| Sean Van Zijl, urologist
Dr. Sean Van Zijl, a urologist with Chesapeake Urology Associates, is a passionate runner who wanted to raise awareness about prostate-cancer and support prostate-cancer research. So, combining his avocation and vocation, he came up with "Great Strides Against Prostate Cancer," a 5-kilometer run and 1-mile walk/run that will be held 8 a.m. Sept. 30 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson.
In addition to the run, free prostate-cancer screenings will be offered that morning at the Cancer Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center. For more information about the screenings, call 410-337-1479. To register for the run, go to charmcityrun.com.
Dr. Van Zijl, 34, lives in Elkton with his wife, Susanne, and two sons.
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Immune System Notified Of Prostate Cancer By Common Molecule
In experiments with mice, researchers have found that the body's immune system can use a surprisingly common molecule to recognize prostate tumors. The molecule comes from a protein found in all cells of the body; however, immune cells appear to respond to it only when it is present on the surface of cells within a tumor.
Understanding how this protein, known as histone H4, signals the immune system to respond to malignant cells may help researchers refine immunotherapy strategies that harness the body's own immune system to fight tumors. Some types of immunotherapy are already being tested in patients, but many questions remain unanswered. In particular, researchers want to know if tumor cells display molecular signposts that tell the immune system, "I'm a cancer cell, destroy me."
Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator James P.
Protein Discovery Offers Hope For Prostate Cancer, Australia
Australian scientists are researching a possible way of making aggressive prostate cancer cells less invasive after their discovery of a protein essential for the normal functioning of cells.
Professor Robert Parton led a team of scientists from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland, who discovered that the protein PTRF-cavin is required for caveolae formation.
Caveolae are pits on the surface of cells, which are involved in many processes essential for the healthy functioning of the body, including tumour suppression. Scientists had already identified one protein involved in caveolae formation, called caveolin, however they were unaware that it functions in conjunction with PTRF-cavin.
"Caveolae formation is a fundamental process that affects every cell in the body, and importantly, has implications for prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy," Professor Parton said.
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