The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a member of the HER family of receptors, has become a well−established target for the treatment of patients with non−small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). »
01/19/10

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive tumor that is resistant to conventional modes of treatment with chemotherapy, surgery or radiation. Research into the molecular pathways involved in the development of MM should yield information that will guide therapeutic decisions. »
02/01/10

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world which is highly chemoresistant to currently available chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, novel therapeutic targets are needed to be sought for the successful treatment of HCC. Peptaibols, a family of peptides synthesized non−ribosomally by the Trichoderma species and other fungi, exhibit antibiotic activities against bacteria and fungi. Few studies recently showed that peptaibols exerted cytotoxicity toward human lung epithelial and breast carcinoma cells. However, the mechanism involved in peptaibol−induced cell death remains poorly understood. »
02/01/10

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive human malignancies, with a very poor prognosis. To evaluate the effect of angiotensin II (Ang II) type 2 receptor (AT2) expression in the host's body on the growth of pancreatic carcinoma, we have investigated the growth of mouse pancreatic ductal carcinoma grafts in syngeneic wild type and AT2 receptor−deficient (AT2−KO) mice. »
02/24/10

Tumor initiating cells (TICs) provide a new paradigm for developing original therapeutic strategies. »
02/24/10

Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis−protein family suppresses apoptosis and regulates cell division. It is strongly overexpressed in the vast majority of cancers. We were interested if survivin detected by immunohistochemistry has prognostic relevance especially for patients of the two soft tissue sarcoma entities leiomyosarcoma and synovial sarcoma. »
02/24/10

Ovarian epithelial cancer (OEC) usually presents in the later stages of the disease. Factors, especially those associated with cell−cycle genes, affecting the genesis and tumour progression for ovarian cancer are largely unknown. We hypothesized that over−expressed transcription factors (TFs), as well as those that are driving the expression of the OEC over−expressed genes, could be the key for OEC genesis and potentially useful tissue and serum markers for malignancy associated with OEC. »
02/24/10

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the most lethal form of skin malignancy, which registers a constant increase in incidence worldwide. The identification of molecular alteration(s) involved in its biological aggressiveness represents a major challenge for researchers, considering that existing therapies are ineffective to treat metastasizing cases. »
02/24/10

Sindbis viral vectors are able to efficiently target and kill tumor cells in vivo, as shown using pancreatic and ovarian cancer models. Infection results in apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Sindbis vector uptake is mediated by the LAMR, which is upregulated on a number of different tumor types, thus conferring specificity of the vector to a wide range of cancers. »
02/12/10

The cyclin−dependent kinase (CDK) and mitogen−activated protein kinase (MAPK) mediated phosphorylation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) exerts opposite effects on GR transcriptional activity and affects other posttranslational modifications within this protein. The major phosphorylation site of human GR targeted by MAPK family is the serine 226 and multiple kinase complexes phosphorylate receptor at the serine 211 residue. »
02/15/10