Teamwork leads to key discovery
A canary in a coal mine: Potential tool against lung cancer
Inventor of the Year
Get Screened!
Science for Life returns!
Teamwork leads to key discovery
For Dr. Muneesh Tewari, finding a potential new tool against cancer boils down to a “real story of teamwork,” and he credits colleagues for “having the perseverance and passion to make it happen.”
The Hutchinson Center researcher was describing a challenging undertaking that has led to the discovery that microRNAs — molecular workhorses that keep genes in check — could be used as a possible new class of biomarkers for early cancer detection.
MicroRNAs are released by cancer cells and circulate in the blood, which gives them the potential to signal the presence of cancer at its earliest stages.
“This research shows that microRNAs, which weren’t previously thought of as markers of cancer in the blood, are a worthwhile class of molecules to study for the purpose of early cancer detection,” said Tewari, whose multi-institution team announced its findings this summer in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
MicroRNAs play a key role in a wide range of normal cellular processes, including embryonic development and cell differentiation. The tiny regulatory molecules modulate the activity of specific messenger-RNA targets, which in turn give rise to proteins.
Humans have 30,000 genes that can make messenger RNAs. There are more than 500 known microRNAs encoded by the human genome and each is thought to target up to hundreds of messenger RNAs.
That microRNAs exist in humans is in itself a recent discovery. Tewari’s group initially was studying their role in cancer development and maintenance. During their experiments, scientists found that microRNAs circulate outside of cells and are remarkably stable.
“The results presented here establish the foundation and rationale to motivate future global investigations of microRNAs as circulating cancer biomarkers for a variety of common cancers,” he said.
| [ Back to Top ] |
A canary in a coal mine: Potential tool against lung cancer
The immune system reacts to the presence of a virus by producing an antibody response.
And just as the immune system reacts to viruses, a recent study by Dr. Samir Hanash has revealed that it also mounts a clear response against specific antigens, or proteins, produced by cancerous lung tumors in their early stages of development.
“This kind of immune response won’t necessarily kill the tumor, but it can act as a canary in a coal mine, signaling lung cancer at an early stage, before actual symptoms emerge,” said Hanash, head of the Hutchinson Center’s Molecular Diagnostic Program, whose team found similarities in the immune response to HIV and lung cancer.
“It is an important step toward developing a biomarker-based blood test for the early detection of lung cancer,” Hanash said.
Such a biomarker-based test, much like an HIV test, could help detect the presence of lung cancer a year prior to diagnosis, long before symptoms appear.
The initial goal is to use such a blood test in conjunction with imaging techniques, such as CT scans, to improve the early detection of lung cancer in those at high risk. Hanash envisions such a test could be in clinical use within five years.
Ultimately, Hanash foresees extending this approach to improve the early detection of other common forms of cancer.
“If we could identify those antigens that provide the best signature for not only lung cancer, but also for cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, ovary and the like, then with the tiniest drop of blood we could have a screening test for all the common types of cancer to catch them at their earliest stages, when cure rates are high,” he said. “That would be phenomenal.”
| [ Back to Top ] |
Inventor of the Year
Dr. Irwin Bernstein, head of the Hutchinson Center’s Pediatric Oncology Program, has been named the latest University of Washington School of Medicine Inventor of the Year. The award honors a UW faculty researcher who exemplifies the ideal of technology transfer by translating research from the lab to a product or process that has had a major impact on health care.
Bernstein, a UW professor of pediatrics, was honored for his discovery of the protein CD33, which is found on the surface of most acute myeloid leukemia cells. Working with the biomedical industry, he translated this discovery into the development of Mylotarg, a drug widely used for treating AML and the first FDA-approved antibody-targeted chemotherapeutic agent. Healthy cells are spared while the chemo is delivered directly to the cancer cells.
His studies of hematopoietic stem cells — those that give rise to the blood and immune system— have led to a novel approach for expanding numbers of stem cells in umbilical-cord blood. This breakthrough discovery has shown great promise for treating leukemia with cord-blood transplantation.
“Irv pioneered the use of targeted antibody therapy, an approach that now accounts for about half of the activity of the pharmaceutical industry for cancer,” said Dr. Lee Hartwell, Center president and director. “He is the paragon of translational scientists, constantly working at the edge of basic science and clinical application.”
| [ Back to Top ] |
Get Screened!
The Hutchinson Center is challenging all filmmakers with its first-ever Get Screened! video contest.
You can aid our fight against colon-cancer deaths by creating an original video that highlights the power of colon-cancer screening and prevention.
Sure, most of us would rather not think about — much less discuss — what happens in our colons. But it’s essential to spread the word that colon cancer is both preventable and treatable if detected early, and today’s safe, cost-effective screening techniques can go a long way toward boosting survival rates.
We’re seeking short, informative videos that illuminate this important message. Your creation could help to save lives — and earn you up to $2,500.
For more details, visit, www.endcoloncancernow.org/video/.
| [ Back to Top ] |
Science for Life returns!
The Hutchinson Center’s popular Science for Life lecture series returns this January with four scintillating topics, from cancer fundamentals to DNA mutations and molecular science.
The series breaks down the concepts, skips the homework and offers attendees the opportunity to interact with world-class researchers in a fun, informal and hands-on atmosphere.
When: Thursdays, Jan. 29–Feb. 19, 2009, from 7–8:30 p.m.
Where: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle
Thomas Building, Pelton Auditorium
To register, visit www.fhcrc.org/scienceforlife or call 206-667-4211.
| [ Back to Top ] |
1100 Fairview Ave. N. PO Box 19024 Seattle, WA 98109
©2009 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a nonprofit organization.
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.
