Is there anyone wants to talk about "Cancer"? I am really interested at it. It is becoming a serious problem day by day. On the other hand, with the development of technology, we will probably find a treatment. I think it is very soon:)
Anyways waiting for your messages.
Here is something you might be interested in.
Attention News Editors:
Tracking the spread of cancer: Nano-sized particles hunt down cancer cells one by one
New project among 76 announced today by the Canadian Cancer Society
TORONTO, May 1 /CNW/ - Pioneering the use of nanomedicine to catch the
spread of cancer at its earliest stage is the focus of one of 76 new research
grants announced today by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The new $253,000, three-year grant will study "targeted cellular
imaging"-a simple, non-surgical method of detecting metastatic cancer well
before it reaches an untreatable stage. The study's lead researcher,
Dr. Paula Foster of the Robarts Research Institute at the University of
Western Ontario, says metastasis - when cancer spreads from its original
location to another part of the body - is the most common cause of cancer
"The earlier we can detect the spread of cancer, the better the patient's
outcome is likely to be," says Dr. Foster, who is pioneering this technique on
mice and predicts it will be ready to test with humans in five years. Her lab
was the first in the world to show that it's possible to track a single cancer
Currently, the only way to find out if cancer has spread is by performing
a surgical lymph-node biopsy. There are also blood tests for some inherited
forms of cancer. Dr. Foster's targeted cellular imaging technique involves a
safe, simple injection of tiny amounts of iron oxide combined with certain
cancer-binding antibodies, and then watching the particles migrate towards the
cancer, using MRI. These nanoparticles can be as small as one-billionth of a
metre, far too small to be seen with a conventional lab microscope.
"One of the things we're so excited about is that we can be so specific
with this advanced MRI technology," says Dr. Foster. Using a specialized
micro-imager, researchers can watch the magnetic particles as they travel
around the body to hunt down and then stick to the cancer.
Dr. Paula Foster's story
This Canadian Cancer Society grant is Dr. Foster's first cancer research
grant. She spent the early years of her research career developing the
cell-tracking technology, but didn't initially make the link to cancer. "I
knew we were really on to something when I showed it to my colleagues who are
cancer researchers, and they were just blown away by the possibilities," she
"When I heard I got this grant, I could hardly believe it. I know the
competition for funding is very tough," says Dr. Foster. "Knowing that the
best minds in the scientific cancer community think highly of this idea - that
they believe in it - it's very encouraging. I'm so grateful."
The 76 grants announced today were selected after a rigorous national
application and review process. These leading-edge cancer research projects
bring the Society's total investment in cancer research to almost $49 million
"Canadians tell us research is one of the most important reasons they
donate to the Society, so we are very pleased to add these new projects to the
broad spectrum of world-class research we fund," says Dr. Barbara Whylie, CEO,
Canadian Cancer Society. "Research is critical to our mission of eradicating
cancer and enhancing the lives of people living with cancer, and these new
projects represent tremendous hope for making cancer history."
Also among the 76 research grants announced today by the Society:
Early detection of lung cancer using an electronic nose: More people die
of lung cancer than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined, but it is
difficult and expensive to detect the early stages of lung cancer.
Dr. Annette McWilliams in Vancouver was awarded $347,000 over three years to
investigate how a non-invasive and inexpensive breathalyzer test - or
"electronic nose" - may detect signs of early lung cancer in people at high
risk, which may help to target those most in need of more intensive screening.
Preventing chemotherapy mistakes: Chemotherapy drugs can be very toxic,
so chemotherapy delivery errors can be particularly harmful to patients.
Dr. Vishal Kukreti, based in Toronto, was awarded a $35,000 feasibility grant
to study how the use of bar-coded chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients could
prevent potentially life-threatening errors.
Self-administered vaginal swabs in Canada's North: Human Papillomavirus
(HPV) is the cause of most cervical cancer. Dr. Paul Brassard, based in
Montreal, was awarded $33,000 to investigate whether it is acceptable and
effective for women in remote areas, such as the Inuit in Northern Quebec, to
detect HPV with self-administered vaginal swabs. He will compare this approach
with conventional cervical swabs done by a health professional and the results
will inform future practices.
