UTEP researcher finds potential new treatment for aggressive ovarian cancer
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Dec-2025 17:11 ET (1-Dec-2025 22:11 GMT/UTC)
Cells stop dividing when telomeres become too short to protect chromosomes, a process known as replicative senescence. But what drives it, and why cells senesce far earlier under high-oxygen conditions than under low-oxygen conditions, was not fully understood. The study shows that replicative senescence is enforced solely by the ATM kinase, and that high oxygen generates a hyperactive form of ATM that forces cells to arrest earlier. In low oxygen states, ATM’s less active form tolerates shorter telomeres. Because most tumors experience low oxygen levels, their reduced ATM response could allow cancer cells to tolerate very short telomeres, raising the possibility that reactivating ATM could stop tumor growth.
An international research team led by RMIT University have created tiny particles, known as nanodots, made from a metallic compound that can kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed.
While this work is still at the cell-culture stage – it hasn’t been tested in animals or people – it points to a new strategy for designing cancer treatments that exploit cancer’s own weaknesses.
- Follicular Lymphoma (FL) is one of the most common types of blood cancer, accounting for 20–25% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Each year, approximately 15,000 new cases are diagnosed in the United States and 2,000 in Spain.
- Despite the disease’s biological diversity, most patients still receive similar treatment approaches, and relapse remains common.
- A new global alliance, led by Dr. Ari Melnick, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, will unite leading research teams from the United States and Spain to develop innovative diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for patients with FL.
- This international initiative is supported by Blood Cancer United®—formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society—and the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI) through the Research Accelerator for Follicular Lymphoma (RAFL) Synergistic Team Award (STA).
This study systematically assessed GI cancer risks during working-age period (15–64 years) across 204 countries from 1990 to 2021. Key findings: (1) In 2021, approximately 1 in 46 individuals developed and 1 in 73 died from GI cancers during working age globally; (2) Colorectal cancer showed the highest incidence risk (0.91%), while gastric cancer had the highest mortality risk (0.35%); (3) Males faced approximately twofold higher risks than females, with East Asia and Mongolia exhibiting the highest regional and national risks, and ages 40–64 representing the high-risk period; (4) Despite overall declining trends, colorectal cancer incidence risk continued to rise. These findings provide evidence-based insights for developing targeted screening strategies.