One of the most highly praised and respected cancer researchers, Dr. Judah Folkman of Harvard University and Children's Hospital Boston, died last week from a heart attack. He was 74.

In the wake of his unexpected death, leading researchers praised his groundbreaking work on the role of angiogenesis in tumor development, calling him a pioneer who almost single-handedly altered how cancer is viewed and treated.

"Dr. Folkman championed and led the field of angiogenesis," said NCI Director Dr. John E. Niederhuber. "His dedicated leadership has created the ultimate legacy: a legion of students and fellows, many of whom are now important scientists and scientific leaders in their own right."   Read more  

A study published in the January 10 Nature has pinpointed several microRNAs (miRNAs) - tiny RNA strands that regulate gene expression - that help suppress breast cancer metastases.

Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center examined miRNAs in breast cancer cell lines that were highly metastatic to bone and lung compared with control breast cancer cell lines. They chose to focus further studies on the six miRNAs whose expression was most decreased in the metastatic cells.   Read more  

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