Transmissible cancers are elusive and understudied parasitic life forms caused by malignant clonal cells (nine lineages are known so far). They emerge by completing sequential steps that include breaking cell cooperation, evade anti-cancer defences and shedding cells to infect new hosts. Transmissible cancers impair host fitness, and their importance as selective force is likely largely underestimated. It is, therefore, crucial to determine how common they might be in the wild. Here, we draw a parallel between the steps required for a transmissible cancer to emerge and the steps required for an intelligent civilisation to emerge in the Milky Way using a modified Drake equation. Using numerical analyses, we estimate the potential number of extant marine and bivalve species in which transmissible cancers might exist. Our results suggest that transmissible cancers are more common than expected, and that new lineages can be found by screening a large number of species.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bies.202000222 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Roles of gastric cancer-derived exosomes in the occurrence of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.
Prog Biophys Mol Biol
January 2025
Department of Central Lab, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University. Weihai, Shandong, 264200, PR China. Electronic address:
Gastric cancer (GC), particularly in East Asia, is among the most prevalent cancers with high mortality rates. According to recent epidemiological data, patients with GC account for over a quarter of all cancer incidences and approximately one third of cancer-related deaths in East Asia. Liver metastasis (LM) is not only a common form of GC distant metastasis but also poses a major challenge to the prognosis and treatment of patients with advanced GC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccine efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 against SARS-CoV-2 infection in adolescents in the USA: an ancillary study to a phase 3, observer-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
Lancet Microbe
January 2025
Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address:
Background: Although existing COVID-19 vaccines are known to be highly effective against severe disease and death, data are needed to assess their ability to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to estimate the efficacy of the NVX-CoV2373 protein subunit vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of symptoms, among adolescents.
Methods: We performed an ancillary observational study (SNIFF) to the phase 3, observer-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled PREVENT-19 trial that assessed vaccine efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 in the USA.
Electrochemical sensor based on tadpole-shaped Au nanostructures supported on TiO: Enhanced detection of nicotine in electronic cigarettes and clinical samples.
Talanta
January 2025
Ampere - Laboratório de Plataformas Eletroquímicas. Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 880400-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address:
Nicotine (NIC) detection is vital for monitoring its presence in various environments, including tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and clinical samples; NIC's widespread use and health implications necessitate precise and reliable detection methods as it is linked to diseases such as lung cancer and vascular disorders. In this study, we developed and characterized Au tadpole-like nanostructures immobilized onto titanium oxide (TiO) to provide a cost-effective and sensitive NIC detection material. The comprehensive characterization of the composite used transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing the robustness of the synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolystyrene Nanoplastics Hitch-Hike the Gut-Brain Axis to Exacerbate Parkinson's Pathology.
ACS Nano
January 2025
Nanomedicine Center, The Great Bay Area National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, 136 Kaiyuan Avenue, Guangzhou 510700, China.
The neurological implications of micro- and nanoplastic exposure have recently come under scrutiny due to the environmental prevalence of these synthetic materials. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major neurological disorder clinically characterized by intracellular Lewy-body inclusions and dopaminergic neuronal death. These pathological hallmarks of PD, according to Braak's hypothesis, are mediated by the afferent propagation of α synuclein (αS) via the enteric nervous system, or the so-called gut-brain axis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging from a PleurX Draining Catheter: An Unexpected Diagnosis.
Clin Med Insights Case Rep
January 2025
Infectious Disease Unit, Augusta Victoria Hospital, East Jerusalem, Palestine.
Introduction: is a common helminthic infection characterized by fecal-oral route of transmission. Commonly, it affects the gastrointestinal tract. However, in significantly rare cases, it can affect unexpected body regions, such as biliary tree, pancreas, and the lung.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!