Biological Physics : Cancer Facts How Does a Person Die From Cancer

Living cells consist of ions, charged molecules, membranes and organelles, which are responsive to electrical fields and currents and sometimes even generate electrical activity.

When a non-uniform electric field is generated near living cells, polar molecules will move towards the higher field intensity.

When an altering current is generated the molecules stay in place, their reaction being only vibration.

However, in dividing cells the altering field causes the molecules to move towards the furrow, which is the narrow place between the two daughter cells.

Using this principle the scientists had a way to tell apart normal cells from dividing cells, which are normally cancerous cells.

Biologically Closed Electric Circuits, Björn E. W. Nordenström, MD,
(Nordic Medical Publications, Arsenalsgatan 4, S-1ll 47 Stockholm, Sweden),

Ion channels: functional expression and therapeutic potential in cancer

Colloquium on Ion Channels and Cancer

Scott P. Fraser1 & Luis A. Pardo2 Neuroscience Solutions to Cancer Research Group, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK Abteilung Molekulare Biologie Neuronaler Signale, Max-Planck-Institut für Experimentelle Medizin, Hermann-Rein-Strasse 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany

Correspondence to:

Scott P. Fraser, Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 5441; Fax: +44 (0)20 7584 2056;
E-mail: s.p.fraser@imperial.ac.uk

Luis A. Pardo, Tel: +49 (0)551 3899 643; Fax: +49 (0)551 3899 644;
E-mail: pardo@em.mpg.de

Introduction

Ion channels: functional expression and therapeutic potential in cancer

The first colloquium on 'Ion Channels and Cancer' took place between 25 and 28 November 2007, at the Schloss Ringberg in Tegernsee, Germany, and was organized by W. Stühmer and M. Djamgoz.

Introduction

The colloquium on 'Ion Channels and Cancer' at the Schloss Ringberg in Tegernsee, Germany, was the first formal meeting to bring together nearly 60 international scientists, oncologists and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry who share a common interest: understanding the role of ion channels in the development and progression of cancer. This field has been growing steadily during the past decade or so, building on the initial observations that ion channels are involved in both mitogenesis (DeCoursey et al, 1984) and malignancy (Pardo et al, 1999). A rapidly increasing number of ion-channel types are now known to be expressed in various cancers, and some ion channels are selectively expressed in aggressive cancers and are intimately involved in metastasis (reviewed by Diss et al, 2004; Fiske et al, 2006; Kaczmarek, 2006; Roger et al, 2006; Schönherr, 2005; Villalonga et al, 2007).

This two-day colloquium covered the mechanisms behind, and the functional consequences of, the flux of the main ions involved in cellular homeostasis: K+, Na+, Ca2+, H+ and Cl−. There was also a strong emphasis on linking the function of the ion channels to cellular behaviours that are important during cancer development and progression (Fig 1). The first day focused on ion-channel involvement in cell proliferation, transformation and apoptosis, whereas the second day dealt with cellular behaviours crucial to metastatic cell spread, such as motility and invasion. In addition to the discussions about the ion channels directly implicated in cancer, other talks covered related topics—for example, autoimmune disease, cell activation and vascular permeability—which highlighted mechanisms and pathways potentially relevant to oncology.

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