Category Biology/Biotechnology

Pcl1 gene

Trinity College Dublin Scientists have identified a novel target that could help to identify ‘cancer stem cells’ while they are in their inactive state. The scientists could then jolt these cells into action so that they could be eliminated by 3radio or chemotherapeutic approaches.

The team discovered that a specific protein (PCL1) kicks a famous cancer-associated protein (p53) into action in our bodies. The p53 protein suspends cells in a dormant, non-dividing state = ‘quiescence’. When cells are in this state, they are much harder to target therapeutically.
Blocking PCL1 should set a chain of events in motion that will cause cancer cells to leave the cover of quiescence so that they can be targeted and eliminated.

Assistant Professor in Medical Molecular Genetics at Trinity, Dr...

Modern snake skull, with inner ear shown in orange. Credit: Hongyu Yi

Fresh analysis of a 90 million-year-old skull is giving researchers vital clues about how snakes evolved. Comparisons between CT scans of the fossil and modern reptiles indicate that snakes lost their legs when their ancestors evolved to live and hunt in burrows, which many snakes still do today. The findings show snakes did not lose their limbs in order to live in the sea, as was previously suggested.

Scientists used CT scans to examine the bony inner ear of Dinilysia patagonica, a 2-meter long reptile closely linked to modern snakes. These bony canals and cavities, like those in the ears of modern burrowing snakes, controlled its hearing and balance...

Fluorescently labeled polarized Upcyte® hepatocytes. Credit: Prof. Yaakov Nahmias

A new technique for growing human hepatocytes in the laboratory has now been described by a team of researchers. This groundbreaking development could help advance a variety of liver-related research and applications, from studying drug toxicity to creating bio-artificial liver support for patients awaiting transplantations.

Human hepatocytes – that comprise 85% of the liver – are routinely used for study of hepatotoxicity, drug clearance and drug-drug interactions. They also have clinical applications in cell therapy to correct genetic defects, reverse cirrhosis, or support patients with a liver-assist device.

Regrettably, while the human liver can rapidly regenerate in vivo attempts to expand human hepatoc...

Cancer cells growing in a dish

Scientists have mapped out the genes that keep our cells alive, creating a long-awaited foothold for understanding how our genome works and which genes are crucial in disease like cancer. A team of Toronto researchers have switched off, one by one, almost 18,000 genes – 90% of the entire human genome – to find the genes that are essential for cell survival. The data revealed a “core” set of more than 1,500 essential genes. This lays the foundation for reaching the long-standing goal in biomedical research of pinpointing a role for every single gene in the genome.

By turning genes off in 5 different cancer cell lines, including brain, retinal, ovarian, and 2 kinds of colorectal cancer cells, the team uncovered that each tumour relies on a unique set of genes t...