In the News

Process That Kills Damaged Cells Hints at New Cancer Therapies

By Jason Alvarez

Scientists have long known that cells originating from an animal’s anterior — the body’s upper half — tend to grow, divide and survive better than those from the posterior. Studies show this to be true in cancer as well, with anterior cancers metastasizing more aggressively. Now scientists are beginning to understand why.

In a paper published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, professor and Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI) affiliate Nestor Oviedo, graduate students Manish Thiruvalluvan and Paul Barghouth, and collaborators at Tel Aviv University identify a molecular mechanism that regulates regional differences in a family of flatworms known as planarians. Read more

Flatworms Help Scientists discover Link between Brain and cancer

By James Leonard and Robert Mills

Cancer cells divide with more frequency and are more resilient when they are closer to the brain, indicating a potential link between cell growth and the nervous system, according to new research from Professor Néstor J. Oviedo of the University of California, Merced.​ Read more

Protein Critical for tissue Regeneration discovered

Researchers have shown that a protein found in humans stops regeneration when disabled in planaria, providing a potential strategy for preventing the growth of cancer cells.​ Read more.