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Researchers describe genetic basis of endometriosis

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have, for the first time, described the genetic basis of endometriosis, a condition affecting millions of women that is marked by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. The researchers' discovery of a new gene mutation provides hope for new screening methods.

6 Feb 2012

Vigorous exercise triggers MSC accumulation in skeletal muscle

University of Illinois researchers determined that an adult stem cell present in muscle is responsive to exercise, a discovery that may provide a link between exercise and muscle health. The findings could lead to new therapeutic techniques using these cells to rehabilitate injured muscle and prevent or restore muscle loss with age.

6 Feb 2012

Scientists search gene alterations in three-parent kids

Researchers from Australia want to find out if using the DNA of three parents will prevent children inheriting life-threatening diseases. They add that if the technique proves successful in preventing the transfer of mitochondrial DNA mutations from mothers to babies, then laws on the use of embryos will need to be changed to allow the procedure.

6 Feb 2012

Coronary patients with low levels of anti-PC at greater risk of complications

Coronary patients with low levels of an immune system antibody called anti-PC, which neutralises parts of the "bad" cholesterol, run a greater risk of suffering complications following an acute cardiac episode and thus of premature death.

6 Feb 2012

Body's zinc control mechanisms may be key to aggressive breast cancer treatments

The body's control mechanisms for delivering zinc to cells could be key to improving treatment for some types of aggressive breast cancer.

6 Feb 2012

McMaster receives $30M gift to accelerate innovations in health research, education and care

A Hamilton family is giving McMaster University $30 million to accelerate the university's innovations in health research, education and care.

6 Feb 2012

Precision receives U.S. patent allowance for genome engineering methods

Precision BioSciences, Inc., a leader in the field of genome engineering, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued Notices of Allowance for U.S. Patent Applications 13/246,270 and 13/246,346.

6 Feb 2012

Pyromaker can more accurately identify complex genetic mutations

DNA sequencing to detect genetic mutations can aid in the diagnosis and selection of treatment for cancer. Current methods of testing DNA samples, Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing, occasionally produce complex results that can be difficult or impossible to interpret. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a free software program, Pyromaker, that can more accurately identify such complex genetic mutations.

6 Feb 2012

CD74 molecule plays a guiding role in immune responses against diseases

University of British Columbia researchers have discovered the molecular pathway that enables receptors inside immune cells to find, and flag, fragments of pathogens trying to invade a host.

6 Feb 2012

Scientists identify genetic variant that increases risk of ischemic stroke

A genetic variant that increases the risk of a common type of stroke has been identified by scientists in a study published online in Nature Genetics today. This is one of the few genetic variants to date to be associated with risk of stroke and the discovery opens up new possibilities for treatment.

6 Feb 2012

Two molecules hold promise as a biomarker for OA

Henry Ford Hospital researchers have identified for the first time two molecules that hold promise as a biomarker for measuring cartilage damage associated with osteoarthritis.

5 Feb 2012

Two different research groups make similar advances in AD study

Two different research groups have independently made the same important discoveries on how Alzheimer's disease spreads in the brain, according to a February 2 New York Times story. The groups' findings have the potential to give us a much more sophisticated understanding of what goes wrong in Alzheimer's disease and, more importantly, what can be done to prevent or repair damage in the brain.

4 Feb 2012

Study offers evidence that toxic forms of Alzheimer's protein spread in the brain

Tau tangles are one half of the twin hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's disease—the half that is most closely tied to the death of neurons. A study in the February 1 PLoS One offers evidence that the toxic forms of tau that cause these tangles spread throughout the brain by moving from one neuron to the next in a pattern that tracks anatomical synaptic connections of the earliest-hit nerve cells in the brain.

4 Feb 2012

Scientists discover extremely long-lived proteins in aging rats

One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brain.

4 Feb 2012

Combination of Toca 511 and 5-FC may prolong survival in glioblastoma

Tocagen Inc. today announced the publication of data showing the company's investigational treatment for high grade glioma eradicates brain tumors and provides a dramatic survival benefit in mouse models of glioblastoma.

4 Feb 2012

Brain may replace sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors

When a friend tells you she had a rough day, do you feel sandpaper under your fingers? The brain may be replaying sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors, new research suggests.

4 Feb 2012

Mineral and multivitamin supplements can lower risk of colon cancer

Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (CJPP) found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens.

4 Feb 2012

Whole exome sequencing provides clues about rare mutations in aneurysms

An innovative approach to genome screening has provided clues about rare mutations that may make people susceptible to brain aneurysms, predisposing them to brain bleeds, according to preliminary late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

4 Feb 2012

Soy isoflavone supplements do not reduce breast cancer cell proliferation

Soy isoflavone supplements did not decrease breast cancer cell proliferation in a randomized clinical trial, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Feb 2012

Whole-exome sequencing discovers cause of glycosylation disorders

Sequencing a patient's entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine - yet. But geneticists are getting close. A case report, published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics, shows how researchers can combine a simple blood test with an "executive summary" scan of the genome to diagnose a type of severe metabolic disease.

4 Feb 2012