DARK MATTER

     There are many mysteries in the human biology of complex diseases. A challenging question is why an individual, that has an identical twin, who develops a chronic disease such as cancer however, the other remains perfectly healthy. Scientists have discovered indications to these mystifying questions lying within the human genome: DNA. This genome has close to four million gene switches that exist in bits of DNA that were previously discarded (like “junk”) however, these gene switches are vital in the control process of cells, organs, and how other tissues function. The discovery of the “junk” gene switches has opened a new door in the scientific community and the medical field towards identifying and treating these complex diseases. Another factor contributing to slight alterations in gene switches can be exposures to different environments (climate, living area, exposure of chemicals etc.) As scientists analyzed the “junk” divisions of the DNA, not actual genes containing instructions for proteins, they determined that this sector controls which genes are used in a cell and when they are used. A researcher for the project at Stanford University, Michael Snyder, stated “most of the changes that affect disease don’t lie in the genes themselves; they lie in the switches” (Snyder). This ultimately lies in the challenge to discover which changes, within the gene switches, drive cancer growth. 

* Information obtained at www.nytimes.com

* Pictures obtained at www.news.cincinnati.com & www.scientificamerican.com

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Can a Simple Pill be the Answer?

     Can a simple pill lead to cancer recovery? A new study published in, The Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggests that men who took aspirin frequently for other medical conditions such as, back aches and headaches, while being treated for prostate cancer were less likely to die from this cancer than patients who were not taking aspirin. This evidence is not concrete however; it underlies an intriguing aspect that aspirin may benefit cancer patients. Dr. Andrew T. Chan, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, states that this new evidence indicates that aspirin truly seems to effect cancer throughout different parts of the body. Dr. Chan was not directly involved with this new research however he has been studying the aspects of aspirin in accordance with preventing ‘colorectal cancer’. This new study, a project known by: ‘CaPSURE’; (Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor) was conducted by several researchers who specifically examined 6,000 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated. Researches determined that the death rate of prostate cancer with patients who took aspirin was 3% compared to a 5% increase amid patients that did not take aspirin. Additionally, recurrence of prostate cancer and the disease spreading throughout the body as well as into the bones is stated to be considerably less likely to happen with aspirin users. “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer occurring among men and the No. 2 cancer killer of men” (Rabin). 

*Information obtained at www.nytimes.com

*Pictures obtained at www.internetphotos.net & www.health.howstuffworks.com

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Looking at Proteins in a Cool Way

     In the article, “A New Look at Proteins in Living Cells”, Professor, Nongjian Tao, of Electrical Engineering and director of the Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors at Arizona State University’s Bio design Institute has developed a new, innovative technique for observing membrane proteins and their binding forms. Proteins are essential in the human cell in order to carry out several functions as well as a communication beacon to identify “pre-symptomatic” ‘presences of cancers and other diseases’. Professor Tao’s new method of analyzing protein interactions on the surface of a cell is denoted as: “SPR Microscopy”. This approach will ultimately improve and develop the knowledge of cell-pathogen interactions as well as advancing new drugs. An advantage that Tao’s method of examination has is expressed as  ‘label-based’ and ‘label-free’ observation. In other terms, Tao can observe membrane protein distribution optically and fluorescently. With this technique resolution plays an important role. SPR Microscopy analyzes at millisecond resolution allowing for optimal observation of ‘spatial distribution’ (distribution of organisms) and exactly what the protein is doing. "Cells are different from tissues which are different from human beings, but at least now we can move from a system on the surface of a glass slide to an actual cell surface" (Tao, Nongjian).

               

*Information obtained at www.biologynews.net

*Pictures obtained at www.scienceblogs.com & www.nist.gov

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