Use of thyroid hormone to boost hepatocyte proliferation enhanced the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene correction in the mouse liver. This dietary induction of hepatocyte regeneration may be a viable clinical strategy to enhance gene repair in the liver, according to the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy. The study was done in a mouse model of […]
Therapies show knockout potential for rare, deadly liver cancer
A new study identifies some of the most critical genes that may drive a rare but deadly liver cancer, providing a road map for developing drugs that target those genes. The cancer, fibrolamellar carcinoma, accounts for 1-5% of all liver cancers, and disproportionately affects children and young adults. By the time it is detected it […]
Von Willebrand factor antigen for assessing the urgency of a liver transplant
Like most other countries, Austria—as part of the Eurotransplant organization—allocates organs to patients on the liver transplant waiting list on the basis of medical urgency. Currently, patients are listed according to urgency using a score made up of three laboratory parameters—the Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. However, the MELD score has obvious […]
Phage therapy shows promise for alcoholic liver disease
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that specifically destroy bacteria. In the early 20th century, researchers experimented with phages as a potential method for treating bacterial infections. But then antibiotics emerged and phages fell out of favor. With the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, however, researchers have renewed their interest in phage therapy. In limited cases, patients with […]
Researchers discover coffee drinkers could halve their risk of liver cancer
A research team from Queen’s University has found that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of the most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The results have been presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) conference in Glasgow this week and was published in British Journal of Cancer earlier this year. Coffee […]
Liver cancer deaths climb by around 50% in the last decade
Liver cancer deaths have increased by around 50% in the last decade and have tripled since records began, according to the latest calculations by Cancer Research UK. New mortality data shows that there were around 5,700 deaths from liver cancer in 2017 in the UK, which is the highest ever yearly number of deaths recorded. […]
Accumulation of DNA mutations found in healthy liver leads to disease
New insights into the journey from health to disease in the human liver have been made by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, the University of Cambridge and their collaborators. In the largest study of its kind, the team documented in unprecedented detail how the accumulation of changes in our […]
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms: The unsettling sign you could lack the ‘sunshine vitamin’
Vitamin D is created from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. From about late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight. Some people are at risk of running a vitamin D deficiency, however. While it is well understood that […]
Treatment target pinpointed for liver cancer in teens and young adults
New findings show how a genetically aberrant, fused protein promotes a rare form of liver cancer in adolescents and young adults. The researchers also saw that a certain mix of drugs could target the fused protein and the enzymes that it recruits. In the lab, this drug combination slowed down the uncontrolled growth of cells […]
Cancer warning: Obesity now poses a greater risk than smoking in four common cancers
Cancer is widely thought to be caused by genes or just plain bad luck, but the reality is not so black or white. Scientific research has revealed the risk depends on a combination of genes, environmental and lifestyle factors. This does provide some consolation – experts estimate that around four in ten cancer cases could […]