New clues identified in childhood cancer syndrome
New research from David Gutmann, MD, PhD, may help doctors determine which medical issues are likely to manifest in patients with the inherited cancer syndrome neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The findings indicate that varying mutations in the NF1 gene may lead to different clinical outcomes.
Finding may aid diagnosis of learning disabilities linked to brain tumor syndrome
New insight into one of the most common inherited
causes of brain tumors may help physicians diagnose and treat the
learning disabilities that often accompany the condition, neurofibromotosis 1. The School of Medicine’s David H. Gutmann is the study’s senior author.
Stem cells lurking in tumors can resist treatment
Scientists are eager to make use of stem cells’ extraordinary power to transform into nearly any kind of cell, but that ability also is cause for concern in cancer treatment. New research at the School of Medicine has revealed that these stem cells are present even in slow-growing, less aggressive tumors.
Reasons for learning problems tied to tumor disorder are complex
The causes of learning problems associated with an
inherited brain tumor disorder are much more complex than scientists had
anticipated, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis report.
Study offers clues to cause of kids’ brain tumors
Insights from a genetic condition that causes brain
cancer are helping scientists better understand the most common type of
brain tumor in children.
WUSTL Neurofibromatosis Center to host symposium May 4
The Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center
at will host its first research symposium May 4. The event will
focus on clinical and basic science research on neurofibromatosis 1, an inherited condition that increases risk of brain tumors in children and adults.
Brain scans reveal drugs’ effects on attention
Scientists have developed a way to evaluate new treatments for some forms of attention deficit disorder. Working in mice, researchers at the School of Medicine showed that they can use brain scans to quickly test whether drugs increase levels of dopamine. The same group found that raising dopamine levels in mice alleviates attention deficits caused by neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a condition that affects more than 100,000 people in the United States.
$3.3 million grant funds effort to identify cells that start brain tumors
With support from a new $3.3 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are hunting for normal cells that help brain tumors form and grow
Brain tumor disorder impairs chemical system responsible for attention
A genetic condition that increases risk of brain tumors may also impair development of the brain system that facilitates attention, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Finding may help prevent vision loss in tumor disorder
Nerve cells in the body and brain react in opposite ways to the loss of a protein linked to a childhood tumor syndrome, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. The finding could be important to efforts to preserve the vision of patients with neurofibromatosis 1, a genetic condition that increases risk of benign and malignant brain tumors.
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