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Displaying 94 of 2936 articles.
New understanding of B cell mutation strategies could have implications for vaccines
New study demonstrates how high-affinity B cells "bank" their best traits instead of rolling the dice and risking deleterious mutations, with implications for better vaccine design.
How solving a hepatitis B paradox opened the door to new therapies
A collaboration between Rockefeller, MSK, and Weill Cornell answers a longstanding mystery about the basic biology of the hepatitis B virus, while also proposing a novel therapy.
Why a promising breast cancer drug doesn’t work—and how to improve it
A treatment that appears effective in cancers such as myelofibrosis consistently fails in breast cancer clinical trials. A new study explains why.
Key mechanism for maintaining proper telomere length identified 
New findings describe how the enzyme CST is recruited to the end of the telomere, where it maintains telomere length with the help of subtle chemical changes made to the protein POT1.
Double trouble at chromosome ends
The end replication problem dictates that telomeres shrink unless telomerase intervenes. But the problem is actually twice as complicated, with telomerase providing only part of the solution.
Keeping telomerase in check
Telomerase could run amok, deleteriously capping damaged DNA, were it not for a first responder to DNA damage.
Luciano Marraffini wins Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science
Marraffini is honored for his pioneering research on the study of CRISPR-Cas systems.
Kivanç Birsoy named a 2023 Blavatnik National Awards finalist
Birsoy is honored for groundbreaking research uncovering metabolic weaknesses of diseased cells, such as cancer, while shedding light on debilitating mitochondrial diseases and rare genetic disorders.
Colorectal cancer tumors both helped and hindered by T cells
Researchers have long disagreed over whether ??T cells in the gut promote or discourage tumor growth, but new evidence suggests they have the capacity to do both.
Titia de Lange elected to the Royal Society
She receives the honor for elucidating mechanisms of telomere protection and genome maintenance.
Antibody therapy controls HIV for months in new clinical trial
Unlike conventional antiretroviral drugs, treatment with broadly neutralizing antibodies does not rely on vigilant daily dosing and could potentially reduce the body’s reservoir of latent viruses.
Kivanç Birsoy, expert on cancer cell metabolism, is promoted to associate professor 
Birsoy's groundbreaking research has highlighted key nutrients that cancer cells need to survive, while shedding light on debilitating mitochondrial diseases and rare genetic disorders.
Radiotherapy may explain why childhood cancer survivors often develop metabolic disease
Radiation therapy to treat childhood cancer may damage adipose tissue, causing diabetes and coronary heart disease decades later.
Scientists discover how mitochondria import antioxidants
The finding offers researchers a direct way to investigate oxidative stress and its damaging effects in aging, cancer and other diseases.
Small molecule may prevent metastasis in colorectal cancer

The compound works by hindering a key pathway that cancer cells rely upon to hoard energy, and is already undergoing clinical trials.

Toward the first drug to treat a rare, lethal liver cancer
After scouring more than 5,000 compounds, scientists have identified several new classes of therapeutics that may help treat fibrolamellar carcinoma.
Paul Cohen, expert on fat, is promoted to associate professor
Cohen, a physician-scientist exploring obesity and metabolic disease, has conducted groundbreaking research on the complex inner workings of fat tissue.
Telomere shortening protects against cancer
Researchers have found the first evidence that telomere shortening is not just a sign of aging, but a key component of the body's cancer prevention system.
Rockefeller's Charles M. Rice honored with Nobel Prize for research that contributed to a cure for hepatitis C
Rice will receive the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research that led to a cure for hepatitis C, a viral disease affecting 170 million people worldwide. His lab worked on the virus for three decades and became the first to produce a version of it that could be grown and studied i...
Cancer cells use nerve-cell tricks to spread from one organ to the next
New research suggests that breast and lung tumors metastasize by hijacking a neural signaling pathway, potentially opening the door to better diagnostics and treatments.
How mechanical forces nudge tumors toward malignancy
Researchers studying two forms of skin cancer identified a long-overlooked factor determining why some tumors are more likely to metastasize than others: the physical properties of the tissue in which the cancer originates. The findings might set the stage for new ways to monitor and treat the di...
