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Ludwig Cancer Research study shows pancreatic cancer cells hit reverse to advance in malignancy
APRIL 28, 2021, NEW YORK – A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a previously unrecognized mechanism by which cancer cells of a relatively benign subtype of pancreatic tumors methodically revert-or “de-differentiate”-to a progenitor, or immature, state of cellular development to spawn highly aggressive tumors that are capable of metastasis to the liver and lymph nodes.
The study, led by Ludwig Lausanne’s Douglas Hanahan and published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, also shows that engagement of the mechanism is associated with poorer outcomes in patients diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs). Further, its findings provide concrete evidence that such cellular de-differentiation, widely observed across cancer types, is a not merely a random consequence of cancer cells’ other aberrations.
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IMAGE: Researchers are investigating how carnivory-related genes, such as those involved in digestion, could help crops not only avoid pests, but also thrive in low-nutrient environments. Featured here is a type. view more
Credit: Tanya Renner, Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. They won t devour insects with leafy jaws, but with help from carnivorous plant genes, tomatoes, tobacco and other crops could one day better defend themselves from pathogenic fungi and insects. An international team of researchers has received a grant from the Human Frontier Science Program to investigate how carnivory-related genes, such as those involved in digestion, could help crops not only avoid pests, but also thrive in low-nutrient environments. Ultimately, the team s goal is to reduce reliance on pesticides and fertilizers.
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Florian Muijres has been awarded a prestigious grant to study what the mating dance of malaria mosquitoes in a swarm looks like. In this research, Muijres will collaborate with colleagues from the USA, Belgium and Burkina Faso. The study may offer a new possibility in the fight against malaria: preventing the mosquitoes from procreating. The Human Frontier Science Program has awarded a 400-thousand-euro annual grant for this three-year investigation.
The basics of how malaria mosquitoes mate is known: in complex swarms of thousands of males. Occasionally females will join the swam, and, after some time, a female may fly alongside a male. ‘In a swarm and during flight, the male and female will synchronise their wingbeat pattern’, Muijres says. ‘This synchronisation can be seen as a mating dance.’
Waikato scientist part of team awarded prestigious Human Frontier grant livenews.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from livenews.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.