Genomics, the branch of molecular biology concerned with the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of an individual’s genes, is already revolutionizing the way medicine treats cancer. Like many sciences, genomics has “niches;” single-cell genomics is a rapidly developing field, and current technologies can assay a single cell’s gene expression, DNA…...
Albert Szent-Györgyi’s discovery of vitamin C
In a world of ever-changing fad diets, it can be difficult to pinpoint what exactly constitutes as proper nutrition. Luckily, there are some basic nutrition tips that everyone can agree on. It’s no secret that fruits and vegetables are the key to a well-balanced diet, regardless of the current fad.…...
At Its Root
Chaos can be surprisingly orderly. While cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth, that growth is, nevertheless, the result of a very particular cascade of events, from carcinogen exposure to genetic mutations. Interfere with that cascade, and cancer can be ground to a halt, or even killed off. The efforts…...
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Cure
“Chinese traditional medicine” (TCM) is a cultural catch-all term for a series of practices including herbal medicine, diet, acupuncture, massage and exercise (like tai chi) whose combined history stretches back over four thousand years. Western science acknowledges the benefits of some forms of TCM — acupuncture and Chinese massage techniques,…...
An Analytical Tool Like Few Others
When he passed away in April 2004, Dr. Csaba Horváth had more than a few laurels upon which he could eternally rest. Though most famously, Horváth was the first scientist to design, construct and show molecular separations using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The analytical technology has since served as foundation…...
Crizotinib Plus Radiation May Reduce NF2-Related Hearing Loss
A study co-authored by National Foundation for Cancer Research Fellow Dr. Rakesh Jain hints that adding the cancer drug crizotinib to the radiation therapy for tumors associated with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) may lessen the hearing loss that often precipitates from radiotherapy. Although not a cancer, NF2 is characterized by benign…...
Targeted Lung Cancer Therapy
A Match Made Possible A discovery by a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital’s Daniel Haber, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist supported by the National Foundation for Cancer Research since 2003, now represents a source of hope for many patients with metastatic lung cancer. He and his colleagues correctly linked very…...