News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: Jan. 3, 2012
ONCOLOGY: Cbx7 suppresses tumor growth The unregulated cell growth that occurs in cancer is in part related to changes in the expression of genes that control the cell cycle. CBX7 is a gene known to be involved in a repressor complex that is capable of altering the proteins around which DNA is wrapped such that genes cannot be expressed. Previous research has implicated the loss of CBX7 in cancer progression; its loss is correlated with malignancy and poor prognosis in many tumor types. In new research, Alfredo Fusco and colleagues, of Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR, in Naples, Italy, generated mice that lacked Cbx7 expression.
Treating Liver Cancer With Antisense Oligonucleotide
A new study shows that it is possible to selectively target and block a particular microRNA that is important in liver cancer. The finding might offer a new therapy for this malignancy, which kills an estimated 549, 000 people worldwide annually. The animal study, by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) and at Mayo Clinic, focused on microRNA-221 (miR-221), a molecule that is consistently present at abnormally high levels in liver cancer.
FDA Approves Hologic's Cervista High Throughput Automation System For Cervical Cancer Screening
Hologic, Inc. (Hologic or the Company) (Nasdaq: HOLX), a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostic products, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Cervista HTA (high throughput automation) system for use with the Company's previously approved Cervista human papillomavirus (HPV) HR test. The Company's HPV HR test utilizes Hologic's proprietary Invader technology to detect 14 high risk types of HPV that are associated with cervical cancer and precancerous lesions.