New findings by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, point to a surprising pattern in the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and deadly type of gliomas.
GBMs are aggressive, invasive and so genetically and structurally complex that advanced, targeted therapies have struggled to find vulnerabilities to attack.
Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
TGen Brain Cancer Study Finds Surprising Benefit In Tumor Complexity
Long before they develop neurofibrillary tangles or beta-amyloid plaques, brains with Alzheimer’s disease begin experiencing problems in their cells’ power plants — the mitochondria — that hinder their ability to make energy for cells.
Declines in gene expression related to mitochondria can occur in subjects as young as their early 30s.
Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Arizona Researchers Say Genetic Changes Could Help Spot Alzheimer’s Disease Early
Scientists have identified drug targets that could one day make pancreatic cancer less painful — and more survivable — by knocking out key molecular signals. The signals form an essential part of the process by which cancer cells invade and spread through nearby nerves, wounding nerve endings.
Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
New Drug Targets Could Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Pain, Improve Outcomes
Bodies buried in unusual postures and without funeral rites could suggest a history of revenge and blood feud in certain ancient Sonoran Desert cultures, according to a paper in the August 2016 edition of Current Anthropology.
The authors say a rude burial would have deeply distressed the victim’s family and community — and sent a message of dominance and defiance. Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Haphazard Burials May Suggest Revenge, Blood Feud Among Sonoran Desert Cultures
Seventy-plus years into the Atomic Age, the United States still lacks a good radiation-dosage test.
But the ASU Radiation Biodosimetry Test (ARad), a device being developed by Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, could soon help doctors triage victims of a nuclear attack by gauging their exposure to ionizing radiation via changes in gene expression.
ARad is one of only a few tests under development that can detect radiation exposure levels. Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
ASU Radiation Test Uses Genes To Triage Nuclear Attack Victims