Science Park - Research Division in the News
"Calorie Restricted Diet Prevents Inflammation and Cancer"
Prevention of weight gain with a restricted calorie diet sharply reduced the development of pancreatic lesions that lead to cancer in preclinical research reported by Science Park - Research Division researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting. The research, led by Stephen Hursting, Ph.D. along with post-doctoral fellow Dr. Laura Lashinger, sheds light on the connection between obesity, calorie intake and pancreatic cancer by comparing a calorie restricted diet, an overweight diet and an obesity-inducing diet in a strain of mice that spontaneously develops pancreatic lesions that lead to cancer.(Apr. 2008)
"Calorie Restriction Limits and Obesity Fuels Development of Epithelial Cancers"
A restricted-calorie diet inhibited the development of precancerous growths in a two-step model of skin cancer, reducing the activation of two signaling pathways known to contribute to cancer growth and development, researchers at The UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Science Park - Research Division reported at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting. Professor John DiGiovanni and graduate student Tricia Moore found that an obesity-induced diet, by contrast, activated those pathways. "These findings provide the basis for future translational studies targeting Akt/mTOR pathways through combinations of lifestyle and pharmacologic approaches to prevent and control obesity-related epithelial cancers in humans," DiGiovanni said. (Apr. 2008)
"Chromatin Remodeling Complex Connected to DNA Damage Control"
Xuetong "Snow" Shen, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Science Park - Research Division of M. D. Anderson, discovered that when molecular disaster strikes, causing structural damage to DNA, players in two important pathways talk to each other to help contain the wreckage. This connection between a signaling pathway crucial to DNA damage control and a pathway known as chromatin remodeling "opens up an entirely new category of targets for potentially attacking cancer." (Aug. 2007)
"Protein Protects Anti-Cancer Gene from Chemical Shutdown"
A protein that is largely absent in one type of skin cancer protects an important gene in a cell's defense against harmful mutations from being silenced, reports Yinling Hu, Ph.D., senior author of a paper in Molecular Cell and assistant professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Carcinogenesis at the Science Park - Research Division. (Jul. 2007)
"Howard Hughes Medical Institute Awards Major Grant to Smithville Researcher"
A five-year $750,000 grant has been awarded to Robin Fuchs-Young, Ph.D., Community Outreach and Education director and associate professor of carcinogenesis at the Cockrell Cancer Research Center of the Science Park - Research Division of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, to fund a comprehensive program to enhance science and health education in Smithville schools and to promote community interest in science and biomedical research. (Jul. 2007)
"M. D. Anderson Scientist Elected to Lead Society of Toxicology"
Cheryl Lyn Walker, Ph.D., a professor at the Science Park - Research Division of the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, won a general election of the 5,800-member Society of Toxicology to serve as vice president-elect in 2007, vice president in 2008, and president in 2009. The SOT is the world's premier scientific group for those who work to understand, prevent and better treat the harmful effects of chemical, physical or biological agents on people, other living things and on ecosystems. (May 2007)
"M. D. Anderson Science Park - Research Division Wins $8.3-million Renewal to Study Environmental Causes of Major Diseases"
An $8.3-million federal grant to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Science Park - Research Division addresses the complex interplay between such varied factors as genetics, diet, and environmental exposure to toxins that cause cancer, asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases. (Apr. 2007)
"Researchers Find Molecular 'Brake' to Cell Death; Discovery Could Yield New Target for Future Therapies"
Researchers found that a natural "brake" exists in a cell to prevent it from undergoing apoptosis, or programmed cell death. This finding has direct implications for anti-cancer therapy and can be used to design more targeted chemotherapy drugs. (Jun. 2006)
"When Good DNA Goes Bad"
When otherwise normal DNA adopts an unusual shape called Z-DNA, it can lead to the kind of genetic instability associated with cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. (Feb. 2006)
"In Those Genetically Predisposed, 'Developmental Reprogramming' Could Explain Cancer Risk"
Researchers at the Science Park - Research Division may have uncovered the reason why some people who are genetically predisposed to hormone-dependent cancers develop the disease as an adult, while others who are similarly susceptible don’t. (May 2005)
"M. D. Anderson Researchers Discover Key Protein in Psoriasis: May be New Target for Treating Common Skin Condition"
Researchers have resolved a controversy over the cause of psoriasis and developed the first mouse model that fully mimics the human disorder. (Apr. 2005)
"Researchers Discover Potential Skin Cancer Prevention Target"
Scientists have identified a protein that serves as a master regulator of skin cancer - a finding that could lead to new ways to prevent skin cancer before it starts. (Nov. 2004)
For specific information regarding each staff member's research programs, please refer to the faculty information page.