Health & Fitness Unlocking A Medical Door Israeli discovers cancer's molecular trigger. Dr. Coleman MopperMemorial Lecture at the NEW DIA The Art of Framing AT LI R DAY, A R I. 5, Judy Siegel-ltzkovich 73 0 P. M . A He's re-framed Rembrandt, Poussin, and Cezanne—and that's just from the DIA's collection! Master framer and art historian Paul Mitchell explains how a frame can either make or break a masterpiece during his rare visit from London. FREE with museum admission. DETROIT _ INSTITUTE OF ARTS The Dr. Coleman Mopper Memorial Lecture was established in 1997 in memory of Dr. Coleman Mopaew 5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48202 1370730 a le tlies Tore ' /. th e (( aile ineS ke--) r /mu Famous for our... Dover Sole, Lake Perch, Pancho Burger, Medallions of Beef. • • * the Any purchase of $50.00 or more. Excludes tip, liquor & tax. With this ad exp. 4/30/08 * Caucus Club : 150 West Congress Detroit • 313-965-4970 • Main Floor Penobscot how do you get your news? Access the news, events and opinions important to this community check us out @ JNonline.us A44 April 3 • 2008 iN breast cancers. The fact that the same mechanism appears in all these can- cers indicates that we may have found Ramat Gan, Israel an important molecular junction where normal tissues turn cancerous." Nir's conclusions about what turns lthough the exact cause of cancer on were reached using genetic cancer remains a mystery,_ techniques that allowed him to deac- scientists have learned a tivate the Fer enzyme. "We've shown great deal about it in the past few that without the enzyme, the prolifera- decades by looking at the molecular tion of prostate carcinoma cells in tis- level. Professor Uri Nir, vice dean of sue culture is halted. We've had simi- Bar-Ilan University's life sciences fac- larly encouraging results using breast ulty, has discovered a "smoking gun" and colon cancer cells:' reports Nir. — an enzyme His group that, in several tis- "We've shown that recently discovered sue types, plays a that down-regula- without the enzyme, the tion of Fer inhibits pivotal role in the onset and progres- proliferation of prostate the progress of sion of cancer. prostrate tumors in carcinoma cells in tissue animals. "In normal tissues, there's a Nir's work pro- culture is halted." balance between vides a clear target signals that cause - Uri Nir, Bar-Ilan University to develop new cells to replicate anti-cancer drugs. and other signals "We are looking for that arrest growth and program cell a compound that can bind to the Fer death;' Nir explains. enzyme and prevent it from interact- "In cancer, this balance is tipped so ing with other molecules;' he says, that cells start to replicate uncontrol- adding that he is working on a robotic lably. It turns out that an important technique to screen for potential Fer regulator of this 'tipping point' is an inhibitors, making the whole process enzyme called Fer. faster than conventional drug discov- "In our lab, we've identified a Fer- ery. based process that occurs only in "If we are successful, it may be pos- abnormal cells:' he says. "This process sible to use the molecule we find to is required for the proliferation of `short-circuit' the process that leads to abnormal cells in colon, prostate and cancer." ❑ Jerusalem Post New Bladder Cancer Test Detroit-based Henry Ford Hospital is offering a new bladder cancer lab test that may detect bladder cancer recur- rence up to six months sooner than current diagnostic methods. The UroVysionft Bladder Cancer test is used to help doctors diagnose blad- der cancer in patients who have blood in their urine and to monitor patients already known to have bladder cancer. This test is an important tool to help diagnose and monitor patients with bladder cancer because when found and treated early, the chances for sur- vival are very good. The National Cancer Institute esti- mates that 68,800 new cases of blad- der cancer will be found in the United States during 2008 and 14,000 people will die of this disease. Bladder cancer is more common among men than women and more common among whites than blacks. The cancer test is used to detect too many copies or abnormalities of cer tain chromosomes, which can suggest that the cells are cancerous and that bladder cancer is present. For information about the test, call Henry Ford's Department of Medical Genetics, (313) 916-3178.