Lifetime impacts of surviving cancer in childhood, adolescence and young
adulthood: Cancer in young people can result in lifelong effects, including
medical, psychological, educational and social problems often, but not always,
related to treatment. Dr. Mary McBride and her team, based in Vancouver, were
awarded almost $3 million over five years to evaluate these impacts with the
goal of ensuring these survivors receive the post-treatment support they need.
How arsenic causes cancer: Arsenic, a naturally-occurring element, is
known to cause cancer, but scientists do not understand how, or at what levels
it is carcinogenic. Dr. Chris Le, based in Edmonton, was awarded $442,000 over
four years to study how arsenic interferes with the body's repair of damaged
DNA so that ultimately health agencies can develop guidelines to prevent or
reduce arsenic-induced cancers.
Easing distress in cancer patients: Living with cancer is not only a
physical experience, but also presents spiritual, existential and
psychological challenges. Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, based in Winnipeg, was
awarded $446,000 over three years to test a new Patient Dignity Inventory with
125 clinicians across Canada, and to gauge how this tool could help cancer
care practitioners recognize and ease distress in cancer patients.
For a complete list of the new Canadian Cancer Society-funded research
grants across the country, visit www.cancer.ca.
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of
volunteers whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of
the quality of life of people living with cancer. This year, the Society is
providing almost $49 million in funding for leading-edge research across the
country. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website at www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at
1 888 939-3333.
For further information: English Media: Christine Harminc, Canadian
Cancer Society, (416) 934-5650, email@example.com; French Media: Alexa
Giorgi, Canadian Cancer Society, (416) 934-5681, firstname.lastname@example.org
im Dr Nitin Chawla fm India....cancer is brutal in every sence..its amajor topic of discussion but at same time by simple precautions v can save it...hope i haven bored u ...spread awareness about hazards of carcinogens n u wil contribute..technology in this aspect is of great help ...they play a role in diagnosis n in trt also....if u like this small chat than u can msz me on gmail.......at email@example.com...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Nanoworms Target Tumors
A new shape for nanoparticles helps deliver imaging agents.
By Corinna Wu
Early-stage tumors are often too small to see with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Now, a team of researchers has developed magnetic "nanoworm" particles that can circulate for a day in the bloodstream and home in on tumors, helping to enhance an MRI image. The nanoworms could make it easier to image small tumors, allowing cancer to be detected and treated earlier.
The research is part of a broader effort to treat cancer more effectively by delivering drugs and imaging agents directly to diseased cells using nanoparticles. But the challenge has been to create delivery vehicles that will circulate in the body long enough to find their way to a tumor in order to do their job. "You're always fighting a battle with the body's own rejection systems--the natural systems that try to get rid of any foreign body, such as a nanoparticle," says Michael Sailor, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego.
One option is to chemically treat the nanoparticles so that they're not recognized by the body's immune system. But increasingly, researchers are also tailoring the nanoparticles' shape to help them slip by defenses. The nanoworms created by Sailor and his colleagues consist of spherical iron oxide nanoparticles linked together so that they resemble the segments of an earthworm. The nanoworms are about 30 nanometers in length and are coated with a sugar called dextran that helps them evade the body's rejection system. The shape also helps. Previous studies have shown that particles with an elongated shape are not eaten up by phagocytes, immune cells responsible for clearing such particles from the body, as readily as spherical ones are.
The new study "fits into the emerging evidence in nanomedicine that shape is very important," says Mauro Ferrari, director of the Center for NanoMedicine and chair of the department of biomedical engineering at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, in Houston. Controlling size and shape is a powerful way of directing drug carriers to their intended targets, Ferrari says.
Drugs could be attached to the nanoworms, but their impact will be mostly in their applications to imaging, Sailor says. Sailor, collaborating with Sangeeta Bhatia at MIT and Erkki Ruoslahti at the University of California, Santa Barbara, reported their findings in the journal Advanced Materials.
The synthesis of the nanoworms was somewhat unexpected, Sailor says. By using dextran molecules of slightly different weight, the researchers found that the particles spontaneously aggregated into strings of about eight to ten nanoparticles. Then Ji-Ho Park, a materials-science and engineering graduate student, tested their magnetic properties. Compared with individual iron oxide nanoparticles, the nanoworms produced a massively enhanced MRI signal. "Ultimately, this should lead us to image smaller tumors, so that would be at an earlier stage of development in the body," Sailor says.
