Posts by: Joana Fernandes, PhD

Joana Fernandes, PhD

Joana brings more than 8 years of academic research and experience as well as Scientific writing and editing to her role as a Science and Research writer. She also served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology in Coimbra, Portugal, where she also received her PhD in Health Science and Technologies, with a specialty in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

November 16, 2016November 16, 2016

New Tool Seen to Distinguish Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma from Benign Disease

News

Researchers have developed a new tool to diagnose malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) that combines differences seen in gene expression — which may also serve as disease biomarkers — with a computational algorithm, according ... Read more

November 10, 2016

Different Types of Mesothelioma Show Distinct Frequencies of Gene Mutations, Study Finds

News

Different types of malignant mesothelioma (MM) may be associated with different frequencies of gene mutations, according to a new study published in the journal Modern Pathology. In the study, “Genomic ... Read more

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016

Preclinical Study Supports Platinum Treatment, Ptac2S, as Promising MPM Therapy

News

The experimental anti-cancer platinum drug Ptac2S has higher anti-cancer activity than standard of care cisplatin in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cells, researchers reported, a preclinical finding that suggests it may be a ... Read more

November 1, 2016

Enhancer Seen to Work Well with Mesothelioma Therapy Now in Clinical Trial

News

SVP-Rapamycin, an immunotherapy developed by Selecta Biosciences, can strengthen the effective of an anti-mesothelioma therapy, according to preclinical data recently presented at the Immunogenicity and Bioassay Summit 2016 in Baltimore. These findings ... Read more

October 28, 2016October 28, 2016

Potential Biomarker of Pleural Mesothelioma Fails to Distinguish Disease from Lung Cancers in Study

News

A protein known as CD90, which has been suggested as a possible biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MM), may not contribute to the reliable diagnosis of this disease after all, ... Read more

October 25, 2016October 26, 2016

Yondelis, Derived from Sea Cucumber, Shows Promise for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

News

Yondelis (trabectedin), a drug derived from the Caribbean Sea cucumber, has shown promise for treating malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), according to a new study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, the journal of ... Read more

October 18, 2016

Molecule Seen to Aid Chemotherapy in Treating Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

News

Researchers may have found a way to strengthen the effectiveness of chemotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), according to a study published in Molecular Pharmaceuticals. The study, “Systemically Administered Rnai Molecule Sensitizes Malignant ... Read more

October 13, 2016

Scientists Find New Mechanism that May Help Develop Therapies Targeting Mesothelioma

News

Researchers have identified a novel mechanism that stimulates the death of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cells, providing potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of this aggressive disease. The study, “MicroRNA-302b ... Read more

October 7, 2016

DNA Repair Genes May Predict Response to Chemotherapy in Mesothelioma Patients, Study Finds

News

DNA damage response plays a crucial role in response to platinum-based chemotherapy regimens, which are often used to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Now, researchers have identified several key genes known ... Read more

September 13, 2016

Novel Biomarker in Mesothelioma May Be Targeted to Improve Sensitivity to Chemotherapy

News

Researchers at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan have shown that increased levels of a cell surface protein called urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) are associated with poor prognosis in ... Read more