View Post

MicroRNA helps cancer evade immune system

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

Salk researchers discover how oxygen-deprived tumors survive body’s immune response The immune system automatically destroys dysfunctional cells such as cancer cells, but cancerous tumors often survive nonetheless. A new study by Salk scientists shows one method by which fast-growing tumors evade anti-tumor immunity. The Salk team uncovered two gene-regulating molecules that alter cell signaling within tumor cells to survive and …

View Post

Molecular “brake” stifles human lung cancer

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

From: Salk Institute for Biological Studies By testing over 4,000 genes in human tumors, a Salk team uncovered an enzyme responsible for suppressing a common and deadly lung cancer Scientists at the Salk Institute have uncovered a molecule whose mutation leads to the aggressive growth of a common and deadly type of lung cancer in humans. This enzyme, called EphA2, …

View Post

Errant gene turns cells into mobile cancer factories

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

From: Salk Institute for Biological Studies A single stem cell has the potential to generate an animal made of millions of different types of cells. Some cancers contain stem-like but abnormal cells that can act like mini factories to rapidly churn out not only more copies of themselves, but also variants that are able to better survive in the challenging …

View Post

Stem cells move one step closer to cure for genetic diseases

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

From: press@salk.edu Salk scientists have created mutation-free lines of stem cells from human patients with mitochondrial diseases Salk scientists have created mutation-free lines of stem cells from human patients with mitochondrial diseases Healthy brain, muscle, eye and heart cells would improve the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world with debilitating mitochondrial diseases. Now, researchers at the …

View Post

New technique maps elusive chemical markers on proteins

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

From: Salk Institute for Biological Studies Unveiling how the 20,000 or so proteins in the human body work—and malfunction—is the key to understanding much of health and disease. Now, Salk researchers developed a new technique that allows scientists to better understand an elusive step critical in protein formation. The new method, described on July 2, 2015 in the journal Cell, …

View Post

Targeting telomeres, the timekeepers of cells, could improve chemotherapy

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

From: Salk Institute for Biological Studies Telomeres, specialized ends of our chromosomes that dictate how long cells can continue to duplicate themselves, have long been studied for their links to the aging process and cancer. Now, a discovery at the Salk Institute shows that telomeres may be more central than previously thought to a self-destruct program in cells that prevents …

View Post

Vital step in stem cell growth revealed

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

Salk scientists’ finding could aid regenerative and cancer therapies LA JOLLA—Stem cells, which have the potential to turn into any kind of cell, offer the tantalizing possibility of generating new tissues for organ replacements, stroke victims and patients of many other diseases. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute have uncovered details about stem cell growth that could help improve regenerative …

Findings point to an “off switch” for drug resistance in cancer

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

Salk research points to a potential mechanism for cancer cells’ adaptability Like a colony of bacteria or species of animals, cancer cells within a tumor must evolve to survive. A dose of chemotherapy may kill hundreds of thousands of cancer cells, for example, but a single cell with a unique mutation can survive and quickly generate a new batch of …