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Scientists have sped up a common jumping gene found in the human genome

Johns Hopkins scientists have transformed a common "jumping gene" found in the human genome into one that moves hundreds of times more often than normal in mouse and human cells.

20 May 2004

Scientists have taken the first steps towards producing a sustainable and pure source of the healthy fats found in oily fish

Eating such fish is encouraged as part of a healthy diet as their oils are rich in very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFAs). However, views on the health-promoting nature of VLCPUFAs have to be balanced against the marine pollution that can cause fish, and the oils extracted from them, to be contaminated with heavy metals and dioxins, and the fact that fish stocks are in global decline.

20 May 2004

New study of tumor genetics may help to treat patients with head and neck cancer

Head and neck tumors account for more than 40,000 new cancers annually in the United States. The most common of these is squamous cell carcinoma. Prognosis is based largely on location and size of the tumor, and if the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to lymph nodes and distant sites in the body.

19 May 2004

Closer to understanding the function of a protein linked to an inherited form of the movement disorder dystonia

The protein, torsinA, is defective in patients with DYT1 dystonia, an inherited condition that causes uncontrollable movements in the limbs and torso. Learning what torsinA does could be an important step toward developing a treatment for the disorder.

19 May 2004

Launch of Crucial Genetics, a state-of-the-art genetic profiling service

The University of Glasgow has linked up with venture capital company Fifty-Six Ltd. to launch Crucial Genetics, a state-of-the-art genetic profiling service. The company is based within customised laboratory facilities at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow and is equipped with the latest automated fluorescent DNA laser scanning machinery.

19 May 2004

Benitec acquires Avocel to focus on rapid development of hepatitis C therapeutics

Benitec Ltd. today announced the acquisition of Avocel, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA, a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and the establishment of its wholly-owned US subsidiary, Benitec, Inc. Through the acquisition, Benitec gains its first in-house advanced therapeutic development program using DNA-directed RNAi (ddRNAi) to target the Hepatitis C virus.

18 May 2004

Inheriting the wrong version of a gene called CHEK2 doubles a woman's risk of developing breast cancer

Inheriting the wrong version of a gene called CHEK2 doubles a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, Cancer Research UK scientists confirm in a major new international study published in the June edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

17 May 2004

Want a new type of man? Maybe less brawn and more brains?

A new version of the human male is a distinct possibility, given the genetic erosion of the “junk” sex-determining chromosome that makes men male.

17 May 2004

Genetically engineered viruses may create new class of cancer therapies

A genetically engineered virus can selectively kill cancerous cells in the lung and colon while leaving healthy cells intact, according to new research published today in Cancer Research by William Wold and colleagues at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

15 May 2004

Cancer-causing gene identified that may play a key role in the development of leukemia and other cancers

Using genetically engineered mice, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have identified a gene that functions as a cancer-causing gene (or oncogene) and may play a key role in the development of leukemia and other cancers in children and adults.

15 May 2004

Vitamin discovery offers clues for cancer chemotherapy

NH-Dartmouth Medical School cancer researchers, in a fusion of biochemistry and genetics, have discovered a new vitamin in a molecular pathway central to such vital processes as gene regulation, metabolism and aging. And, they found that milk contains this nutrient.

15 May 2004

Australian researchers identify potential target to fight tumours

Dr Guishui Zhang and Associate Professor Levon Khachigian, from the Centre for Vascular Research, and Dr Nick Di Girolamo of the School of Medical Sciences were part of a team which suppressed a protein in the cells lining blood vessels.

14 May 2004

Technique to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn may help to understand how memories form

For the first time, researchers have used a technique called optical imaging to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn. These changes may be the beginning of a complex chain of events that leads to formation of lasting memories.

14 May 2004

Researchers identify new genes that control the formation of cilia found throughout the human body

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have used a combination of brainpower and computer power to identify a multitude of new genes that control the formation of tiny, hair-like cilia that stipple the surfaces of many organs in a wide variety of creatures.

14 May 2004

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is nearly four times as common in veterans of the first Persian Gulf War as in nonveterans

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is nearly four times as common in veterans of the first Persian Gulf War as in nonveterans, according to a new study.

13 May 2004

Biochip technology to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry

Advancements in biotechnology have culminated in its integration with semiconductor technologies such as micro-electromechanical systems, resulting in the evolution of biochips. Biochips provide pharma companies with sophisticated tools for speedy development of drugs and accurate diagnosis and understanding of biological mechanisms.

13 May 2004

Chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy

A new international study of children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) shows that certain chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy, but that other chromosome abnormalities have no effect on treatment survival.

13 May 2004

Father's sperm packs more than just a fertilizer

The major function of a man's sperm was fertilization, scientists once thought. True, sperm contains the father's chromosomes; but new studies from Wayne State University show that RNAs critically important to early growth of an embryo are also delivered.

13 May 2004

Suprachiasmatic nucleus brain tissue sheds light on jet lag

New research led by a University of Washington biologist demonstrates that there are at least two circadian clocks in the mammal brain, one that sticks strictly to an internal schedule and another that can be altered by external influences such as light and dark.

12 May 2004

Cardiovascular disease in parents is a major predictor of offspring having a heart attack or stroke

A study published in the May 12 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association provides the strongest evidence yet that cardiovascular disease in parents -- particularly at an early age -- is a major predictor of their children having a heart attack or stroke in middle age.

12 May 2004

Genes News and Research

Scientists have sped up a common jumping gene found in the human genome

Scientists have taken the first steps towards producing a sustainable and pure source of the healthy fats found in oily fish

New study of tumor genetics may help to treat patients with head and neck cancer

Closer to understanding the function of a protein linked to an inherited form of the movement disorder dystonia

Launch of Crucial Genetics, a state-of-the-art genetic profiling service

Benitec acquires Avocel to focus on rapid development of hepatitis C therapeutics

Inheriting the wrong version of a gene called CHEK2 doubles a woman's risk of developing breast cancer

Want a new type of man? Maybe less brawn and more brains?

Genetically engineered viruses may create new class of cancer therapies

Cancer-causing gene identified that may play a key role in the development of leukemia and other cancers

Vitamin discovery offers clues for cancer chemotherapy

Australian researchers identify potential target to fight tumours

Technique to visualize changes in nerve connections when flies learn may help to understand how memories form

Researchers identify new genes that control the formation of cilia found throughout the human body

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is nearly four times as common in veterans of the first Persian Gulf War as in nonveterans

Biochip technology to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry

Chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy

Father's sperm packs more than just a fertilizer

Suprachiasmatic nucleus brain tissue sheds light on jet lag

Cardiovascular disease in parents is a major predictor of offspring having a heart attack or stroke

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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