“Prostate Cancer Genome Map Shows Genes Tied to Tumor - BusinessWeek” plus 1 more |
| Prostate Cancer Genome Map Shows Genes Tied to Tumor - BusinessWeek Posted: February 10, 2011, 4:29 AM EST By Elizabeth Lopatto (Adds definition of genome in fifth paragraph.) Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- A complete genetic map of prostate cancer has been charted for the first time by scientists, an achievement that may expand understanding of the disease and lead to new treatments. Scientists looked at seven kinds of prostate tumors, using a technology that allowed them to sequence the full genetic plan, and compared them to sequences from normal tissue samples, in a study published in the journal Nature. The work was led by researchers from the Broad Institute of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The work is already providing insights into the disease, researchers said. Scientists have uncovered alterations in tumors that prevent the body from making proteins that suppress cancer growth. Other findings may eventually allow scientists to tell whether the cancer is slow-growing or aggressive. "This first whole genome view shows us tantalizing evidence for several new prostate cancer genes that likely would have remained undiscovered" without this approach, said senior author Levi Garraway, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute, an assistant professor at the Boston-based Harvard Medical School, and an oncologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in a statement today. A genome is the complete set of genes, comprised of DNA, contained in a body cell, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. Older Men Affected Prostate cancer was estimated to kill 32,050 American men in 2010, and there were 217,730 new cases that year, according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease generally affects older men. The tumor genomes were identified using technology from Illumina Inc., the San Diego-based gene-sequence machine maker. The findings also may lead to new tests for prostate cancer, allowing doctors to know whether the disease will advance quickly or grow slowly, the authors said in the statement. For people with slow-growing prostate cancer, a watch-and-wait approach is recommended, according to the Mayo Clinic. More aggressive tumors may be treated through radiation, hormone therapy or surgery. Mark Rubin, the other senior author on the paper, is a professor of oncology and pathology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. The project was funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute based in Chevy Chase, Maryland and the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the Bethesda, Maryland-based National Institutes of Health. --Editors: Angela Zimm, Donna Alvarado To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Lopatto in New York at elopatto@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Letter: Some background on the new Watertown resource map - Abington Mariner Posted: In response to a recent letter [printed in the Jan. 28 issue] regarding the multi-lingual resource map of Watertown published by several community organizations, we would like to offer some background on this project. The resource map, produced in six languages, is the result of several years of work by many local residents and organizations. Representatives from each of four organizations - the World in Watertown, Project Literacy of the Watertown Free Public Library, the Parent Child Home Program of Watertown, and the Watertown Police Department, formed a map committee to manage the project. Collectively, these individuals had years of experience working with local immigrant populations. The map was designed by local artist Leslie Evans. Project Literacy and Project SAVE provided translators. Publication was funded by the Watertown/Harvard and Watertown/O'Neill Properties Community Enrichment Fund, the Watertown Rotary Club, The Helen Robinson Wright Fund of the First Parish, and the Watertown Savings Bank. Funding was obtained after a presentation of the goals and basic project plan. Although some labor was compensated through this funding, many hours of volunteer work contributed to the final product. The World in Watertown is a volunteer civic organization, founded to protect and promote non-discriminatory practices, and to create and support educational programs and other initiatives to honor our town's diversity. The organization meets at the First Parish of Watertown, but is not affiliated with the church. Project Literacy's mission is to teach English language skills, through group classes and one-on-one tutoring, to over 200 speakers of other languages each year. The Parent Child Home Program models literacy skills for preschool age children and their parents, many of whom speak English as a second language. Visits take place in the home. The idea for a "resource map" originated in 2006 from a public discussion of immigration issues sponsored by the World in Watertown. Recent immigrants to Watertown described their difficulties in finding basic information about the community. Subsequently, the map committee met with students from Project Literacy, who were invaluable in suggesting information vital to newcomers. With this input as a guide, the map committee compiled a list of resources to address the main concerns expressed. Because of budget limitations, the committee published the map in the six languages predominant among Project Literacy students. The committee hopes to produce translations in other languages, but funding has not yet been received. The map has been distributed free of charge throughout the town, and is also at the town and the library web sites. Both the initial edition in 2009 and the updated version have been well received, and have proven useful to people from many backgrounds. Although they may aspire to learn English, many newcomers are isolated by language barriers and by the cost of English language instruction. When they are offered a key to the Watertown community in a language familiar to them, they feel welcomed and empowered. The map committee invites the participation of anyone interested in producing supplements to the map in other languages, or offering additional information about the community for inclusion in future editions. Kathy Kopp and Will Twombly Map Committee of the World in Watertown This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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