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	<title>Decoded Science &#187; Erin Connelly</title>
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		<title>Researchers Identify Cells that Inhibit Cancer Metastasis</title>
		<link>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-identify-cells-that-inhibit-cancer-metastasis/9568</link>
		<comments>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-identify-cells-that-inhibit-cancer-metastasis/9568#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin Connelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Headlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oncology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.decodedscience.com/?p=9568</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a new study published in the January 17 edition of Cancer Cell, researchers have identified cells, known as pericytes, that play an important role in the prevention of cancer metastasis. Pericytes are a component of tissue vasculature and are necessary for angiogenesis, or blood vessel growth. Current antiangiogenic cancer therapies inhibit tumor growth by depleting pericytes and destroying the tumor&#8217;s blood supply.  However, this new study suggests that these therapies  may actually be contributing to more aggressive and metastatic cancers. In an interview with Decoded Science, the study’s senior investigator, Raghu Kalluri, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Matrix Biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said that this study ‘will lead to an immediate reevaluation of all cancer therapies targeting blood vessels’. Pericyte Study Overview Kalluri and colleagues from BIDMC and Hospital A. C. Camargo in the National Institute of Oncogenomics of Brazil depleted the number of pericyte cells in the breast cancer tumors of genetically-engineered mice. As expected, researchers saw a significant decrease in tumor size over a 25-day period. However, the researchers also found that the number of secondary lung tumors in the mice had increased threefold compared to the control mice, which indicates that [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Researchers Produce a New Viral Vector with the Potential to Treat Cystic Fibrosis</title>
		<link>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-produce-a-new-viral-vector-with-the-potential-to-treat-cystic-fibrosis/7286</link>
		<comments>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-produce-a-new-viral-vector-with-the-potential-to-treat-cystic-fibrosis/7286#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:30:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin Connelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Medical Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cystic fibrosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gene therapy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.decodedscience.com/?p=7286</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a very common genetic disorder that currently has no cure and few effective treatments. The disease is caused by a defective recessive gene, which was identified in 1989. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1 in 31 Americans carry the CF gene, which is more common in Caucasians of European descent, but can appear in any race or nationality. The presentation of the disorder includes thick mucous, persistent lung infections, breathing difficulty, digestive disease, pancreatic insufficiency, and even the need for lung transplants in critical cases. Research into gene therapy as a treatment for CF has been ongoing for over two decades, but a breakthrough still remains elusive. However, in June 2011 the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium, composed of scientists from Imperial College, London, University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh, received two Medical Futures Innovation Awards for their &#8216;Lentiviral Gene Therapy Programme for Cystic Fibrosis&#8217;, which holds great promise for effective long-term treatment of the disease. The Cystic Fibrosis Gene: The ΔF508 Mutation The majority of CF cases are caused by a mutation located in the mid-region of the long-arm of chromosome 7, which is known as the CFTR gene (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator). The gene is essential for proper chloride ion transport and a mutation disrupts the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Researchers Propose New Model to Reduce Miscarriages after IVF Treatment</title>
		<link>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-propose-new-model-to-reduce-miscarriages-after-ivf-treatment/9285</link>
		<comments>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-propose-new-model-to-reduce-miscarriages-after-ivf-treatment/9285#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:51:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin Connelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Headlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medical Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ivf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[miscarriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[miscarriage prevention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prevent miscarriage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.decodedscience.com/?p=9285</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Can doctors prevent miscarriage after IVF through a minor change in clinical procedure? In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process by which the egg and sperm of infertile couples are manually combined in a laboratory setting. If manual fertilization is successful, the embryos, typically about four or less, are placed inside the uterus for further development. This placement typically takes place within a few days of laboratory fertilization. However, IVF treatment using embryos that have been frozen and then thawed, instead of fresh embryos, is an increasingly widespread practice. This new practice has raised concerns about the viability of the frozen embryos and the effect of freezing on miscarriage rates. According to the American Pregnancy Association, the average success rate of IVF is already relatively low, with about a 30 to 35 percent success rate for women under 35 and a 6 to 10 percent success rate for women over 40. Thus, investigating and removing potential causes of pregnancy loss following IVF treatment is of great significance for the clinical community. New Research Analyzes Miscarriage Rate After IVF Treatment A new study, &#8216;Transfers of fresh blastocysts and blastocysts cultured from thawed cleavage embryos are associated with fewer miscarriages&#8216;, was published in the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Improve the Health and Lifespan of Aging Mice Using Young Stem Cells</title>
		<link>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-at-the-university-of-pittsburgh-improve-the-health-and-lifespan-of-aging-mice-using-young-stem-cells/9011</link>
		<comments>http://www.decodedscience.com/researchers-at-the-university-of-pittsburgh-improve-the-health-and-lifespan-of-aging-mice-using-young-stem-cells/9011#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:00:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin Connelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Headlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microbiology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elderly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fountain of youth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stem cells]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.decodedscience.com/?p=9011</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to a study published on 3 January in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have improved the health and longevity of aging mice by injecting them with stem cell-like progenitor cells derived from the muscle of young mice. Within the body, stem/progenitor cells  have the ability to repair tissue. In aging tissue, these cells often show dysfunction in their ability to replicate, differentiate and repair damaged tissue. In an interview with Decoded Science, co-author Laura Niedernhofer, M.D., Ph.D, associate professor in Pitt&#8217;s Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said that ‘young stem cells were able to rejuvenate old stem cells in the laboratory’. These findings have the potential to have direct therapeutic benefit for the elderly, as well as patients with muscle-related disorders. Age Reversal: Using Young Stem Cells to Rejuvenate Aging Stem Cells The research team injected the stem/progenitor cells into the abdomens of 17-day-old progeria mice, which normally have a lifespan of 21 to 28 days. Progeria is a disease that causes abnormally quick aging, including loss of muscle mass, difficulty in mobility, muscle spasms and trembling. After receiving the injection of stem cells, results showed new blood vessel growth [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Georgetown Researchers Reveal New Cell Technology with the Potential to Revolutionize Cancer Research and Therapy</title>
		<link>http://www.decodedscience.com/georgetown-researchers-reveal-new-cell-technology-with-the-potential-to-revolutionize-cancer-research-and-therapy/8198</link>
		<comments>http://www.decodedscience.com/georgetown-researchers-reveal-new-cell-technology-with-the-potential-to-revolutionize-cancer-research-and-therapy/8198#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:08:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Erin Connelly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Headlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oncology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.decodedscience.com/?p=8198</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Researchers at Georgetown University have developed a new method to grow normal cells and tumor cells from cancer patients in a laboratory setting, which previously had been impossible. Normal cells do not grow well in a laboratory and most cancer cells will not grow at all, which has been a significant barrier for research. In an interview with Decoded Science, the study&#8217;s senior investigator, Richard Schlegel, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the department of pathology at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, said that this new technique has the potential to have a major impact on diagnostics, pathology and the development of personalized, patient-specific cancer treatments. Growing Cancer Cells in the Lab The Georgetown research team, in collaboration with co-investigator Alison McBride, Ph.D. from the National Institutes of Health, discovered that the addition of Rho Kinase (ROCK) inhibitor and fibroblast feeder cells causes both normal and cancer cells to change into a state similar to that of stem cells. An important feature of stem cells is that they are able to continuously renew themselves for a long period of time. Many millions of cells may be generated in a short time from a small population of stem cells, even a single cell, [...]]]></description>
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