Latest news with #JeremyWilliams
NBC News
21 hours ago
- Health
- NBC News
Study reveals how fat cells can fuel cancer tumors
Being overweight or obese has long been linked to a greater risk of developing or dying from breast cancer. New research suggests a reason: Certain breast cancer tumors may feed on neighboring fat cells. The findings may help scientists find ways to treat triple-negative breast cancer, which is notoriously aggressive and has lower survival rates. Moreover, the results may apply to any cancer that uses fat as an energy source, according to the report, published Wednesday in Nature Communications. Triple-negative accounts for about 15% of all breast cancers. It tends to be more common in Black women and women under 40 and is more likely to recur than other cancers. The breast tumor cells appear to gain access to the fat cells' content by poking a straw-like structure into the fat cells and then dislodging the lipids stored there. If researchers can find a way to block tumors from tunneling into neighboring fat cells without harming patients, they might have a way to cure the often deadly cancers, said the study's lead author, Jeremy Williams, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco. 'Aggressive cancer cells can co-opt different nutrient sources to help them grow, including by stimulating fat cells in the breast to release their lipids,' Williams said. 'In the future, new treatments might starve the tumor cells by preventing their access to lipids from neighboring cells.' Lipids are fatty compounds, such as cholesterol, that are used largely for energy storage in the body. Williams and his colleagues ran multiple experiments, some using tissue from breast cancer patients and others using a mouse model of a breast cancer patient. In the experiments exclusively using human tissue, the researchers examined fat cells at varying distances from tumor cells. They found that the closer the fat cells were to tumor cells, the more depleted in lipids they were. When the researchers blocked the tumor cells' ability to build the straw-like structures, officially known as gap junctions, the tumors stopped growing. They found a similar result in a mouse model, in which tumor cells from breast cancer patients were tweaked genetically so they lost some of their ability to make gap junctions. When the tissue was implanted in mice, the mice were protected. 'Knocking out a single gene impaired the formation and progression of the tumor,' Williams said. Williams and his colleagues started looking at mechanisms to explain an earlier finding from the lab he worked at. 'These tumors were burning fatty acids as a source of energy,' he said. 'It seemed an urgent question to answer where the fatty acids were coming from.' As it turns out, several medications that inhibit gap junction formation are being studied in early-phase clinical trials for other purposes, Williams said. How cancer 'grows and feeds itself' Dr. Julia McGuinness, a breast cancer specialist and an associate professor of medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said it's the first evidence of a mechanism showing the association between fat and cancer. It's also 'suggesting one pathway to treat aggressive cancers for which we don't have any good therapies,' McGuinness said. 'We already know that obese women who have these kinds of cancer have worse outcomes.' The new research may also suggest that lifestyle modifications that would help women achieve healthy weights might also protect against such cancers, McGuinness said. 'Slimming down could be protective,' she said, adding that obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for all breast cancers. The authors of the study found ways to look at the mechanism linking fat to breast cancer growth in ways that couldn't be tested in human beings, said Justin Balko, the Ingram professor of cancer research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 'They found a new way cancer grows and feeds itself,' Balko said. 'If some of the same effects are observed in humans, it might be fodder for differences in the way we treat patients.' But there are caveats, Balko said. 'For example, we don't know if this is a major mechanism by which breast cancer grows in humans,' he said. 'But it makes a lot of sense.'
