MSU lab develops promising breast cancer model
A Michigan State University researcher’s new model for studying breast cancer could help scientists better understand why and where cancer metastasizes.
Professor Eran Andrechek who teaches in the MSU Department of Physiology, has been researching the E2F5 gene, of which little is known, and its role in the development of breast cancer. Based on findings from Andrechek’s lab, the loss of E2F5 results in altered regulation of Cyclin D1, a protein linked to metastatic breast tumors after long latency.
The study also demonstrates that the removal of E2F5 in the mammary gland leads to tumor formation. As scientists better understand how genes impact breast cancer, they could also learn why cancers metastasize and where cancers are likely to spread.
Graduate student wins fellowship to study breast cancer metastasis
When Jesus Garcia Lerena joined Eran Andrechek’s laboratory in spring of 2022, he knew it would provide the perfect opportunity for him to further explore his passion for genomics and cancer research.
The Department of Physiology professor’s lab was a natural fit for Garcia Lerena, who has an undergraduate background in clinical allergies and immunology coupled with his master's studies in molecular biology.
Ask the expert: How can oral cancer screening methods be improved?
In the U.S., oral cancer makes up 3% of all cancers and there are about 54,000 new cases diagnosed each year, according to the National Institutes of Health’s dental and craniofacial research. Since oral cancer can spread quickly, early diagnosis is important.
Bachmann’s pioneering DFMO research leads to FDA-approved lifesaving cancer drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug to treat neuroblastoma, an often-fatal pediatric cancer, based on pioneering research by College of Human Medicine professor André Bachmann.
The FDA approved a tablet form of a drug called difluoromethylornithine, or DFMO (synonym eflornithine), developed in 1978 and later used to treat West African sleeping sickness. The agency’s approval will allow doctors to use oral DFMO to reduce the rate of relapses in patients who have previously undergone standard therapy for neuroblastoma.