Tag Archives: tumor cells

Study May Lead To New Mesothelioma Treatment

In what may be a breakthrough in the development of a treatment for mesothelioma, a new study reveals clues as to why tumor cells grow out of control and how to stop them. Rosetta Genomics, a developer of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, conducted the joint study on malignant pleural mesothelioma with medical researchers from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and New York University Langone Medical Center. The findings were published in the online issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. In the study, tumor cells from mesothelioma patients were found to be missing a molecular component called miR-31. MiR-31 has recently been found to suppress the growth and spread of breast cancer cells. When miR-31 was reintroduced into the mesothelioma cells, … Continue reading Study May Lead To New Mesothelioma Treatment »

Mesothelioma and Virotherapy

A recently published study* suggests that virotherapy may be a viable treatment option for mesothelioma, as well as for other cancers. Virotherapy is the use of biotechnology to convert viruses into cancer-fighting agents by reprogramming viruses to only attack cancerous cells An agent of change for patients with “no real treatment alternatives” “Normally, viruses replicate to increase their number, and by virtue of that process, healthy cells are killed,” explains David T. Curiel, MD, PhD, director of the Division of Human Gene Therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Virotherapy is about engineering viruses so that they replicate only in tumor cells – and kill only tumor cells.” In order to engineer an effective virus, scientists must first understand … Continue reading Mesothelioma and Virotherapy »