August 19, 2016
August 19, 2016 —
Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking medications that inhibit interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), a molecule that stimulates the immune system, are 300 times more likely to experience invasive Group A Streptococcal infections than patients not on the drug, according to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers. Their study, published August 19 in Science Immunology, also uncovers a critical new role for IL-1beta as the body’s independent early warning system for bacterial infections.
August 18, 2016
August 18, 2016 —
Concerns over the Zika virus have focused on pregnant women due to mounting evidence that it causes brain abnormalities in developing fetuses. However, new research in mice suggests that certain adult brain cells may be vulnerable to infection as well. Among these are populations of cells that serve to replace lost or damaged neurons throughout adulthood, and are also thought to be critical to learning and memory.
August 4, 2016
August 4, 2016 —
Robert Legaspi was 9 years old when he was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This year, at age 27, his leukemia returned for the fourth time. This time was different, though — on May 20, 2016, Legaspi became the first patient in San Diego to receive a new type of immunotherapy, known as CAR T-cell therapy, as part of a Phase I/II clinical trial at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.
July 21, 2016
July 21, 2016 —
In an effort to expand the number of cancer gene mutations that can be specifically targeted with personalized therapies, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center looked for combinations of mutated genes and drugs that together kill cancer cells. The study, published July 21 in Molecular Cell, uncovered 172 new combinations that could form the basis for future cancer therapies.
July 18, 2016
July 18, 2016 —
Rikki Rockett, drummer for the band Poison, got the best news of his life last week: his cancer is gone. Rockett was diagnosed with oral cancer more than a year ago. Several months ago, he came to Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, where he underwent experimental cancer immunotherapy, which has now eradicated the tumor.
July 4, 2016
July 4, 2016 —
Mice are one of the most commonly used laboratory organisms, widely used to study everything from autism to infectious diseases. Yet genomic studies in mice have lagged behind those in humans. In a study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used 1,200 outbred mice, which are more similar to a natural population, to test a new cost-effective technique to search for specific genes linked with 66 different physical and behavioral traits.
July 4, 2016
July 4, 2016 —
Mice are one of the most commonly used laboratory organisms, widely used to study everything from autism to infectious diseases. Yet genomic studies in mice have lagged behind those in humans. In a study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used 1,200 outbred mice, which are more similar to a natural population, to test a new cost-effective technique to search for specific genes linked with 66 different physical and behavioral traits.
June 30, 2016
June 30, 2016 —
Using a database of human tumor genomic data, researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center discovered that mutation hotspots known as kataegis are a positive marker in breast cancer — patients with kataegis have less invasive tumors and better prognoses. The study, published June 30 in Cell Reports, also suggests kataegis status could help doctors determine treatment options that might work best for patients with the mutation pattern.
June 27, 2016
June 27, 2016 —
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that a likely cause of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors is deficiency in nonsense-mediated RNA decay (NMD), a system cells use to control which genes are activated.
June 9, 2016
June 9, 2016 —
Cancer stem cells are like zombies — even after a tumor is destroyed, they can keep coming back. These cells have an unlimited capacity to regenerate themselves, making more cancer stem cells and more tumors. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have now unraveled how pre-leukemic white blood cell precursors become leukemia stem cells.
