Aggressive breast cancers store large amounts of energy, which enables it to spread

Researchers found that aggressive breast cancers store glycogen in very large amounts, offering an explanation of how cells can change their function to evade treatment, grow and spread. Targeting an enzyme involved in this process could potentially treat or prevent metastases.

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Scientist designs 'express courier service' for immune cells

A researcher who is currently doing his post-doctoral training at Stanford University, has successfully invented a novel transfection method to deliver DNA into immune cells with minimal stress on these cells. This new technique is expected to boost DNA-based cancer immunotherapy by significantly improving the process of generating high-quality genetically modified immune cells.

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Targeting certain rogue T cells prevents and reverses multiple sclerosis in mice

Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder, is known to be driven by 'helper' T cells, white blood cells that mount an inflammatory attack on the brain and spinal cord. A new study pinpoints the specific subgroup of helper T cells that cause MS, as well as a protein on their surface, called CXCR6, that marks them. An antibody targeting CXCR6 both prevented and reversed MS in a mouse model, the researchers report.

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Scientists create brain-mimicking environment to grow 3D tissue models of brain tumors

Researchers have developed 3-dimensional human tissue culture models of pediatric and adult brain cancers in a brain-mimicking microenvironment, that includes brain-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) — the complex network of proteins and amino acids with bound sugars that not only provides support for surrounding neural tissue, but also helps to guide cell growth and development. The development represents a significant advancement for the study of brain tumor biology and pharmacological response.

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Study pinpoints Alzheimer's plaque emergence early and deep in the brain

By scanning whole brains of Alzheimer's model mice from an early age, researchers were able to precisely trace the terrible march of amyloid plaques from deep brain structures outward along specific circuits. They also showed that plaque density in a key region in humans scales with disease stage.

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Ibrutinib linked to high blood pressure and other heart problems, study suggests

Over half of people prescribed the targeted blood cancer-fighting drug ibrutinib developed new or worsened high blood pressure within six months of starting the medication. The analysis is also the first to tie ibrutinib-related hypertension to a heightened risk of heart problems, particularly atrial fibrillation. Moreover, the association of ibrutinib with cardiovascular complications remained regardless of the prescribed dose.

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