Here at OncoBites, a team of graduate scientists and Ph.D.s with a passion for cancer research has gathered to share cutting-edge research with a wider audience. We understand that jargon and isolated professional communities have made science feel inaccessible to most people, even people considering the field. In addition, paywalls on articles can make trying …
When math meets lab: The power of modeling in cancer biology
Varshit Dusad 'All models are wrong, some are useful!' - George Box The advancement of biological research relies on understanding how the different moving parts interact with each other, forming an integrated system. To better understand a system we often resort to models which help us develop a logical framework of these interactions, offering us …
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Putting tumor cells to sleep
Yitong Li How to treat cancers has always been one of the biggest challenges in modern medical practice. While current chemotherapies and radiotherapies have shown significant progress, not all patients survive treatment, and only a portion of those who survive do so without suffering from significant trauma. Hence, early diagnosis and safer treatments are the …
Helping Our Body’s Killers Kill off Cancer, Naturally
Nisitha Sengottuvel At OncoBites, we’ve talked about many facets of cancer, the many internal and external factors that can affect tumor growth, and the established and developing methods to detect and treat cancer. We’ve also begun to cover the many ways in which biomedical science falls short in effectively treating cancer. Being diagnosed with cancer …
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Glioblastoma: The Ultimate Game of Hide and Seek
Kaye Alcedo Politics aside, we recently lost one of our public servants who dedicated more than 40 years of service to our country. Towards the end of his life, Senator John McCain suffered from glioblastoma, a very aggressive and malignant type of brain cancer. Currently, the standard treatment for glioblastoma relies on surgery, radiation, and …
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The Reproducibility Project
Alex S. Woodell As members of the biomedical research community, we are all familiar with the basic structure of the scientific method. We make an observation that identifies a problem, form a hypothesis based on known information, perform experiments to test this hypothesis, then draw conclusions that drive future research. However, there is a fifth …
Cancer Resistance – Insights from the Animal Kingdom
Rachel Cherney Most of us have been affected by cancer, whether we ourselves or someone we know has been diagnosed. It can be caused by various lifestyle habits, external or environmental factors, and genetics, and it’s extremely prevalent; as of 2015, 1 in 6 deaths worldwide was due to cancer. As described in a previous …
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Can mental state affect tumor growth? The link between psychology, immunology, and oncology
Shaye Hagler At Oncobites, we’ve been talking a lot about the role of immunity in cancer. Understanding the immune system is vital to understanding both what drives cancer and what protects us against it. One of the biggest paradoxes in cancer research is that immune system activation is important in fighting cancer via a process …
