Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey research published in Nature Communications Newswise New Brunswick, N.J., March 31, 2014 Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey shows that a new function discovered for a long-studied enzyme could have implications for the diagnosis and treatment of some cancers and neurological disease. The work involves superoxide dismutase 1 (Sod1), an enzyme that for nearly half a century has been known to remove a specific radical byproduct created during the energy-producing process of cell metabolism. This superoxide byproduct comes from a family of byproducts known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). These byproducts can modify fats, proteins and DNA in a chemical reaction called oxidation, causing these biological molecules to lose functions. Low levels of these byproducts can cause normal cells to become cancerous. At higher levels, cell death and damage to tissues and organs can occur. In the study, published in the current edition of Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038/ncomms4446), X.F. Steven Zheng, PhD, and colleagues show that when cells have a high content of ROS byproducts and are under oxidative stress, the Sod1 enzyme helps to remove other types of ROS byproducts in addition to superoxides … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore and National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS), and their collaborators from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, UCLA School of Medicine, demonstrated that a number of novel genetic defects are able to induce oesophageal cancer. The research group, led by Professor H. Phillip Koeffler, Senior Principal Investigator at CSI Singapore and Deputy Director of NCIS, has conducted a successful comprehensive genomic study of oesophageal squamous carcinoma, a type of very aggressive cancer prevalent in Singapore and Southeast Asia. This novel study was first published online in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics on 30 March 2014. In this study, the researchers comprehensively investigated a large variety of genetic lesions which arose from oesophageal squamous carcinoma. The results showed enrichment of genetic abnormalities that affect several important cellular process and pathways in human cells, which promote the development of this malignancy. The scientists also uncovered a number of novel candidate genes that may make the cancer sensitive to chemotherapy. The researchers findings provide a molecular basis for the comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of oesophageal carcinoma as … Continue reading →

Special English 2014 - All About Epilepsy - Science Special English 2014 - VOA Science in the News Today we will tell about the brain disorder known as epilepsy. Many people do not understand epilepsy. Medical... By: ListenAndReadAlong … Continue reading →