COLUMBUS, Ohio — One in every six colorectal cancer patients (16 percent) diagnosed under age 50 has at least one inherited genetic mutation that increases his or her cancer risk and many of these mutations could go undetected with the current screening approach, according to initial data from a statewide colorectal cancer screening study conducted at The Ohio State University ...

Immunologists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have discovered that a protein called NLRC3 plays a central role in inhibiting colon cells from becoming cancerous. The study, led by Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, Ph.D., a member of the St. Jude Department of Immunology, appears online today in the journal Nature. Researchers found that deleting the protective NLRC3 protein exacerbates colon cancer development. They ...

Scientists have identified chemical changes in the DNA of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases that could improve screening for the conditions. The DNA changes can be detected in blood samples, paving the way for simple tests to aid diagnosis. Researchers say their findings shed light on how the diseases develop and could reveal new approaches to treatments. Inflammatory bowel diseases ...

Scientists at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found that a deep-water marine sponge collected off of Fort Lauderdale’s coast contains leiodermatolide, a natural product that has the ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells as well as block cancer cells from dividing using extremely low concentrations of the compound. This work resulted in the award of a ...

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have revealed for the first time the three-dimensional molecular ‘map’ of a protein that has been pinpointed as a driver of many types of cancers. The unprecedented view of the protein doublecortin kinase like domain 1 (DCLK1) could provide clues to how it contributes to cancer formation and progression. DCLK1 is a protein that ...