News by Subject Biology

A team of researchers has discovered that during development, when progenitor heart cells progressively differentiate into various cell types, the Hippo pathway is essential to coordinate the progress of these cell types into a working heart

Researchers tracked genomic alterations detected in patient samples during tumor cell evolution in culture, in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models from the cultures, as well as before and after treatment in patients. In a recent paper in Nature Genetics, the team reports that tumor progression was often driven by cancer-promoting genes, known as oncogenes, on extrachromosomal pieces of DNA.

Extracellular vesicles (EV) represent a promising vector system for biomolecules and drug delivery due to their natural origin and participation in intercellular communication. As the quantity of EVs is limited, it was proposed to induce the release of membrane vesicles from the surface of human cells by treatment with cytochalasin B. Cytochalasin B-induced membrane vesicles (CIMVs) were successfully tested as a vector for delivery of dye, nanoparticles, and a chemotherapeutic.

The research team used model spinal cord injuries in rats for their purposes. As a result, it was found out that therapy by adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells combined with fibrin matrix influences the restoration of motor functions. It also decreases the area of pathological cavities and reduces astroglial activation.

Acyclic retinoid, an artificial compound derived from vitamin A, has been found to prevent the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Now, in research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have discovered that the compound targets one class of cancer stem cells, preventing them from giving rise to new tumors.