West Australian
24-07-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force to spring Argentine flair next season after signing Franco Molina
The Western Force will field a taste of Argentine flair next season after locking in a major signing on Friday. International lock Franco Molina has joined the Perth-based club on a two-year deal to boost the second row alongside Wallabies Jeremy Williams and Darcy Swain. The 27-year-old has already earned 12 caps for Argentina and featured in the side's shock four-point triumph over the British and Irish Lions ahead of their current tour of Australia. The move comes as part of Molina's bid to play in the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup, hoping having experience in the host country, Australia, will add to his impressive resume. 'I'm incredibly honoured to be joining the Western Force, a club with such a rich history and passionate fanbase,' Molina said. 'I'm especially excited to work alongside such a talented group of players. After my conversation with Simon Cron, I knew this was the place for me. 'I can't wait to contribute to the team, help the club achieve its goals and be part of something special here.' Molina spent the 2024-25 season with English Premiership Rugby outfit Exeter Chiefs, where he played 17 games in the European Champions Cup, including 12 starts. Before his English jaunt, the Argentine managed to reach the final in four consecutive seasons with three different franchises in Super Rugby Americas, winning two titles. Molina also has experience playing alongside Force players Domingo Miotti and Santiago Medrano as part of the Argentina side that finished third at the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship. Force head coach Simon Cron said the powerful second rower would bring ambition and vital international experience to the forward pack. 'Franco is a big, powerful body, with a high work rate. He's in an age category that we want in that tight five group. He's an international player, and he really wants to push for World Cup selection,' he said. 'He's very, very driven to be the best he can be. We both agree that Super Rugby and Perth is the place to help him do that. 'One of the big issues for us in 2025 was the ability to manage minutes with Jez (Jeremy Williams) and Darcy (Swain). Continuing to grow depth, and positional strength, for the squad is key at Super Rugby. 'He'll complement that group that we've got in the tight five. He's a hard worker, explosive, powerful and very fit. It's an area where we've got to keep getting bigger, stronger and better at. Now he'll join Lopeti Faifua, Darcy and Jez and add a lot to the team.' DOB: 28/8/1997 Place of birth: Cordoba Height: 196cm Position: Lock International career history Argentina (2024- , 12 caps) Argentina XV (2018-2021, 19 caps) Argentina U20s (2016-2017) Club career history Exeter Chiefs (2024-2025, 17 caps) Dogos XV (2023-2024) Selknam (2022) Ceibos (2020) Jaguares XV (2019-2021)
West Australian
13-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force captain Jeremy Williams says team eager to respond after Brumbies loss
Western Force captain Jeremy Williams says his side need no motivation to haul themselves off the canvas and fight for their finals fate against Fijian Drua on Saturday. Needing to win their final two games of the season, collect a couple of bonus points in the process and hope other results go their way, the Force have arrived in Fiji knowing their Super Rugby Pacific top six hopes are fading. Saturday night's draining 33-14 loss to the Brumbies at HBF Park left the Force with a mountain to climb to secure a historic finals berth. Players looked devastated at the game's conclusion, but Williams said he and his teammates were ready to right the wrongs against the Drua. 'We're obviously quite disappointed but we've got to stay level and bring ourselves back to neutral,' he said. 'Whether you win or you get a loss, you've got to reset and go again on Monday, so while we're disappointed, we got some good fixes that we can take out there and get better on during the week, and then go perform come Saturday. 'We've got a pretty energetic group, and it doesn't take much to motivate the boys.' The Force made a staggering 311 tackles to just 85 against the Brumbies, and Williams himself recorded 32 without a single miss — two shy of teammate Carlo Tizzano's season-high for a single game. But the Wallabies lock said while they were proud of the defensive effort, they had been forced to make so many tackles because they kept turning the ball over and surrendering possession to the Brumbies too easily. 'A lot of the things that went wrong in the Brumbies game are things that we can fix and control around our discipline and holding possession,' Williams said. 'We don't want to be making that many tackles in a rugby game and making it hard on ourselves. We've got to be able to hold the ball for long periods of play and make them tackle. If we can do that, and let our backs strike out wide and do a lot of the work, that'll be a positive thing for us. 'For us, it's all about securing the breakdown, making sure that we've got good ball placement, good cleaners, our ruck arrivals are good so we can give the backs good platforms to attack on.' Now in his second season as captain, Williams is set to play his 50th Super Rugby Pacific game against the Drua. After extending his contract with the Force until 2027, the former Waratah said he had grown to love Perth. 'This is my third year, and I absolutely love the club, I love the city as a whole. It's a place I call home now,' he said.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Force-ful boost as Beale returns for Super finals push
