Category: Cancer

2023-24, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Health and Medicine

Mysterious Long Non-Coding RNAs Revealed as Playing a Role in Gastric Cancer

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 To the astonishment of many, nearly 99% of the human genome consists of non-coding regions that are not transcribed into mRNAs for protein synthesis. However, some of those non-coding regions of DNA can be transcribed into various types of non-coding (nc) RNAs, including long ncRNAs. Until recently, the scientific community believed these ncRNA products to be functionally irrelevant, playing … Continue reading Mysterious Long Non-Coding RNAs Revealed as Playing a Role in Gastric Cancer

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2023-24, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Disease, Health and Medicine, Molecular Biology

Linking Key Immune System Components to Cancer Progression

Author: Sean Krivitsky, Class of 2026 Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed form of cancer in the world and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a common type of breast cancer, is fast-growing and is associated with consistent poor prognosis. Unlike several other types of breast cancer, TNBC possesses a unique pathogenic mechanism, which means that it … Continue reading Linking Key Immune System Components to Cancer Progression

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Biology, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics

Implications of the role sphingosine kinase 1 plays in the formation of tumors in p53 knockout mice

Author: Marie Collison ‘25 Cancer is a universally known disease that can be caused by a variety of defects in the genetic code of cells. A very important molecule in the regulation of cellular proliferation is the tumor suppressor protein 53, more commonly known as p53. Mutations or deletions in the p53 gene sequence are detected in the majority of cancers, including several subtypes of … Continue reading Implications of the role sphingosine kinase 1 plays in the formation of tumors in p53 knockout mice

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2023-24, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics

Novel Therapeutic Insights to Barth Syndrome

Author: Sean Krivitsky ‘26 Barth syndrome is a rare, severe genetic disorder that primarily affects muscle development and the heart’s ability to efficiently pump blood. It is most common in males given that it is an X-linked disorder and it is known to significantly reduce life expectancy. Despite the severity of Barth syndrome, there are limited therapies available to treat this disease. This condition is … Continue reading Novel Therapeutic Insights to Barth Syndrome

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2023-24, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Chemistry

EN1 Protein Has Been Recognized as Playing a Key Role in Pancreatic Cancer

Author: Sean Krivitsky ‘26 Pancreatic cancer stands out as one of the most severe forms of cancer, accounting for the third most cancer-related deaths. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a form of pancreatic cancer that involves a high degree of metastasis, which refers to the ability of the cancer to spread. This cancer develops as a result of mutations that result in the activation of … Continue reading EN1 Protein Has Been Recognized as Playing a Key Role in Pancreatic Cancer

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Biology, Cancer, Cellular and Molecular Science, Health and Medicine

Breast Cancer Insights and Potential Treatments

Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. HER2 is a protein that has been strongly implicated in many human cancers, particularly breast cancer, and has been demonstrated to induce carcinogenesis through a variety of different mechanisms. This breast cancer tissue has been stained for HER2. Some of the latest research by Stephen J. Collins of the Miller lab, a part of Stony Brook University’s Department of Physiology … Continue reading Breast Cancer Insights and Potential Treatments

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Cancer, Health and Medicine

Exploiting Replication Fork and Checkpoint Mechanisms: ATR Signaling and Checkpoint Inhibitors Unveil New Avenues for Targeting Cancer Replication Stress

Justin Lim ’26 Figure 1: Breast cancer cells (1).jpg Cancer, a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled and abnormal cell growth, is generally recognized by its genomic instability built up by bypassing important biological checkpoints. These checkpoints are scattered throughout a cell’s growth period to limit the amount of DNA replication errors and other deleterious mutations during cell division. Due to the evasion of growth … Continue reading Exploiting Replication Fork and Checkpoint Mechanisms: ATR Signaling and Checkpoint Inhibitors Unveil New Avenues for Targeting Cancer Replication Stress

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Biology, Cancer, Health and Medicine, Molecular Biology

Exciting New Approach to Targeting the Mitochondria to Fight Cancer

Sean Krivitsky ‘27 Figure 1. Visualization of the mitochondria Unbeknownst to many, the mitochondria plays a significant role in carcinogenesis given the importance of metabolic processes in the formation and maintenance of tumors. CPI-613, more commonly known as devimistat, is a recently developed drug that targets a key metabolic cycle that takes place in the mitochondria of cancer cells, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The … Continue reading Exciting New Approach to Targeting the Mitochondria to Fight Cancer

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2022-23, Biology, Cancer, Medicine and Physiology

Predicting the Future: The Prognostic Value of Tumor Budding and Microenvironment in Colon Cancer

Peter Gillespie ’25 Can the success of cancer treatment be predicted before treatment begins? Findings from Dr. Wen and his colleagues at Stony Brook Medicine suggest that certain characteristics of the tumor and the microenvironment can predict the success of treatment in colon cancer patients. Dr. Wen and colleagues investigated the prognostic ability of intratumoral budding, which is the presence of one or a few … Continue reading Predicting the Future: The Prognostic Value of Tumor Budding and Microenvironment in Colon Cancer

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2022-23, Cancer, Health, Health and Medicine, Year

What’s better: negative-pressure wound therapy or standard surgical dressings?

By Shahzadi Adeena, Class of 2025 Figure 1: Health professional holding rolled out gauze Doctors seek to improve post-operative care, as it is a critical aspect of surgery that determines success or infection. Following a surgical procedure, it is routine to apply standard surgical dressings (SSDs) on patients to promote healing and prevent infection. Modern surgical dressings are usually gauze dressings made of cotton, rayon, … Continue reading What’s better: negative-pressure wound therapy or standard surgical dressings?

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2022-23, Cancer, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology

Increased Movement of Cancer Cells in Fluids of High Viscosity Hints at Possible Control Mechanism

Sooraj Shah ’24 With more than 1.9 million individuals in the US being diagnosed with cancer each year, research revolving around the behavior of cancer cells is an important aspect of the search for better treatments. The study of cancer cells in biological assays within a lab has led to great research regarding the structure, motion, and activity of cancer cells in-vitro. A specific part … Continue reading Increased Movement of Cancer Cells in Fluids of High Viscosity Hints at Possible Control Mechanism

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2022-23, Cancer, Health and Medicine

Investigating the Metabolism of Cancer

Julia Chivu ’24 A new drug has been developed to target the metabolism of cancer. Associate Professor Paul M. Bingham and Research Assistant Professor Zuzana Zachar from Stony Brook University developed a unique class of anticancer drugs–including the first-in-class and FDA-approved drug CPI-613. A first-in-class drug produces new treatment options or outcomes by exploring an unprecedented mechanism of action. CPI-613, also referred to as devimistat, … Continue reading Investigating the Metabolism of Cancer

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