One of the reasons that pancreatic cancer remains such a stubbornly dismal disease is that it is extremely desmoplastic. In other words, most of a pancreatic tumor is not made up of tumor cells, but of stroma. Stroma, in turn, is a double-edged sword for the tumor cells. Its connective tissue component impedes blood flow, which is part of what makes pancreatic cancer so drug-resistant. But the lack of blood also means a lack of oxygen and nutrients, so pancreatic tumors must find alternate ways to feed themselves. That’s where nerves come in. In the Nov. 2, 2020, online issue of Cell, researchers published new insights into how innervation feeds tumors, and how to stop them from doing so.

BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Small-molecule compound targets amyloid beta.

Researchers at Stanford University have connected risk-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms for both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease to their possible causal genes via single-cell investigations into epigenomic states.

BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Revving up cisplatin by targeting Rev7.

Mutations in the annexin A11 gene contribute to motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by disrupting cellular calcium ion homeostasis and stress granule protein disassembly contributing to ALS neurodegeneration.

Under the right circumstances, a single mouse can be as good as a group of eight or 10 animals in predicting whether a tumor will respond to a drug, researchers reported at the 2020 EORTC-NCI-AACR (ENA) Molecular Targets meeting on Saturday. The single-animal approach “allows incorporation of more tumor models within the same resource constraints,” Peter Houghton told reporters at a press conference previewing ENA highlights.