Cancer Cells in 3D, Ordinary Sugar, and More…

Here are a few newsworthy items in the world of cancer research:

  • Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have developed a new high resolution microscope where cancer cells can be visualized in 3D. Read more about this tool in Developmental Cell.
  • In recent animal studies researchers at Lund University along with colleagues at Johns Hopkins have found that ordinary sugar may be a potential MRI contrast agent for examining tumors. Malignant tumors show higher sugar consumption than surrounding tissue. Findings are discussed in Tomography.
  • Scientists at Northwestern University have discovered a new predictor of cancer. According to researchers, when your epigenetic age is older than your chronological age, it places you at a higher risk of developing and dying of cancer. The study was published in EBioMedicine.
  • Eribulin Mesylate, a type of chemotherapy, has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of liposarcoma that cannot be removed by surgery or is advanced. This treatment is approved for patients who received prior chemotherapy that contained an anthracycline drug.

Overcoming Information Overload in the Early 20th Century

Photo by Jet Lowe,1995. Library of Congress.

A recent Slate article dove into the innovative ways one company revolutionized libraries by just changing its shelving. Accelerated growth of libraries and literacy initiatives in the beginning of the 1900s put a strain on libraries and their collections. Previously, libraries stored their collections on regular, fixed wooden shelving but it was becoming clear that the rapid growth of printed information and library usage were going to overpower the stacks. However, one company from Louisville, Kentucky had a plan.
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Blog and news items in the science, health, and technology spheres

  • Last month, the Wellcome Library released more than 100,000 high resolution images online under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY licenses. The collection spans centuries and includes a wealth of resources for researchers – read more about some of the highlights in the blog announcement.
  • Apple has refused to help the FBI unlock the phone of a suspect in the San Bernadino Mass Shooting, coverage from NPR here.