Curing Death by Curing Aging - December 2009 Archives

Subtle change dramatically reduces pathogenic potential of Huntington's protein (12/31/2009)

Scientists have identified a key molecular switch that may drive the onset of Huntington's disease (HD), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that leads to severe disruptions in muscle coordination and cognitive function. The research, published by Cell Press in the Dec. 24 issue of the journal Neuron, enhances the understanding of HD pathogenesis and may direct new strategies for treating this devastating brain disease. ...> Full Article

Columbia scientists discover 2 genes that drive aggressive brain cancers (12/30/2009)

A team of Columbia scientists have discovered two genes that, when simultaneously activated, are responsible for the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. This finding was made possible by the assembly of the first comprehensive network of molecular interactions that determine the behavior of these cancer cells, a map so complex and elusive that, until now, it could not be constructed. The discovery may lead to novel strategies to diagnose and treat these incurable tumors. ...> Full Article

Broken genomes behind breast cancers (12/29/2009)

A detailed search has revealed how the human genome is rearranged in 24 cases of breast cancer. Researchers were astounded by the number and complexity of genomic rearrangements found in some cases. While some breast cancers are relatively undisturbed, others are fractured extensively and then reassembled, with more than 200 rearrangements present. The research highlights that breast cancer is not one but several diseases and could help to make tumor classification and diagnosis more accurate. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify tuberculosis strain that thrives on antibiotic (12/28/2009)

Scientists have identified a strain of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis that thrives in the presence of rifampin, a front-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. The researchers determined that the bacteria grew poorly in the absence of the antibiotic rifampin and better with it. The patient's condition also worsened with treatment regimens containing rifampin, before being cured with rifampin-free regimens. The study is among the first to document the treatment of a patient with rifampin-dependent infection. ...> Full Article

Mystery solved: Scientists now know how smallpox kills (12/28/2009)

Researchers have solved a fundamental mystery about smallpox that has puzzled scientists long after the natural disease was eradicated by vaccination: they know how it kills us. In a new research report appearing online in the FASEB Journal, scientists describe how the virus cripples immune systems by attacking molecules made by our bodies to block viral replication. ...> Full Article

Scientists take important step toward the proverbial fountain of youth (12/27/2009)

Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. That's because they've shown exactly how restricted calorie diets -- specifically in the form of restricted glucose -- help human cells live longer. This discovery, published online in the FASEB Journal could help lead to drugs and treatments that slow human aging and prevent cancer. ...> Full Article

Examining diabetes through a new lens (12/26/2009)

Diabetics may soon be able to wear contact lenses that continuously alert them to variations in their glucose levels by changing colors -- replacing the need to routinely draw blood throughout the day. ...> Full Article

Compound found to safely counter deadly bird flu (12/25/2009)

A study suggests that a new compound, one on the threshold of final testing in humans, may be more potent and safer for treating "bird flu" than the antiviral drug best known by the trade name Tamiflu. ...> Full Article

Researchers find human protein that prevents H1N1 influenza infection (12/24/2009)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified a naturally occurring human protein that helps prevent infection by H1N1 influenza and other viruses, including West Nile and dengue virus. The new study shows that human cells respond to infection by the H1N1 influenza virus by ramping up production of proteins that have unexpectedly powerful antiviral effects. ...> Full Article

Mechanism discovered by which body's cells encourage tuberculosis infection (12/23/2009)

Tuberculosis bacteria use a signaling pathway to coerce disease fighting cells to switch allegiance and work on their behalf. Scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism by which TB bacteria prod epithelial cells to help produce tubercles. Instead of protecting the body, the tubercles act as hubs for production and dissemination of TB bacteria. The same signal pathway may also occur in noninfectious inflammatory conditions like arthritis, heart disease and cancer. ...> Full Article

Researchers link calorie intake to cell lifespan, cancer development (12/22/2009)

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have discovered that restricting consumption of glucose, the most common dietary sugar, can extend the life of healthy human-lung cells and speed the death of precancerous human-lung cells, reducing cancer's spread and growth rate. ...> Full Article

Scientists use DNA sequencing to attack lung cancer (12/21/2009)

Aided by next-generation DNA sequencing technology, an international team of researchers has gained insights into how more than 60 carcinogens associated with cigarette smoke bind to and chemically modify human DNA, ultimately leading to cancer-causing genetic mutations. ...> Full Article

Lung cancer and melanoma laid bare (12/20/2009)

Researchers have generated the first comprehensive analyses a malignant melanoma and a lung cancer genome. The results, which reveal essentially all the mutations in the genomes, will provide powerful insights into the biology of cancer and lay the foundation for understanding causation and improving prevention, detection and treatment. The ultimate aim will be to generate catalogs for thousands of individual cancer genomes, so that treatments can be directed in the most efficient and cost-effective way. ...> Full Article

Study strengthens link between sirtuins and life extension (12/19/2009)

A new paper from MIT biology professor Leonard Guarente strengthens the link between longevity proteins called sirtuins and the lifespan-extending effects of calorie restriction. ...> Full Article

Scientists uncover protective mechanism against liver cancer (12/18/2009)

A team of scientists from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Osaka University in Japan have identified a protein switch that helps prevent liver damage, including inflammation, fibrosis and cancer. The findings suggest that a better understanding of how the protein, TAK1, works could lead to new insights into the development of liver disease and cancer. ...> Full Article

More blood vessels in hormone-resistant prostate tumors (12/17/2009)

Patients with advanced prostate cancer are often treated with hormones, but when the tumours start growing again they have more and different blood vessels, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This discovery paves the way for new treatments for hormone-resistant prostate cancer. ...> Full Article

New genes for lung disease discovered (12/16/2009)

