cancer

Magnified nanoparticlesSpecially designed nanoparticles can reveal tiny cancerous tumors that are invisible to ordinary means of detection, according to a study by researchers at the School of Medicine. Researchers demonstrated that very small human melanoma tumors growing in mice — indiscernible from the surrounding tissue by direct MRI scan — could be “lit up” and easily located. Because the nanoparticles can be engineered to carry a variety of substances, they also may be able to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to malignant tumors.

Magnified nanoparticlesSpecially designed nanoparticles can reveal tiny cancerous tumors that are invisible to ordinary means of detection, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Researchers demonstrated that very small human melanoma tumors growing in mice — indiscernible from the surrounding tissue by direct MRI scan — could be “lit up” and easily located. Because the nanoparticles can be engineered to carry a variety of substances, they also may be able to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to malignant tumors.

GrigsbyDoctors regularly use positron emission tomography (PET) scans to diagnose cervical cancer, taking advantage of the technique’s ability to highlight metabolic differences in cancerous tissues. But PET is rarely used for follow-up assessment of cervical cancer patients after treatment. A study in the June 1 issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that post-treatment PET scans could help physicians better predict which patients are largely cancer-free as a result of their treatment and which patients may soon be likely to need additional treatment.

Immunofluorescent staining showing both active (right) and inactive (left) protein effects on cells.For a cell, interior design is more than just a matter of decorum or taste. The special placement of the “furnishings” contained within the confines of the cell’s walls — a phenomenon scientists call cellular polarity — can significantly affect essential, life-sustaining functions both during development and in mature organisms. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a new link between two key proteins that regulate the placement of parts within cells. The researchers believe that a more complete understanding of how regulatory proteins control cellular polarity may help them treat patients with a wide range of disorders.

Bob BostonResearchers prepare for a leukemia clinical trialA new state-of-the-art research facility dedicated to helping produce modified cells for treatment of cancer and other diseases recently opened at the Siteman Cancer Center. The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) center is a haven of high-tech environmental control, comparable in some respects to the International Space Station, according to GMP Laboratory Director Gerhard Bauer.

A protein known as Pgp has pumped an imaging agent that glows away from a tumor on the lower right of this mouse.Oncologists dread the appearance of MDR1 P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a protein found on the surface of drug-resistant cancers that pumps away chemotherapy treatments. Now researchers have discovered Pgp also rids cells of a bioluminescent agent used in imaging research. According to David Piwnica-Worms, M.D., Ph.D., professor of molecular biology and pharmacology and of radiology and director of Washington University’s Molecular Imaging Center, the finding means scientists now have a direct, real-time method for assessing treatments designed to block drug resistance in animal models of cancer because if Pgp is present, the imaging agent is expelled from cells, it’s also likely that those cells will be resistant to chemotherapy. On the other hand, the discovery also means basic researchers, who make frequent use of the luminescent imaging agent (derived from a sea pansy or soft coral), have to make sure that what they are seeing isn’t being affected by interactions with Pgp.

Image courtesy of William C. Chapman, M.D.William Chapman monitors his surgical instrument’s position on corresponding CT scans during liver surgery.Despite being the largest vital organ in the body, the liver has very few identifiable landmarks to help guide a cancer surgeon around its surface. Two-dimensional ultrasound images currently are the standard navigational tool, making it difficult to discern depth and location in the liver during surgery to remove tumors. That’s why a research team led by William C. Chapman, M.D., professor of surgery and chief of the Abdominal Transplantation Section at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis plans to launch trials examining the use of three-dimensional imaging techniques to complement ultrasound during liver surgery. The research team will investigate standard three-dimensional imaging techniques like MRI, CT scanning and PET for guiding surgeons during tumor removal surgery.

Five-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong will make an exclusive appearance in St. Louis at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Oct. 15 to promote cancer research.