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Scientists have been puzzled by the fact that high levels of plasmin in blood and high levels of urokinase in artery walls are linked to high risk for rapid progression of atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Are these naturally occurring clot busters contributors to disease or evidence of the body's attempt to fight it? Molecular biology research shows interactions between urokinase and plasminogen accelerate atherosclerosis. Genetic loss of plasminogen production (the precursor to plasmin) protects mice against atherosclerosis, even when urokinase levels are elevated.

Researchers used the novel inhibitor AZD2281 to target breast cancer, in which the BRCA1-gene plays a role, in a genetically engineered mouse model. Treatment resulted in tumor regression and a strong increase in survival without signs of toxicity. The inhibitor, which recently entered trials in human cancer patients, thus seems to have therapeutic potential for BRCA-defective tumors.

A study of nearly 1,500 patients treated for kidney cancer in the last 15 years shows that an aggressive, tailored treatment approach results in better survival rates and also uncovers subsets of kidney cancer that behave differently and need to be treated accordingly.

Scientists have long known that it's possible for one gene to produce slightly different forms of the same protein by skipping or including certain sequences from the messenger RNA. Now, scientists have shown that this phenomenon, known as alternative splicing, is both far more prevalent and varies more between tissues than was previously believed.

Broken hearts could one day be mended using a novel scaffold. The new scaffold approach could also aid the engineering of other tissues.

Adding an artificial tumor-specific receptor to immune system cells called T-lymphocytes that target a particular virus extended and improved the cells' ability to fight a form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma, said researchers.

A new study reveals an important and newly discovered pathway used by disease-causing bacteria to evade the host immune system and survive and grow within the very cells meant to destroy them. This discovery may lead to new treatments and vaccines for tuberculosis and certain other chronic bacterial and parasitic infections.

Scientists have developed a genome-wide platform to study how specialized proteins regulate RNA in living, intact cells. The platform allows researchers to identify, in a single experiment, every sequence within every strand of RNA to which proteins bind. The result is an unbiased and unprecedented look at how differences in RNA can explain how a worm and a human can each have 25,000 genes yet be so different.

By playing it safe and using a two-pronged attack, a novel designer molecule fights malignant melanoma. The substance is similar to components of viruses and in this way alerts the immune system. The body's own defenses are also strengthened against cancer cells in this process. At the same time, the novel molecule also puts pressure on the tumor in a different way. It switches off a specific gene in the malignant cells, thus driving them to suicide. With mice suffering from cancer, the researchers have thus been able to fight metastases in the lung.

Bacteria can directly cause human blood and plasma to clot -- a process previously thought to have been lost during vertebrate evolution. The discovery may lead to new clinical methods for treating serious medical conditions such as sepsis and anthrax. The key to clot formation is the location of the bacteria, rather than the total number of bacteria or their concentration. Coagulation occurs only when a cluster of bacteria forms.