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Health & Physiology

showing 1-5 of 151 breaks

Tobacco smoking and other exposures shut off cancer-fighting genes

Cancer is a genetic disease caused by mutations in DNA. Most mutations are substitutions of single nucleotides, the basic building blocks of DNA. Mutations occur over time due to natural processes like faulty DNA repair or from external sources like ultraviolet light. Researchers have discovered... click to read more

Views 985
Reading time 3 min
published on Aug 31, 2024
A hidden clock that times cytoplasmic divisions

 Omnis cellular e cellula – all cells arise from pre-existing cells. This seemingly obvious tenet of cell theory was only formalized when, in 1841, the Polish embryologist Robert Remak boldly described forms of animal cell division when examining chick embryo red blood cell development. Later,... click to read more

Views 989
Reading time 3 min
published on Aug 30, 2024
When two kinases go for a dance

Protein phosphorylation is an important cellular regulatory mechanism which acts like a molecular switch in our cells. It is a process where a phosphate group, a small but very consequential chemical tag, is added to a protein. Think of it as turning a light switch... click to read more

Views 1174
Reading time 4 min
published on Aug 2, 2024
Awakening the thymus to cure SARS-CoV-2 infection: a matter of genes

SarsCov-2, the virus causing COVID-19, became deadly for 1-2% of people infected , causing 7-8 million deaths worldwide. Although in most cases the fatal outcome was associated with old age and/or pre-existing debilitating conditions, it can occur in younger healthy individuals. Indeed, there are certain... click to read more

Views 1127
Reading time 3.5 min
published on Jul 27, 2024
Keeping the balance: How epigenetics monitors cancer genes

The human genome contains around 20,000 genes with two copies per gene, one inherited from each parent. Changes in the genome including gene breaks, rearrangements, and extra gene copies are frequent in many diseases, most commonly in cancer. DNA breaks occur often throughout the genome,... click to read more

  • Zach Gray | PhD student at Cancer Epigenetics Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111; Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111; Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111
  • Madison Honer | PhD student at Cancer Epigenetics Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111; Nuclear Dynamics and Cancer Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111; Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111
  • Johnathan Whetstine | Professor at Cancer Epigenetics Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia PA 19111
Views 2376
Reading time 4 min
published on May 13, 2024