When injected into mice, the nanoworms accumulated in tumors, which was not surprising. "When [tumors] recruit blood vessels to feed themselves, the blood vessels tend to be very leaky," Sailor says, so any kind of nanoparticle would have a tendency to collect there. But the nanoworms also stuck around much longer than individual iron oxide nanoparticles, which the body can eliminate in minutes. "If you make [a nanoparticle] bigger, then the body should have a better chance of finding it and eliminating it," Sailor says. "So one of the surprises of the study was that these things would circulate for quite a long time. They had up to a 24-hour half-life."
The researchers also took the nanoworms and attached a peptide called F3, developed by Ruoslahti and his colleagues, that targets the surface of cancer cells. In vitro, the modified nanoworms attached to cancer cells more effectively than individual nanoparticles did. Linking several nanoparticles together creates a cooperative effect, Sailor says. Once one F3 molecule contacts a cell surface, there are others nearby to do the same.
Sailor and his group are now looking at methods to amplify the effect of the nanoworms, finding means for them to recruit other particles to a tumor site in a way that blood might clot.
First of all really sorry for my delayed reply. I have been very busy recently. Right now i am working in a CRO (clinical research organization). I am not really working on cancer. But i want to do my master or PhD in cancer genetics area. I have some ideas about the connection between stem cells and cancer cells.
Thanks for your information. I checked the website. It looks really amazing. I hope it works.
And i agree with you about the Chemotheraphy. But unfortunately it is still the only cure for the cancer people. Radiotherapy is also in use but not as effective as chemotherapy. We have to find out a way of new treatment i guess. Wish we can:)
A hybridoma is a hybrid cell produced by injecting a specific antigen into a mouse, collecting an antibody-producing cell from the mouse's spleen, and fusing it with a long-lived cancerous immune cell called a myeloma cell. Individual hybridoma cells are cloned and tested to find those that produce the desired antibody. Their many identical daughter clones will secrete, over a long period of time, millions of identical copies of made-to-order "monoclonal" antibodies.
Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is difficult because the symptoms are so non-specific and varied. Common symptoms include pain in the upper abdomen that typically radiates to the back and is relieved by leaning forward (seen in carcinoma of the body or tail of the pancreas), loss of appetite, significant weight loss and painless jaundice related to bile duct obstruction (carcinoma of the head of the pancreas). All of these symptoms can have multiple other causes. Therefore, pancreatic cancer is often not diagnosed until it is advanced.
Jaundice occurs when the tumor grows and obstructs the common bile duct, which runs partially through the head of the pancreas. Tumors of the head of the pancreas (approximately 60% of cases) are more likely to cause jaundice by this mechanism.
Trousseau sign, in which blood clots form spontaneously in the portal blood vessels, the deep veins of the extremities, or the superficial veins anywhere on the body, is sometimes associated with pancreatic cancer.
Clinical depression has been reported in association with pancreatic cancer, sometimes presenting before the cancer is diagnosed. However, the mechanism for this association is not known.
You can find more information about pancreatic cancer from this website.
Maybe but it isnot known yet. I donot know if you have heard the twins in UK. They are identical but one of them is suffering from cancer, on the other hand the other one is healthy. Because they are identical, they have the same stem cells, so UK scientists started to search the reasons why one is health and the other one is sick. I think they still couldnot find anything but it is kinda weird. because both of them have the cancer gene but only one is sick. environmental things are of course a reason but a virus can be a reason as well. Why not?
Olga thanks for ur information.........and now tell me about HGPRT enzyme ........... is it present or absent in myeloma cells ? Actually i have read about this tech. a lot from books and from net also ...........as i had already given a seminar on this topic in my class but still there r so many points which are still not cleared to me so pleeeeeeeez
Welcome! Nanopaprika was cooked up by Hungarian chemistry PhD student in 2007. The main idea was to create something more personal than the other nano networks already on the Internet. Community is open to everyone from post-doctorial researchers and professors to students everywhere.
There is only one important assumption: you have to be interested in nano!
Nanopaprika is always looking for new partners, if you have any idea, contact me at firstname.lastname@example.org