Unique mutation reveals a new role for well-known DNA-repair gene
The discovery of a rare mutation in BRCA2, commonly known as the breast cancer gene, has shed new light on how cells safeguard their genetic material.
 
Study reveals first evidence inherited genetics can drive cancer’s spread
Scientists have long struggled to understand what drives a tumor to seed itself elsewhere in the body. New research implicates our own pre-existing genetics.
Rockefeller grants commercial license for the development of new HIV drugs
The novel compounds are based on so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies, molecules that make rare people's immune systems capable of fighting HIV. They could potentially yield new treatment and prevention approaches benefitting people around the world, including in developing countries.
Small containers inside cells might offer new targets for cancer treatment
For reasons that have long been unclear, cells stop dividing when the pH rises inside tiny cellular compartments called lysosomes. Now scientists have found an explanation for this phenomenon, with potential implications for drug development.
Researchers discover a new mechanism in childhood kidney cancer
A problem in reader proteins that identify which gene is up for expression may cause normal cells to turn malignant during development.
Study sheds new light on how epigenetic events might spur disease
Research that began with the analysis of two developmental syndromes ultimately helped scientists understand how diverse epigenetic mechanisms can combine to drive tissue overgrowth in cancer.
C. David Allis elected to the National Academy of Medicine
Allis, whose pioneering research established that enzymes that modify histone proteins, which package DNA in the nucleus, regulate gene expression, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Research on cell division provides new clues to how a common cancer treatment works
In studying cell division, scientists happened upon a new way of understanding how a chemotherapy compound works. The findings could make it possible to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from the drug.
Findings shed new light on why Zika causes birth defects in some pregnancies
Researchers have shown that antibodies against Zika might be involved in causing birth defects in babies born to infected women. The findings might provide important caveats for the development of a vaccine.
Study pinpoints what causes relapse after cancer immunotherapy
In many cancer patients who have been treated with immunotherapy, the tumor comes back. New research identifies the cells responsible for thwarting the treatment and offers new insights into how they do it.
Gene-editing technique opens door for HIV vaccine
Researchers successfully modified immune cells to produce antibodies that fight HIV. This strategy could eventually be used to develop a vaccine against the virus, among other conditions.
New hope for treating a childhood brain cancer
Recent research has shown that a drug known as MI-2 can kill cells that cause a fatal brain cancer. But only now have scientists been able to explain how the compound works: by targeting cholesterol production in tumors.
Researchers discover a common link among diverse cancer types
Some cancers have been traced to changes in histones, proteins responsible for packaging DNA and regulating genes. Now, research from Rockefeller scientists shows that, among tumors, mutations to these proteins are a lot more common than previously suspected.
Scientists find new clues about how the body stores fat
Scientists discovered a protein that plays a crucial role in regulating fatty acids, the molecules that make up body fat. This research could lead to new options for treating people with diseases associated with fatty acid buildup.
Researchers discover a weakness in a rare cancer that could be exploited with drugs
Researchers have identified a rare type of cancer cell that cannot make cholesterol, a key nutrient. By targeting this deficiency, scientists may be able to develop new strategies for treating the disease.
Sohail Tavazoie promoted to professor
Sohail Tavazoie, a physician-scientist who studies the genes that regulate a tumor’s ability to metastasize, has been promoted to professor.
Scientists caution that a rare childhood liver cancer can spread to the brain
A new report details three cases of secondary brain tumors in people with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. The researchers say imaging tests could improve treatment for patients whose cancer spreads to the brain from the liver.
In brief: New molecular insights on a rare immune disorder
After figuring out the functions of two proteins involved in the rare genetic condition ICF, scientists pieced together the molecular process that is altered in the disease.
New immunotherapy approach boosts body’s ability to destroy cancer cells
A new treatment may help cancer patients who don't respond to traditional immunotherapy. Findings from the first-ever clinical trial reveal that it is effective in activating immune cells that kill cancer cells.
In brief: How the immune system curbs its own mistakes
Researchers discovered how apoptosis keeps potential cancer-causing mutations in check.
3D imaging of fat reveals potential targets for new obesity treatments
With new imaging methods, scientists hope to make significant progress in the fight against obesity. A new report reveals striking images of neural projections within fat tissue, and clues for the development of new drugs.