Kurtley Beale will start at fullback for the Western Force in the 36-year-old's injury comeback as the Perth squad plots an Auckland upset. The 95-Test Wallabies talent was on the cusp of an international recall when he hurt his achilles playing club rugby in Sydney last June. Ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, he'll put himself back on the radar for what would be a remarkable Test return when the Force look to hold on to a top-six spot against the battling Blues at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues (17 points), last year's runaway Super Rugby Pacific champions, are ninth with a 3-7 record. But they would draw level on points with the Force (4-1-5) with a bonus-point win in round 12 at their traditional fortress. Force skipper Jeremy Williams is also back at lock, while cagey halfback Nic White will come off the bench after missing last week's loss to the Chiefs with concussion. The Waratahs, sitting in seventh place, have also reloaded for their clutch contest against the ACT Brumbies. Captain and halfback Jake Gordon will start in his comeback from a knee injury suffered in round two. Props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou, as well as flanker Rob Leota are back from an enforced rest, while Langi Gleeson will wear the No.8. The Waratahs can do their own finals hopes wonders, and strike a blow to the Brumbies' chances of a top-four finish, with a victory in Canberra on Saturday. "It's a big boost for the group to get our captain and leader back, especially in a big game like this," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said. "They (Tupou, Bell and Leota) have freshened up and they've been bouncing around the building this week. "They're keen and excited to get back on the field and contribute." Rory Scott swaps in for Luke Reimer at flanker in the Brumbies' only change to the starting side that was upset by the Hurricanes. The Reds will attempt to strike the right balance in Suva, with key trio Tom Lynagh, Josh Canham and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto all named on the bench to face the Fijian Drua. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will start in the No.10 instead of Lynagh, while Ryan Smith and Angus Blyth will be the starting locks. George Blake, injured when coming on at hooker last weekend, joined Josh Nasser and Matt Faessler on the sidelines to offer Max Craig a potential Super Rugby debut off the bench. The Reds are fourth and have away games against the Drua, Waratahs and Brumbies in coming weeks.
West Australian
30-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Force-ful boost as Beale returns for Super finals push
Kurtley Beale will start at fullback for the Western Force in the 36-year-old's injury comeback as the Perth squad plots an Auckland upset. The 95-Test Wallabies talent was on the cusp of an international recall when he hurt his achilles playing club rugby in Sydney last June. Ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour, he'll put himself back on the radar for what would be a remarkable Test return when the Force look to hold on to a top-six spot against the battling Blues at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues (17 points), last year's runaway Super Rugby Pacific champions, are ninth with a 3-7 record. But they would draw level on points with the Force (4-1-5) with a bonus-point win in round 12 at their traditional fortress. Force skipper Jeremy Williams is also back at lock, while cagey halfback Nic White will come off the bench after missing last week's loss to the Chiefs with concussion. The Waratahs, sitting in seventh place, have also reloaded for their clutch contest against the ACT Brumbies. Captain and halfback Jake Gordon will start in his comeback from a knee injury suffered in round two. Props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou, as well as flanker Rob Leota are back from an enforced rest, while Langi Gleeson will wear the No.8. The Waratahs can do their own finals hopes wonders, and strike a blow to the Brumbies' chances of a top-four finish, with a victory in Canberra on Saturday. "It's a big boost for the group to get our captain and leader back, especially in a big game like this," Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said. "They (Tupou, Bell and Leota) have freshened up and they've been bouncing around the building this week."They're keen and excited to get back on the field and contribute." Rory Scott swaps in for Luke Reimer at flanker in the Brumbies' only change to the starting side that was upset by the Hurricanes. The Reds will attempt to strike the right balance in Suva, with key trio Tom Lynagh, Josh Canham and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto all named on the bench to face the Fijian Drua. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips will start in the No.10 instead of Lynagh, while Ryan Smith and Angus Blyth will be the starting locks. George Blake, injured when coming on at hooker last weekend, joined Josh Nasser and Matt Faessler on the sidelines to offer Max Craig a potential Super Rugby debut off the bench. The Reds are fourth and have away games against the Drua, Waratahs and Brumbies in coming weeks.
