Cellular Communication Agent

Tracking the NO signaling pathway

26-Aug-2021 - Both nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) act as gaseous signaling molecules with similar physiological effects. Many of the critical questions about the interplay between these two gasotransmitters hinge on their chemical reactivity and the fleeting existence of HSNO, a key product of ...

By decoding how HPV causes cancer, researchers find a new potential treatment strategy

04-Oct-2017 - A study that teases apart the biological mechanisms by which human papillomaviruses (HPV) cause cancer has found what researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center say is a new strategy that might provide targeted treatment for these cancers. HPV is responsible for the majority of cervical ...

Agent clears toxic proteins and improves cognition in neurodegeneration models

18-Jul-2017 - Researchers have found cell receptors abnormally overexpressed in post-mortem brains of those with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, and that they can be inhibited in animal models to clear toxic protein buildup, reduce brain inflammation, and improve cognitive performance. These dual ...

Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein

13-May-2013 - Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have used tiny doses of a leukemia drug to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects. They say their study, ...

Excess estrogen in pregnancy can silence BRCA1 in daughters, increasing breast cancer risk

11-Apr-2013 - Excess estrogen levels during pregnancy can disable, in their daughters, a powerful breast cancer tumor suppressor gene, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. They found the DNA repair gene BRCA1 to be silenced in one year-old girls exposed to a high hormonal fetal ...

Series of studies first to examine acupuncture's mechanisms of action

Understanding the molecular underpinnings of an ancient Chinese therapy's success could increase its acceptance by mainstream medicine

15-Mar-2013 - While acupuncture is used widely to treat chronic stress, the mechanism of action leading to reported health benefits are not understood. In a series of studies at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), researchers are demonstrating how acupuncture can significantly reduce the stress ...

Single protein promotes resistance to widely used anti-estrogen drugs

03-Jul-2012 - Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered a single molecule they say is a major determinant of resistance to anti-estrogen therapy used to treat or prevent breast cancer in high-risk women.In Cancer Research, the scientists say glucose-regulated protein 78 ...

Researchers reveal how a single gene mutation leads to uncontrolled obesity

The discovery offers clues about how to turn on brain sensitivity to leptin and insulin, hormones that turn off appetite

20-Mar-2012 - Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have revealed how a mutation in a single gene is responsible for the inability of neurons to effectively pass along appetite suppressing signals from the body to the right place in the brain. What results is obesity caused by a voracious ...

Investigational agent shows promise in reducing spread of prostate cancer

03-May-2011 - A drug developed to treat Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare childhood cancer, may also help prevent human prostate cancer from spreading, as seen in new lab studies say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).Published in PLoS ...

Researchers use novel methods to identify how cigarette smoke affects smokers

Scientists say their study aims to understand exactly which toxic chemicals are produced within the body from smoking

08-Apr-2011 - Smoke from cigarettes can affect nearly every organ in the body by promoting cell damage and causing inflammation, but no one has understood which smoker is or is not susceptible to disease development.At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, however, ...