In brief: New clues about how cells restart stalled replication
Scientists studying the cell’s DNA-copying machinery have discovered a molecular mechanism that helps reactivate it should it stop prematurely. Its function may prevent genetic errors like those that cause cancer.
Michel C. Nussenzweig wins 2017 Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Award
Nussenzweig was honored at a ceremony today at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.The award recognizes investigators for past or ongoing work demonstrating real scientific progress in the life sciences.
New study points the way to therapy for rare cancer that targets the young
Scientists have engineered a mouse model to study a rare and often-fatal form of liver cancer. They’ve used it to clarify what drives these tumors at the molecular level, and discover new drug concepts.
Potential new treatment for Fragile X targets one gene to affect many
Scientists found that inhibiting a regulatory protein alters the intricate signaling chemistry that is responsible for many of the disease’s symptoms. The findings provide a path to possible therapeutics for disorders associated with Fragile X.
Inflammation trains the skin to heal faster
Scientists have found that stem cells in the skin remember an injury, helping them close recurring wounds faster. The discovery could advance research and treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases.
Titia de Lange to receive 2017 Rosenstiel Award
de Lange is honored for her elucidation of the mechanism of telomere protection and the maintenance of genome stability.
In brief: How a microRNA protects against liver cancer
New insights about gene regulation in liver cells could lead to better treatments for a common tumor type.
A cell’s destiny is set earlier than expected
Stem cells in the hair follicle are organized by the cell type they will eventually become in unique compartments, at the ready to regenerate tissue.
C. David Allis wins 2017 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
Allis has received the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology. The award, given to investigators whose research offers hope for the prevention and treatment of birth defects and other infant diseases, honors Allis for his groundbreaking work on gene regulation.
Discovery of a Zika antibody offers hope for a vaccine
Searching for a way to thwart Zika, scientists have discovered an antibody with a potent ability to neutralize the virus.
A mechanism shared by healing wounds and growing tumors
Scientists have long seen parallels between healing wounds and growing tumors. In studying the molecular changes that occur within both, a research team has discovered a new cancer-fuelling mechanism that potentially could inform drug development.
Scientists discover how crucial DNA sequences endure
The centromere region of chromosomes retains the same DNA from one generation to the next. Scientists have gained new insights into how it avoids being scrambled in normal cells, and how it becomes unstable in cancer.
Early intervention with new treatment provides durable control of HIV-like virus in monkeys
There are more than 25 drugs to control HIV, yet the virus remains one of the world’s biggest health problems. One of the many challenges with existing therapies is that a dormant version of the virus is always lurking in the background, ready to attack the immune system as soon as treatment is i...
A new way to reset gene expression in cancer cells shows promise for leukemia treatment
New findings from Rockefeller University researchers could guide the development of potent combination therapies that deliver more effective and durable treatment of leukemia. In recent work published in Nature, they show it’s possible to deactivate cellular programs involved in tumor growth by d...
Scientists discover an unexpected influence on dividing stem cells’ fate
When most cells divide, they simply make more of themselves. But stem cells, which are responsible for repairing or making new tissue, have a choice: They can generate more stem cells or differentiate into skin cells, liver cells, or virtually any of the body’s specialized cell types. As r...
Encouraging clinical results for an antibody drug to prevent or treat HIV
A new biologic agent—the most potent of its kind so far—is showing early promise as part of a potential new strategy for treating HIV. The drug, known as 10-1074, may also offer a new way to prevent viral infection in people who are at high risk to acquire HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. ...
Study reveals the structure of a protein crucial for DNA replication
Our DNA contains instructions crucial for virtually all forms of life on this planet. But for life to propagate, this blueprint must be copied and passed on to future generations. New findings describing the structure of a key molecule involved in DNA replication place another piece in the puzzle...
Researchers explore how protein production gets distorted in skin cancer
Each cell in the body follows a strict protocol for manufacturing the proteins it needs to function. When a cell turns cancerous, however, its protein production goes off script. A new study led by researchers at the Rockefeller University takes a close look at one way in which this procedure goe...
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