Researchers Discover New Protein Target for Childhood Medulloblastomas
Higher levels of dihydrolipoyl transacetylase make Group-3 medulloblastomas vulnerable to copper-mediated death. Medulloblastomas are one of the most common childhood brain cancers. Particularly, Group-3 medulloblastomas are aggressive and incurable, contributing to childhood cancer deaths. Led by University of Michigan researchers, a study in Cancer Cell identified a new target for Group-3 medulloblastomas. The results help identify new ...
Researchers Identify Role of Key Genes in Colon Cancer Development
Loss of the SOX9 gene results in greater tumor invasion and poor outcomes in mice. 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. In a study published in the Journal ...
Drug Combination Reduces Breast Cancer Risk and Improves Metabolic Health in Rats
Bazedoxifene and conjugated estrogens reversed obesity-associated changes, supporting their use in patients. Approximately 25% of women in the United States between the ages 45 and 60 are at high risk for breast cancer and should consider preventative medication, such as the commonly prescribed drug tamoxifen. Unfortunately, tamoxifen can cause side effects, including an increased risk ...
Drug Targets Identified for Pancreatic Cancer
Simultaneous targeting of PIKfyve and KRAS-MAPK eliminates tumors in preclinical human and mouse models. Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, with a five-year survival rate of 13%. The high mortality is largely due to a lack of effective therapy options. In a recent paper, published in Nature, researchers from the University of ...
Researchers Use Nanoparticles to Target Glioblastoma in Mice
In combination with radiation therapy, treatment vastly improved mouse survival. Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive brain tumor that mainly affects adults. Approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with GBM every year and patients have a 5-year survival rate of 7%. Current treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy with temozolomide. Unfortunately, none of ...
Re-Purposed FDA-Approved Drug Could Help Treat High-Grade Glioma
Avapritinib, an FDA-approved drug used to treat other types of cancer, also decreases aggressive gliomas in animal models and in an initial cohort of patients with high-grade glioma. High-grade glioma, an aggressive form of pediatric and adult brain cancer, is challenging to treat given the tumor location, incidence of recurrence, and difficulty for drugs to ...
A Treatment-Resistant, Severe Type of Asthma Successfully Modeled in Mice
The model illuminates underlying biology and immune activity of lung cells involved in neutrophilic asthma. A better understanding of inflammation and lung immunity over the past two decades has led to new, innovative treatments for asthma, including biologic therapies. This is especially true for a subtype known as eosinophilic asthma—asthma that’s related to the recruitment ...
Mitochondria May Hold the Key to Curing Diabetes
In a study published in Science, researchers at the University of Michigan used mice to show that dysfunctional mitochondria trigger a response that affects the maturation and function of β-cells. Mitochondria are essential for generating energy that fuels cells and helps them function. Mitochondrial defects, however, are associated with the development of diseases such as ...
Stent Sensor Can Warn of Blockages in the Bile Duct
New battery-less and wireless sensor tested in pigs. Stents to treat various blockages in the human body can themselves become blocked, but a new sensor developed at the University of Michigan for stents that are used in the bile duct may one day help doctors detect and treat stent blockages early, helping keep patients healthier. ...
Nanoparticles Reprogram Mouse Immune Systems to Cope with Allergens
Treatment suppressed anaphylaxis and reduced gut inflammation after just two intravenous infusions. Two doses of allergen-encapsulating nanoparticles delivered intravenously prevented anaphylaxis during a food allergy test in mice, according to a study led by University of Michigan researchers. The results, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, offer a potential path to improving the ease of allergy immunotherapies in ...
Research Points to Potential New Treatment for Aggressive Prostate Cancer Subtype
In two separate papers, U-M researchers describe how a gene alteration drives prostate cancer and a potential degrader that stops it. When researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center first identified a new subtype of aggressive prostate cancer, they knew they needed to understand how this genetic alteration was driving cancer and how to ...
Researchers Have Determined How Mice Cough, and It Matters for Humans
A team of scientists from the University of Michigan have now mapped the circuit that controls one often-irritating form of exhaling, the cough, using a model organism that was not previously known to exhibit this behavior. Yawns, sighs, regular breath — all these seemingly automated forms of inhaling and exhaling are coordinated by unique neuronal ...