News: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders

Identifying the molecular pathways that lead normal colon cells to become cancer cell could provide much needed biomarkers and therapeutic targets.  Previously, Punita Dhawan, Ph.D., and colleagues showed that claudin-1 – a protein member of “tight junctions” that help bind cells together into an organized tissue structure – was greatly increased and mislocalized in colorectal […]

A protein critical in heart development may also play a part in colon cancer progression.  Research led by investigators fromVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Vanderbilt Eye Institute suggests that the protein BVES (blood vessel endocardial substance) – which also is key in regulating corneal cells – may be a therapeutic target for halting colon cancer metastasis.  The study, […]

Having antibodies diverse enough to neutralize a range of viruses is advantageous for preventing reinfection.  But the molecular features that underlie this diversity (and how it is generated) are poorly understood.  James Crowe, Jr., M.D., and colleagues previously isolated an antibody to 1918 influenza (called 2D1) that could also neutralize the 2009 H1N1 strain.  In […]