tumor cells

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Researchers are still discovering new characteristics of Hodgkin lymphoma, a common form of cancer of the lymphatic system.

Björn Lamprecht and Dr. Stephan Mathas (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany) have now demonstrated the production of interleukin 21 in the tumor cells of Hodgkin lymphoma.

IL-21 promotes the growth of cancer cells and helps them evade immune system detection.

(St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have shown in that it might be possible to make tumor cells more sensitive to irradiation and some types of chemotherapy by treating them with a drug that cripples their ability to repair DNA damage caused by these therapies.

(Stanford University) A big challenge in treating cancer with chemotherapy is how to get the most medication into the cells of a tumor without "spillover" of the medication adversely affecting the healthy cells in a patient's body.Now researchers at Stanford University have addressed that problem using single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery vehicles.

This method gets a higher proportion of a given dose of medication into the tumor cells than is possible with the "free" drug.

(American Institute of Physics) Medical physicists at the University of Virginia have created a novel way to kill tumor cells using nanoparticles and light.

The technique, devised by Wensha Yang, an instructor in radiation oncology at the University of Virginia, and colleagues Ke Sheng, Paul W.

Read, James M. Larner, and Brian P. Helmke, employs quantum dots. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanostructures, 25 billionths of a meter in diameter, which can confine electrons in three dimensions and emit light when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Cells with irreparable DNA damage normally induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis.

However, this mechanism often fails in tumor cells so that transformed cells are able to multiply and spread throughout the body.

Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center have now discovered a possible cause of this failure.

(Journal of Clinical Investigation) This release contains summaries, links to PDFs and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, June 12, 2008, in the JCI, including: New target to enhance anticancer drug sensitivity found in translation; Fever may trigger heart failure in patients with the genetic disease LQT-2; The nerves behind the pain relief provided by stressful situations; Tumor cells want no contact with immune cells; and others.

(Ohio State University Medical Center) Viruses genetically designed to kill cancer cells offer a promising strategy for treating incurable brain tumors, but the body often eliminates the viruses before they can eliminate the tumor.

This animal study helps explain why this happens. The research shows that as the viruses destroy tumor cells, the cells release proteins that stimulate new blood-vessel growth to the tumor.

These vessels bring immune cells that eradicate the viruses and actually stimulate regrowth of the tumor.

(University Hospital Heidelberg) Researchers in Heidelberg have discovered a new strategy for an immunization against certain forms of cancer.

They have determined that immune cells react strongly to the modified proteins in tumor cells in which a DNA repair defect has occurred.

It is estimated that this repair defect is present in some 15 percent of all tumors.

(Washington University School of Medicine) Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis radiation oncology researchers found that tumors have a built-in mechanism that protects them from heat damage and most likely decreases the benefit of hyperthermia and radiation as a combined therapy.

By interfering with that protection, the researchers have shown that tumor cells grown in culture can be made more sensitive to hyperthermia-enhanced radiation therapy.

Vaccines that rev up the immune system to seek out and destroy tumor cells are showing promise for the treatment of cervical and breast cancer.

Unlike the vaccine that helps prevent cervical cancer in healthy women, these vaccines are designed to help people who already have cancer.