Mammary Cell News Volume 3.11 | Mar 24 2011

Princess Margaret Hospital Researchers Create an Organic, Non-Toxic Nanoparticle That Lights Up, and Uses Sound and Heat to Find and Treat Tumors
A team of scientists have created an organic nanoparticle that is completely non-toxic, biodegradable and nimble in the way it uses light and heat to treat cancer and deliver drugs. [Press release from the University Health Network discussing online prepublication in Nature Materials]

Heart Drug Linked to Higher Breast Cancer Risk
Women taking the heart drug digoxin have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study of more than 2 million Danes. [Press release from Reuters discussing online prepublication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology]

Trial Results Confirm Five Years of Tamoxifen Boosts Breast Cancer Survival
Experts are urging breast cancer patients to complete their full prescription of tamoxifen, following long-term results which showed the cancer was less likely to come back in women who took the drug for five years, compared to two years. [Press release from Cancer Research UK discussing online prepublication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Silencing of MicroRNA Families by Seed-Targeting Tiny LNAs
Scientists developed a method that enables antagonism of miRNA function using seed-targeting 8-mer locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligonucleotides, termed tiny LNAs. [Nat Genet]

Porphysome Nanovesicles Generated by Porphyrin Bilayers for Use as Multimodal Biophotonic Contrast Agents
Researchers reported the development of porphysomes; nanovesicles formed from self-assembled porphyrin bilayers that generated large, tunable extinction coefficients, structure-dependent fluorescence self-quenching and unique photothermal and photoacoustic properties. [Nat Mater]

Targeting Tumor Hypoxia: Suppression of Breast Tumor Growth and Metastasis by Novel Carbonic Anhydrase IX Inhibitors
Findings demonstrated that Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX) is vital for growth and metastasis of hypoxic breast tumors and is a specific, targetable biomarker for breast cancer metastasis. [Cancer Res]

S6 Kinase 2 Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Survival Via Akt
In the present study, investigators examined the effects of S6 kinase 2 on Akt activation and cell survival. [Cancer Res]

Activation of Toll-Like Receptor 5 on Breast Cancer Cells by Flagellin Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth
Findings indicate that TLR5 activation by flagellin mediates innate immune response to elicit potent antitumor activity in breast cancer cells themselves, which may serve as a novel therapeutic target for human breast cancer therapy. [Cancer Res]

Novel Theranostic Opportunities Offered by Characterization of Altered Membrane Lipid Metabolism in Breast Cancer Progression
The aim of the study was to analyze the global lipid profiles of breast cancer, integrate the results to protein expression and validate the findings by functional experiments. [Cancer Res]

β-Catenin Is Required for Ron Receptor-Induced Mammary Tumorigenesis
Data suggest that β-catenin is a crucial downstream regulator of Ron receptor activation and is an important mediator of mammary tumorigenesis. [Oncogene]

YB-1 Evokes Susceptibility to Cancer through Cytokinesis Failure, Mitotic Dysfunction and HER2 Amplification
Scientists developed a model of pre-malignancy to characterize the role of Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) during breast cancer initiation and early progression. [Oncogene]

HEXIM1 Is a Critical Determinant of the Response to Tamoxifen
As hexamethylene bis-acetamide-inducible protein 1 (HEXIM1) can inhibit estrogen receptor (ER) activity, researchers examined whether it has a critical role in the inhibitory effects of tamoxifen on ER. [Oncogene]

Evaluation of the XRCC1 Gene as a Phenotypic Modifier in BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers. Results from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/BRCA2
Investigators evaluated the XRCC1 gene that participates in the base excision repair pathway, as phenotypic modifier of BRCA1 and BRCA2. [Br J Cancer]

Breast Cancer Methylomes Establish an Epigenomic Foundation for Metastasis
Cancer-specific alterations in DNA methylation are hallmarks of human malignancies; however, the nature of the breast cancer epigenome and its effects on metastatic behavior remain obscure. To address this issue, researchers used genome-wide analysis to characterize the methylomes of breast cancers with diverse metastatic behavior. [Sci Transl Med]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Digoxin Use and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women
Scientists hypothesized that digoxin use might increase breast cancer incidence and examined if use might be associated with risk of breast cancer, categorized by estrogen receptor status. [J Clin Oncol]

Long-Term Benefits of 5 Years of Tamoxifen: 10-Year Follow-Up of a Large Randomized Trial in Women at Least 50 Years of Age with Early Breast Cancer
Taking tamoxifen for the recommended 5 years reduces the risk of recurrence or contralateral breast cancer 15 years after starting treatment. [J Clin Oncol]

Multifactorial Approach to Predicting Resistance to Anthracyclines
The neoadjuvant Trial of Principle study was specifically designed to evaluate the predictive value of topoisomerase II-α and develop a gene expression signature to identify those patients who do not benefit from anthracyclines. [J Clin Oncol]

Detection of HER2 Amplification in Circulating Free DNA in Patients with Breast Cancer
Results demonstrate for the first time the existence of amplified human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in circulating free DNA in the follow-up of breast cancer patients who are otherwise disease free. This approach could potentially provide a marker in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. [Br J Cancer]

Genomic Health Presents Multiple International Studies Demonstrating Worldwide Value of Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Test
Genomic Health, Inc. announced results from nine studies utilizing the Oncotype DX® test in early-stage breast cancer patients at the 12th Annual St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference. [Genomic Health, Inc. Press Release]

Researchers and Scientists Honored for Improving Prevention, Treatment and Care of People Living with Cancer
Each year through its Special Awards, the American Society of Clinical Oncology recognizes quality researchers, patient advocates, and leaders of the global oncology community who, through their work, have made significant contributions to enhancing cancer care. [American Society of Clinical Oncology Press Release]

AACR Elects President-Elect, Directors and Nominating Committee Members
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Frank McCormick, Ph.D., D.Sc. as their president-elect. [American Association for Cancer Research Press Release]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW Targeted Antibodies for Cancer 2011
August 10-11, 2011
London, United Kingdom

NEW International Conference and Exhibition on Cancer Science & Therapy
August 15-17, 2011
Las Vegas, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the mammary cell community.

Lab Technologist – Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies)

Post-doctoral Position Metastasis Research Laboratory (University of Liege) 

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston) 

PhD Program – Tumor Cell Intrinsic Signaling Pathways that Regulate Immune Suppression (Lady Davis Institute of Medical Research)

Post-doctoral Fellow (New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey)

Post-doctoral Position in Cancer Research (Tufts Medical Center)

Post-doctoral Fellow in Gene Expression/Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)

Post-doctoral Research Associate (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston)

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