Latest retinoblastoma Stories

New research from a team including several Carnegie scientists demonstrates that a specific small segment of RNA could play a key role in the growth of a type of malignant childhood eye tumor called retinoblastoma. The tumor is associated with mutations of a protein called Rb, or retinoblastoma protein. Dysfunctional Rb is also involved with other types of cancers, including lung, brain, breast and bone. Their work, which will be the cover story of the August 15th issue of Genes &...

First two patients receive surgical therapy at St. Louis Children's HospitalAn ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is implanting radioactive discs in the eyes of children with a rare cancer in an attempt to save their vision and their eyes.J. William Harbour, MD, is one of only a few doctors nationwide to use the approach for treating a rare, childhood eye cancer, called retinoblastoma. Harbour, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology...

The tumor suppressor Retinoblastoma represses DNA replication genes during senescenceA frequently mutated gene in human cancers is the reitnoblastoma (RB) gene, which controls a potent tumor suppression pathway. Mutations in the gene disable the vast and intricate RB pathway in virtually all tumor cells, leading to disturbances in a host of cellular functions and ultimately provoking cancer. But which of these functions is crucial for the gene's tumor-suppressing activity has been...

ST. LOUIS, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report released by the American Optometric Association (AOA) identifies surprising new insights into the vision and eye health of infants across the U.S. The findings from last year's InfantSEE® Weeks pilot program, a year-long, federally-funded public health initiative, revealed a higher-than-expected number of infants with undiagnosed and untreated vision and eye health problems. During the 2009 InfantSEE® Weeks, more than 1,000...

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators identify a new class of compounds targeting a protein implicated in promoting a variety of cancers, including a childhood eye tumor MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Investigators believe they have identified the founding member of a chemical family they hope will lead to a new class of cancer drugs, the first designed specifically against a childhood tumor, according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research...

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators identify a new class of compounds targeting a protein implicated in promoting a variety of cancers, including a childhood eye tumorInvestigators believe they have identified the founding member of a chemical family they hope will lead to a new class of cancer drugs, the first designed specifically against a childhood tumor, according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists.The chemical is the first small-molecule...

Research could help treatments for retinoblastoma and breast cancerWhat began as research into how diabetics could possibly preserve their eyesight has led to findings that could prolong the vision of children afflicted with retinoblastoma.Dolores Takemoto, a Kansas State University professor of biochemistry who was researching protein kinase C gamma in the lens of the human eye, found her work taking a fascinating turn when she discovered a correlation between the protein Coonexin46 and...

Findings may suggest new targets and treatments for childhood cancerRetinoblastoma is a pediatric eye cancer initiated by the loss or mutation of both copies of the retinoblastoma gene. Current evidence suggests that additional genetic alterations are required for retinoblastoma to become fully malignant.Researchers working at the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and at the University of Siena in Siena, Italy, have shed light...

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new drug delivery system that uses a tiny silicone cup filled with any drug and sealed to the outer surface (episclera) of the eyeball may offer a more effective method for the sustained delivery of medicines for retinal and vitreous diseases, according to a new report by A. Linn Murphree, M.D, director of the Retinoblastoma Program in The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Murphree is also Professor of Ophthalmology and...

Same Day Procedure May Transform Treatment Approach to Retinoblastoma BOCA RATON, Fla., July 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Expanded results of a study conducted on children with eye cancer (retinoblastoma) shows that chemotherapy delivered through endovascular (through the vessel) means not only successfully cures the cancer in a majority of cases, but achieves this cure with preserved vision. Study outcomes were presented this week at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) 6th...