Genetic News and Research

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New era in cancer prevention

Nearly two decades ago, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other institutions began searching for the underlying causes of cervical cancer.

9 Jun 2006

COX enzymes work together in ways that suggest new biological roles

COX enzymes - well-known for their contrasting role in cardiovascular biology - interact physically to form a previously unrecognized biochemical partnership and function in the development of blood vessels in a mouse model.

9 Jun 2006

University of Florida finding could lead to approaches to treat macular degeneration

University of Florida scientists conducting experiments with mice have found evidence that the body naturally replenishes small amounts of cells in the eye essential for healthy vision.

9 Jun 2006

Have we got it right about bird flu?

Health officials in Indonesia must have breathed a sigh of relief at the the World Health Organisation's (WHO) news that bird flu has been ruled out in the cases of four Indonesian nurses who fell sick after caring for people infected with H5N1 virus.

8 Jun 2006

Sunitinib shows promise in treating metastatic renal cell cancer

A new study suggests that sunitinib is a promising agent for treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer, currently a disease without highly effective treatment options, according to an article in the June 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

7 Jun 2006

Lessons from our patients: development of a warm autopsy program

Thanks in large part to a dying patient's generosity, researchers have for the first time begun to analyze the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a degenerative illness distinguished by lung inflammation, scarring and diminished breathing capacity that typically leads to death within about five years of diagnosis.

7 Jun 2006

Outbreak of wild poliovirus in Namibia

Thirty-four suspect cases with sudden paralysis are under investigation, mostly in the Windhoek area of Namibia, of which three have been confirmed as wild poliovirus.

7 Jun 2006

Bush's Draconian plan to ban stem cell research flounders as Harvard goes it alone

Scientists at Harvard University in the United States, in direct defiance of President Bush's wish to ban such research, have begun efforts to clone human embryos.

7 Jun 2006

First analysis of the genes of a community of human microbes

Researchers have completed the first analysis of the genes of a community of human microbes, an accomplishment that has far-reaching implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment of many human diseases.

7 Jun 2006

Scientists describe elaborate system of gene control triggered by chemical damage to DNA

Scientists describe for the first time a web of inter-related responses that cells use to avoid becoming diseased or cancerous after being exposed to a powerful mutagen.

7 Jun 2006

Prophylactic surgery reduces the incidence of ovarian and related cancers

A new multicenter study is the first to suggest that the prophylactic removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes may provide a different benefit for women who carry a genetic mutation in the BRCA2 gene than for those who have a BRCA1 genetic mutation.

7 Jun 2006

Centrosomes may contain ribonucleic acid

Despite more than a century of study, scientists know relatively little about the inner workings of centrosomes - organelles essential to cell division in humans and animals.

7 Jun 2006

New human genotype may be prone to vCJD

A small study in the British Medical Journal suggests a new human genotype may be prone to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

6 Jun 2006

Study results may aid battle against insect-borne diseases

Scientists studying the widespread symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia have long been interested in its ability to proliferate.

6 Jun 2006

Hormonal treatments reduce risk of cancer returning

Women diagnosed with breast cancer who carry a certain genetic mutation can have breast-sparing surgery but should consider hormonal treatments to reduce their risk of cancer returning.

6 Jun 2006

New findings offer hope for vaccine against AIDS

AIDS patients' failure to clear HIV-1 might not be due to the inability of the human immune system to recognise the virus, as was previously thought.

6 Jun 2006

Researchers discover the presence of the genetic material RNA in the centrosome

Researchers have discovered the presence of the genetic material RNA in the centrosome, the organizing structure inside each cell that assures proper cell division.

6 Jun 2006

Indonesia struggling to cope - quake survivors at greater risk of bird flu

Indonesia's devastating earthquake on 27 May, has so far taken the lives of over 6,000 people and injured 30,000 more.

6 Jun 2006

Men have a biological clock too and produce poor quality sperm as they age

Researchers in the U.S. say that even though men are able to father children well into old age, the quality of the sperm declines as men age.

6 Jun 2006

Study confirms Gleevec's long-term benefits in treating advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors

People with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who take Gleevec (imatinib) for prolonged periods continue to benefit from the drug, according to a five-year study by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.

6 Jun 2006