All Posts: research
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Reversing Immune Suppression in Pancreatic Cancer Could Lead to Novel Therapies
Georgetown Lombardi researchers discovered that when pancreatic cancer cells send out tiny particles that are packed with certain microRNA molecules, nearby immune cells called macrophages are reprogrammed to help the tumor grow instead of engaging in their regular role of fighting the tumor. This insight from cell and mouse experiments has helped the scientists outline a potential way to reverse the process and possibly improve outcomes in pancreatic cancer.
Category: News Release
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New Understanding of How to Harness the Immune System to Fight Cancer
Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi have identified a new way to reprogram T cells so that they have a superior memory, thereby making them more effective in killing cancer cells. Their recently pubulished finding amplifies a known strategy of blocking the cellular activity of PARP, an enzyme that detects DNA abnormalities in cells and repairs them.
Category: News Release
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Method Developed to Identify Best Treatment Combinations for Glioblastoma Based on Unique Cellular Targets
Researchers have developed a new computational approach that uncovers possible drugs for specific cellular targets for treating glioblastoma, a lethal brain tumor. This approach enabled them to predict more effective treatment combinations to fight the disease on an individualized basis. This laboratory and computational research effort was led by scientists at Georgetown Lombardi.
Category: News Release
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Clearing the Brain of Aging Cells Could Aid Epilepsy and Reduce Seizures
A new study from researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that temporal lobe epilepsy can be treated in mice by either genetically or pharmaceutically eradicating the aging cells, thereby improving memory and reducing seizures as well as protecting some animals from developing epilepsy.
Category: News Release
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Professor Makes Strides in Pancreatic Cancer Detection and Treatment
Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers. Jill Smith, MD, a member of Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, is working to improve the disease’s grim statistics. Over the past decade, Smith, also a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine in the School of Medicine, has made discoveries in the lab that she’s working to translate to patients.
Category: GUMC Stories
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Study Reveals New Ways the Brain Regulates Communication Between Neurons
A new finding from researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center shows that the learning process of associating cues with rewards can be altered by increased or decreased activity of a specific protein in the brain.
Category: News Release
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To Take the Pulse of Violent Trauma, Nurse Transfers from the Trauma Bay to the Classroom
This fall, Kenyatta Hazlewood (G’28) began her PhD in nursing to deepen her commitment to trauma prevention and intervention efforts and advance health equity through research. Her start was facilitated by the Patrick Healy Graduate Fellowship, a merit-based program that supports students who may not otherwise be able to pursue a PhD.
Category: GUMC Stories
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New Study Supports the Value of Medical Humanities in Illuminating the Root Causes of Health Care Disparities in Washington, D.C.
A new study analyzing dozens of published papers over five decades focusing on health care disparities in Washington, D.C., found that those that employed medical humanities approaches identified crucial barriers and opportunities for intervention that quantitative studies often miss.
Category: News Release
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An Overlooked Hormone Eyed as Deadly Driver of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer in Women with Obesity
A new analysis of research into the most common type of breast cancer has zeroed in on an overlooked hormone that may be responsible for the increased risk of breast cancer death in postmenopausal women with obesity. It also raises the possibility that treatment of these aggressive breast cancers could be improved with the addition of weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Category: News Release
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Showcasing the Breadth of Georgetown University’s Work in HIV
This World AIDS Day, Georgetown University highlights its efforts to expand access to treatment, advance prevention strategies, and shape policies in the global fight against HIV.
Category: GUMC Stories