A new class of drugs offers hope to lung cancer patients who have a specific mutation in their tumour cells. LG LAU was in her mid-thirties when she was first diagnosed with lung cancer. She had caught a normal cold, and her early symptoms included persistent coughing, shortness of breath, loss of weight and a hoarse voice. When her cough worsened and wouldnt go away for several weeks, she went to see a doctor, who diagnosed her condition as tuberculosis. After taking the prescribed medication for about two weeks, there was no improvement in her condition. In fact, her health gradually worsened, and by the end of the third week, she had difficulty eating and started losing weight. By the end of the month, she became too weak to move around on her own and had to get about in a wheelchair. Her husband finally couldnt bear to watch her suffer any longer, and in spite of her protests, brought her to see a specialist, who ordered a chest X-ray and CT scan. The results were conclusive; although she had never smoked in her life, she was diagnosed with Stage 3B non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Her doctor insisted that … Continue reading →

Reported in CELL, Stony Brook pathologist uncovers new p53 mechanism triggering necrosis Newswise STONY BROOK, N.Y., June 22, 2012 The gene p53 is the most commonly mutated gene in cancer. p53 is dubbed the guardian of the genome because it blocks cells with damaged DNA from propagating and eventually becoming cancerous. However, new research led by Ute M. Moll, M.D., Professor of Pathology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and colleagues, uncovers a novel role for p53 beyond cancer in the development of ischemic stroke. The research team identified an unexpected critical function of p53 in activating necrosis, an irreversible form of tissue death, triggered during oxidative stress and ischemia. The findings are detailed online in Cell. Ischemia-associated oxidative damage leads to irreversible necrosis which is a major cause of catastrophic tissue loss. Elucidating its signaling mechanism is of paramount importance. p53 is a central cellular stress sensor that responds to multiple insults including oxidative stress and is known to orchestrate apoptotic and autophagic types of cell death. However, it was previously unknown whether p53 can also activate oxidative stress-induced necrosis, a regulated form of cell death that depends on the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) pore. We identified … Continue reading →

More Photos Click thumbnails to enlarge Some of the automated sampling equipment in the Rensselaer Stem Cell Research Center in Troy. Some of the automated sampling equipment in the Rensselaer Stem Cell Research Center in Troy. (Mike McMahon / The Record) By Danielle Sanzone dsanzone@troyrecord.com Twitter.com/DanielleSanzone State Department of Health Commissioner Nirav Shah, left, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, right, announce the opening of the Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research during a forum at the colleges Troy campus Friday. (Mike McMahon / The Record) TROY During a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute forum on Friday, dozens were able to see their first baby picture: a single cell that eventually multiplied, in part due to stem cells, into an organism with trillions of cells. That, to me, is the most amazing thing in the study of biology, said Glenn Monastersky, director of the Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research. See the original post here: VIDEO: Stem cell research facility to open at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute … Continue reading →