Tuesday, May 24, 2011

AUSTRALIAN scientists have worked out a way of weakening lung cancer, the most deadly form of the disease in the country.

Researchers at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre have found people with lung cancer are loaded with high levels of a protein that is resistant to chemotherapy.More than 9000 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year and the disease's resistance makes it tricky to treat.But researchers at the University of NSW centre have developed a gene silencing technique that can switch off the resilient protein cells, making the cancer more sensitive to chemotherapy.The next step is finding a way to deliver this treatment to the tumour without the body rejecting it, said Professor Maria Kavallaris.Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/scientists-can-weaken-lung-cancer/story-e6frfku0-1226054184725#ixzz1NKkuU3tI

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Gene-modified stem cells help protect bone marrow from toxic side effects of chemotherapyAlthough chemotherapy is used to kill cancer cells, it can also have a strong toxic effect on normal cells such as bone marrow and blood cells, often limiting the ability to use and manage the chemotherapy treatment. Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Seattle that one possible approach to reduce this toxic effect on bone marrow cells is to modify the cells with a gene that makes them resistant to chemotherapy.
Curcumin compound improves effectiveness of head and neck cancer treatment, study finds
ScienceDaily (May 19, 2011) — A primary reason that head and neck cancer treatments fail is the tumor cells become resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a compound derived from the Indian spice curcumin can help cells overcome that resistance.
Children's Cancer Institute Australia
4 May, 2011

Scientists at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia (CCIA) are developing a new therapy for non-small lung cancer, one of the most lethal types of cancer.

In a twist of fate, scientists looking for a new treatment approach to childhood cancer solid tumours found that this new approach was effective in targeting solid tumours in lung cancer.

The current prognosis for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Australia is dismal, as tumours often become resistant to conventional drug therapy.

Promising results to be presented at the Australasian Gene Therapy Society meeting in Melbourne suggest that the therapy has the potential to offer new hope to lung cancer patients in Australia and globally.