022

Molecular motion of “undruggable” proteins reveals drug-binding sites

“Undruggable” proteins, whose structures and roles in disease are known but who appear unable to be targeted by drugs that will bind to them, present some of the hardest problems in disease treatment.

23 Nov 2022

NIH funds research on mRNA vaccines to stop cancer development

The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health has awarded a multidisciplinary team of Weill Cornell Medicine researchers a five-year $5.7 million grant to support a center dedicated to creating messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines to prevent the development of cancer in at-risk groups.

15 Nov 2022

Drugs used for myelodysplastic syndrome could potentially activate a sleeping oncogene

Hypomethylating agents (HMA) are currently used as a first-line treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) - a group of disorders where there is insufficient production of healthy mature blood cells in the bone marrow - and increasingly in other diseases, but their mechanism of action remains unclear.

From National University of Singapore (NUS) 27 May 2022

Study shows polymersome can effectively deliver PARP1 siRNA to treat breast cancer

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, have the potential to cure tumors by targeting knocking down oncogenes that drive tumor development while avoiding the damage associated with chemotherapy.

25 May 2022

Researchers discover a unique origin of severe pediatric brain cancer

A new cause of severe childhood brain cancer has been discovered by scientists.

25 Apr 2022

Kras oncogenes use genetic reprogramming to drive tumorigenesis

Cancerous tumors are made up of rapidly growing, abnormally shaped, cells that can infiltrate and destroy healthy tissues, travel to other parts of the body, and form additional tumors.

8 Feb 2022

Study shows how skin cells act as a firewall against cancer

A study published today in Cell Reports reveals important insights into the molecular mechanisms that underpin the body's natural defenses against the development of skin cancer.

12 Jan 2022

Versatile method produces massive numbers of authentic human heart muscle cells

Scientists at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) successfully cultured human heart muscle cells on a large scale.

11 Jan 2022

Olfactory receptor gene may drive breast cancer metastasis to the brain

An olfactory receptor gene that aids in the sense of smell may also play a role in the metastasis of breast cancer to the brain, bones and lung, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have found.

4 Jan 2022

Researchers discover molecular mechanism that explains why moles become melanomas

Moles and melanomas are both skin tumors that come from the same cell called melanocytes. The difference is that moles are usually harmless, while melanomas are cancerous and often deadly without treatment.

24 Nov 2021

Genomic changes in advanced tumors reveal interactions with treatment

A novel way to look at cancer treatment resistance offers the possibility for identifying genetic mechanisms involved and alternative treatment approaches.

17 Nov 2021

CRISPR introduces potentially dangerous changes in cells, reveals research

New research revealed that gene editing, particularly gene knockout, with CRISPR-Cas9 can support cells with mutated gene forms associated with cancer.

15 Nov 2021

Targeting Shp2 as a cancer therapy may worsen the disease

In recent years, much scientific effort and funding has focused on developing drugs that target an enzyme with the unwieldy name of Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 or more briefly, Shp2.

10 Nov 2021

Study offers novel therapeutic opportunities to prevent breast tumor recurrence

Researchers examined tumor cells that were resistant to the original treatment and identified molecular targets for therapies that could evade breast cancer recurrence.

28 Oct 2021

Study imparts mechanistic understanding on early stages of human cancer

Scientists demonstrated that normal human fibroblast cells can be converted to specific cancer cells through factors that are identified in actual human patients.

9 Sep 2021

Study unearths previously unknown role of CTCF, the transcription regulator

Researchers discovered evidence that CTCF governs chromatin accessibility, the mechanism of opening tightly spooled DNA facilitating gene expression.

9 Sep 2021

Study identifies variants and genes linked to alcohol consumption

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published the first of its kind research in the field of addiction genetics employing a multi-omics method to offer a huge list of causal candidate genes linked with alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

24 Aug 2021

Study shows how single cells take up fatty acids, offering new insights into cancer biology

Researchers have developed a new method that offers novel insights into cancer biology by enabling them to unravel how single cells absorb fatty acids.

21 Jul 2021