Search by tag «Cancer» 27 results

• First in the World: ITMO Researchers Train DNA Constructs to Detect Cancer Cells Based on Cancer Marker Concentration

  Researchers from ITMO University have developed DNA constructs based on antisense oligonucleotides that can detect different cancer marker concentrations in cells. Thanks to this capability, the DNA constructs activate only in cancer cells with high concentrations of cancer markers, cleaving the RNAs of genes responsible for the cells’ viability. At the same time, healthy cells, even with several copies of cancer markers inside, remain untouched. With this solution, target cancer therapy will become more accurate, efficient, and safe. The new DNA constructs were described in a paper published in Chemical Communications. 

  17.07.2024

• ITMO’s New Compound Disables Disease-Producing Genes 17 Times Faster Than Counterparts

  Scientists from ITMO University have created a new compound – bivalent DNAzymes: these are short, connected therapeutic DNA chains. The compound has four “arms” and two cores that enable it to find the target sequence even in the complex twisted messenger RNA of a gene, then bind with this site, and cleave it. Among the solution’s possible applications are new treatments for viral, oncological, and hereditary diseases at early stages. The DNAzyme was described in a paper published in Nucleic Acids Research.

  11.06.2024

• Researchers Train AI to Identify Anti-Cancer Nanoparticles

  Chemists at ITMO University have designed an AI-based platform that identifies nanoparticles with selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells. According to the corresponding article in Small, the system should be expected to optimize particle synthesis and reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.

  09.10.2023

• ITMO’s Monday Science Roundup #40

  Fittingly for this “anniversary” installment of our science digest, we have a whole slew of research updates to share: from anti-cancer and computing breakthroughs to a dive into the science of memes.

  02.10.2023

• Researchers Develop New Selective Anti-Cancer Compounds

  In collaboration, researchers from two Russian universities have developed compounds that trigger programmable death in cancer cells and tested their efficiency on cervical tumor samples. The new compounds do not affect healthy cells, their toxicity being eight times lower than that of doxorubicin, a commonly used cancer treatment. This means that in the future, treatments using the new compound may help avoid the common side effects of chemotherapy.

  18.09.2023

• ITMO’s Monday Science Roundup #37

  Twice a month, we invite you to take in the latest breakthroughs and successes of ITMO University’s students and scientists. Today, we’ve got plenty of research updates to share – as well as a couple of impressive success stories from our industrious graduates!

  21.08.2023

• Cancer Explained: How Scientists Can Tame the Disease

  Started by a single mutation in a cell, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide that killed nearly 10 million people in 2020. In the article, Evgeniya Platonova, a Master’s student at ITMO’s SCAMT Institute, explains what cancer is and how it starts, and shares what medical advances are already helping to combat the disease.

  28.04.2023

• ITMO's Monday Science Roundup #26

  It’s been a while since our latest digest of all things science at ITMO – so strap in for an extra-packed edition! From staggering medical breakthroughs to a whole slew of new Master’s programs, there’s plenty to get you excited about the future of research.

  20.03.2023

• Gut Microbiota Can Predict Immunotherapy Response, ITMO Scientists Say

  In their study of correlations between intestinal microbiota and melanoma treatment results, researchers from ITMO University and the Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine have come across functional biomarkers that can predict immunotherapy efficacy and beneficial bacteria that enhance immune responses in patients through stimulating the development of T-cells. The findings can be potentially used to develop a pre-treatment diagnostic test and issue recommendations for gut microbiome correction. The results of the study were published in mSystems.

  15.03.2023

• ITMO Scientists Suggest Novel Nanoparticle-Based Cancer Treatment

  Cancer is the second most common death cause in the world, which in 2020 took the lives of nearly 10 million people – every sixth death, according to WHO. Globally, researchers are developing new, more efficient treatments for oncological diseases. Scientists from ITMO also contribute to these efforts: recently, they have come up with a universally applicable magnetic particle from zinc ferrite and manganese ferrite that can facilitate both cancer diagnostics and treatment. The new method increases the efficiency of radiotherapy by 40%, and during magnetic hyperthermia it can heat cancer cells in several seconds, while also securing less exposure for the healthy cells. This study was published in Journal of Materials Chemistry B.

  07.03.2023