Scientists have discovered five genetic variants that are associated with the health of the human lung. The research by an international consortium of 96 scientists from 63 centers in Europe and Australia sheds new light on the molecular basis of lung diseases. ...> Full Article

Study reveals H1N1 unexpected weakness (12/15/2009)

The H1N1 influenza virus has been keeping a secret that may be the key to defeating it and other flu viruses as well. Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have found what they believe is a weakness in H1N1's method for evading detection by the immune system. ...> Full Article

H1N1 influenza adopted novel strategy to move from birds to humans (12/15/2009)

The 2009 H1N1 virus, which ignited a worldwide "swine flu" panic earlier this year, used a novel strategy to cross from birds into people, UC Berkeley scientists have found. The finding could help those surveilling the world for new flu variants and those developing antiviral drugs. ...> Full Article

Update: Research scientists reveal key structure from ebola virus (12/14/2009)

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have determined the structure of a critical protein from the Ebola virus, which, though rare, is one of the deadliest viruses on the planet killing between 50 and 90 percent of those infected. ...> Full Article

Tiny molecule slows progression of Lou Gehrig's disease in mice (12/14/2009)

A substance released by muscles in response to nerve injury can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. The finding has already prompted development of possible drugs to treat the disease. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify natural anti-cancer defenses (12/13/2009)

Canadian researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that prevents cancer. In the Dec. 11 edition of the prestigious journal Molecular Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal and the University of Sherbrooke explain how they found that the SOCS1 molecule prevents the cancer-causing activity of cytokines, hormones that are culprits in cancer-prone chronic inflammation diseases such as Crohn's, in smokers and people exposed to asbestos. ...> Full Article

Why cancer cells just won't die (12/13/2009)

When cells experience DNA damage, they'll try to repair it. But if that fails, the damaged cells are supposed to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. A cancer researcher at Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario has identified a protein that regulates apoptosis, a new discovery which has implications for both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Caroline Schild-Poulter's findings are now published online in the journal Molecular Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

New platinum compound shows promise in tumor cells (12/12/2009)

MIT chemists have developed a new platinum compound that is as powerful as the commonly used anticancer drug cisplatin but better able to destroy tumor cells. ...> Full Article

Researchers prove key cancer theory (12/11/2009)

Mayo Clinic researchers have proven the longstanding theory that changes in the number of whole chromosomes -- called aneuploidy -- can cause cancer by eliminating tumor suppressor genes. ...> Full Article

Severity of swine flu in the United States (12/11/2009)

Research published this week in PLoS Medicine presents the most accurate assessment to date of the severity of the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic in the US. ...> Full Article

Tiny RNA has big impact on lung cancer tumors (12/10/2009)

Researchers from Yale University and Mirna Therapeutics Inc., reversed the growth of lung tumors in mice using a naturally occurring tumor suppressor microRNA. The study reveals that a tiny bit of RNA may one day play a big role in cancer treatment, and provides hope for future patients battling one of the most prevalent and difficult to treat cancers. ...> Full Article

Type 2 diabetes gene predisposes children to obesity (12/9/2009)

Pediatric researchers have found that a gene already implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes in adults also raises the risk of being overweight during childhood. The finding sheds light on the genetic origins of diabetes and may present an avenue for developing drugs to counteract the disease, which has been on the upswing in childhood and adolescence. ...> Full Article

New data show breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise as new treatment for hepatitis C (12/8/2009)

A study published online in this week's Science shows that SPC3649, a breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy developed by Santaris Pharma A/S using its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology, holds promise as a novel treatment for patients infected with the hepatitis C virus. ...> Full Article

Soy peptide lunasin has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties (12/7/2009)

Two new University of Illinois studies report that lunasin, a soy peptide often discarded in the waste streams of soy-processing plants, may have important health benefits that include fighting leukemia and blocking the inflammation that accompanies such chronic health conditions as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. ...> Full Article

Why we outlive our ape ancestors (12/6/2009)

In spite of their genetic similarity to humans, chimpanzees and great apes have maximum lifespans that rarely exceed 50 years. A new study argues that humans have evolved genes that enable us to better adjust to infection, inflammation and our meat rich diets. ...> Full Article

Sugary cola drinks linked for first time to higher risk of gestational diabetes (12/5/2009)

Researchers from LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, have found for the first time that drinking more than five servings of sugar-sweetened cola a week prior to pregnancy appears to significantly elevate the risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy. ...> Full Article

Papillomavirus silences innate immune response (12/4/2009)

Human papillomavirus type 16, the most common cause of cervical cancer, silences a key signaling molecule of immune response in its host cells. Once the body's own immune defense is missing, the pathogens are able to infect the cells of the cervical mucosa even more successfully. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center have found out that the viral E6 oncogene is responsible for this mechanism. ...> Full Article

Research study describes new tool in the fight against autoimmune diseases, blood cancers (12/3/2009)

A study led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist describes a new, highly pragmatic approach to the identification of molecules that prevent a specific type of immune cells from attacking their host. The findings add a powerful new tool to the ongoing search for potential treatments for autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as blood cancers, such as myeloid leukemia. ...> Full Article

Brown fat cells make 'spare tires' shrink (12/2/2009)

Scientists at the University of Bonn have found a new signalling pathway which stimulates the production and function of so-called brown fat cells. They propose using these cells that serve as a "natural heating system" in order to just 'burn' unwanted excess fat. The results will be published in the journal Science Signaling on Dec. 1. ...> Full Article

Plasma produces KO cocktail for MRSA (12/1/2009)

Two prototype devices have been developed: one for efficient disinfection of healthy skin (e.g. hands and feet) in hospitals and public spaces where bacteria can pose a lethal threat; and another to shoot bacteria-killing agents into infested chronic wounds and enable a quicker healing process. ...> Full Article