Tag Archives: pathology

For Pancreatic Cancer, Biomarker Test Offers Chance for Early Detection

When cancer is detected,  the interaction of two nanoparticles creates a bright yellow signal (photo by Fei Lu, Houston Methodist Research Institute).

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States each year, in part because around four-fifths of cases go undetected until they have reached an advanced stage. But a new, biomarker-based test could soon change all that — and offer a way to monitor treatment outcomes.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Biomarker Test Offers Hope For Early Detection Of Pancreatic Cancer

Mitochondria-Linked Genetic Changes Might Give Early Hint of Alzheimer’s Disease

Diagram of a mitochondrion, courtesy of Arizona State University.

Long before they develop neurofibrillary tangles or beta-amyloid plaques, brains with Alzheimer’s disease begin experiencing problems in their cells’ power plants — the mitochondria — that hinder their ability to make energy for cells.

Declines in gene expression related to mitochondria can occur in subjects as young as their early 30s.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Arizona Researchers Say Genetic Changes Could Help Spot Alzheimer’s Disease Early

Drug Targets Offer Hope for Less Painful, More Survivable Pancreatic Cancer

Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scientists have identified drug targets that could one day make pancreatic cancer less painful — and more survivable — by knocking out key molecular signals. The signals form an essential part of the process by which cancer cells invade and spread through nearby nerves, wounding nerve endings.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:

New Drug Targets Could Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Pain, Improve Outcomes

Genetic Radiation Exposure Test Prepares for FDA Evaluation

Seventy-plus years into the Atomic Age, the United States still lacks a good radiation-dosage test.

But the ASU Radiation Biodosimetry Test (ARad), a device being developed by Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, could soon help doctors triage victims of a nuclear attack by gauging their exposure to ionizing radiation via changes in gene expression.

ARad is one of only a few tests under development that can detect radiation exposure levels. Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:

ASU Radiation Test Uses Genes To Triage Nuclear Attack Victims

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: 10 Terrible Cases of Mistaken Identity

The real this isn't quite as funny.
Oddly enough, the Katzenjammer Kids are still sometimes implicated.

It’s said that we all have a double somewhere in the world. It’s a haunting thought, but almost comforting compared to the harrowing tales of identity theft we hear on the nightly news. But, hey, we live in the age of fingerprints, DNA and CSI, right? The post-911 world of ever-more Orwellian identification requirements? Surely we’ve left cases of mistaken identity firmly in the past.

You know where this is going …

10 Terrible Cases of Mistaken Identity