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Announcements

Researchers are actively searching for ways to detect and treat colon cancer before a tumor metastasizes. Ulrike Stein's group have found that treating mice with a substance commonly used to rid the body of tapeworms reduces metastases and improves the prognosis for the animals. They hope that the discovery can now lead to an effective treatment in human patients. Their work was reported in the July 6 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Manipulating a matrix of pain

Pain begins with a response from nerves near the site of an injury. Neurons must generate electrical impulses that travel to other nerves in the spinal column and on to the brain. Gary Lewin's group at the MDC has discovered that some pain signals can be blocked right at the source. A matrix of proteins that bind cells together in the skin can interfere with the contact between neurons and dampen touch sensation. The lab's findings, published in the July 3 issue of Nature Neuroscience, reveal that a matrix protein called laminin-332 helps tune down sensations of pain and touch.