Marcus A. Banks Author Profile | The Scientist Magazine®

illustration of a blue neuron lit with red

Neuron-Released Protein Can Set Off Inflammation: Study

Marcus A. Banks | Aug 19, 2021 | 3 min read

Research in mice suggests that moderating nerve activity with drugs or electrical pulses could modify tissue immune responses, curtailing the chronic pain often associated with inflammatory conditions.

visualization of p53 protein interacting with its inhibitors MDM2 and MDMX

p53 Unleashes Endogenous Retroviruses to Tackle Tumors: Study

Marcus A. Banks | Jul 29, 2021 | 4 min read

New experiments suggest the famous tumor-suppressing protein uses viral elements lingering in the genome to get cancerous cells to announce their presence to the immune system.

streaks of blue and green from a fluorescent chromosome mapping technique

Optical Genome Mapping Works Well in Detecting Cancer Risk

Marcus A. Banks | Jul 22, 2021 | 3 min read

The relatively new technique for visually detecting chromosomal variants associated with disease risk performs at least as well as more established techniques in two recent studies.

a man in a white t-shirt and face mask receives a bandage on his arm from a clinician wearing blue gloves and a plastic face shield

COVID-19 Vaccines Work in People with Cancer: Study

Marcus A. Banks | Jun 25, 2021 | 4 min read

Moderna’s, Pfizer’s, and Johnson & Johnson’s shots all offered protection against the virus regardless of cancer type, although slightly less so in people with blood cancer.

photograph of john pawalek in a navy blue suit and red tie

John Pawelek, Who Explored the Causes of Metastasis, Dies at 79

Marcus A. Banks | Jun 22, 2021 | 2 min read

The Yale School of Medicine cancer researcher doggedly pursued the question of how cancer spreads.

illustrations of cancer cells dividing in pink tones

Cancer Metastasizes Via Fusion of Tumor and Immune Cells: Study

Marcus A. Banks | Jun 17, 2021 | 3 min read

Researchers say evidence of hybridization between leukocytes and cancer indicates that this is a primary means of metastasis. Others disagree.

clear blood draw tubes with peach-colored caps and white labels with a red banner that has a DNA double helix icon and the word text. inside the tubes is a conceptual drawing of a DNA double helix in white

FDA-Led Consortium Details Improvements Needed in Liquid Biopsies

Marcus A. Banks | May 19, 2021 | 4 min read

In the largest effort to date to standardize performance metrics of the cancer diagnostic across products, researchers say the products can likely detect advanced tumors reliably, but early-stage malignancies would remain a challenge.

screen shot from a microscopy video of a green cell exiting a red cell and then entering two other green cells in sequence as a yellow arrow follows the original green cell

Cancer Cells Parasitize Other Ones to Survive: Study

Marcus A. Banks | May 13, 2021 | 3 min read

Tumor cells missing a critical protein enter neighboring cells to sap their nutrients, then exit those hosts as intact cells, possibly primed to metastasize. Other scholars say it’s too early to know this for sure.