Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers take new line of approach to combat Alzheimer's disease

Today, more than 5.1 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, a devastating type of dementia that plagues memory and thinking. That number is expected to triple in the coming decades. Moreover, according to a 2012 survey, Americans fear Alzheimer's more than any other disease.

10 Sep 2015

CRISPR tool streamlines gene editing

Within the past few years, a new technology has made altering genes in plants and animals much easier than before. The tool, called CRISPR/Cas9 or just CRISPR, has spurred a flurry of research that could one day lead to hardier crops and livestock, as well as innovative biomedicines. But along with potential benefits, it raises red flags, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

10 Sep 2015

Cortical hyperexcitability has a driving role in ALS

Cortical hyperexcitability is an intrinsic feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptoms in patients carrying the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 gene hexanucleotide repeat expansion, show study findings.

9 Sep 2015

Nearly 50% of testicular cancer risk passed down genetically, new study reports

Almost half of the risk of developing testicular cancer comes from the DNA passed down from our parents, a new study reports.

9 Sep 2015

UI scientists discover protein that causes muscle weakness and loss during aging

As we grow older, we lose strength and muscle mass. However, the cause of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy has remained a mystery.

9 Sep 2015

Dietary uptake of microRNAs certainly insufficient to affect physiological functions, reveal ETH biologists

The scientific world was astonished when, in 2011, Chinese researchers claimed to have found evidence suggesting that minute fragments of plant genetic material - so-called microRNA molecules - of rice ingested from food could play a role in regulating physiological processes in the human body. If this is indeed true, it might even be possible to deliberately modify human physiological functions via this route, for instance by incorporating microRNAs into novel functional foods.

9 Sep 2015

New study reveals conflicting role of two subtypes of pancreatic cancer stroma

Dense surrounding tissue can block drugs from reaching pancreatic cancer tumors, but it can also help prevent the cancer from spreading. Now a new study by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and collaborators helps explain the conflicting role of the surrounding tissue known as stroma. In the study, the researchers revealed that based on molecular characteristics, there are two subtypes of pancreatic cancer stroma.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers use stem cell-derived 'mini-brains' to identify drug candidate for rare neurological disorder

Using "mini-brains" built with induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with a rare, but devastating, neurological disorder, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a drug candidate that appears to "rescue" dysfunctional cells by suppressing a critical genetic alteration.

9 Sep 2015

UCSF researchers lead $10 million research project on pediatric cancer

Researchers at UC San Francisco are leading a five-year, $10 million research project dedicated to pediatric cancer, funded by the first grant of its kind to focus on a molecular pathway that underlies many cancers rather than on a cancer in a particular organ or tissue in the body.

9 Sep 2015

University of Helsinki researchers develop new method for controlling the activation of genes in a cell

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, have developed a new method which enables the activation of genes in a cell without changing the genome. Applications of the method include directing the differentiation of stem cells.

9 Sep 2015

MU researchers identify age-related cause of arterial dysfunction

With the world's elderly population expected to double by 2050, understanding how aging affects the body is an important focus for researchers globally. Cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 cause of death worldwide, often is associated with aging arteries that restrict blood flow. Now, University of Missouri researchers have identified an age-related cause of arterial dysfunction, a finding that could lead to future treatments for some forms of vascular disease.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers find answer to continuing debate in the cardiovascular scientific world

Researchers from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, together with the teams of Dr. Martin Farrell at Oxford University, and Dr. Sekar Kathiresan at the Broad Institute, have found the answer to an ongoing debate in the cardiovascular scientific world. Dr. Ruth McPherson and Dr. Majid Nikpay, researchers at the UOHI's Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre, report that the genetic basis of heart disease is largely derived from the cumulative effect of multiple common genetic variants, rather than from a few rare variants with large effects.

9 Sep 2015

Molecular evolution in separate species predicts convergence of toxin resistance

Researchers at LSTM have shown that under certain circumstances evolution can be highly predictable, especially in terms of how creatures become resistant to dangerous toxins.

8 Sep 2015

Vernalis Therapeutics announces availability of codeine-based cough and cold syrup in the U.S.

Vernalis Therapeutics Inc., a subsidiary of Vernalis plc, today announced that Tuzistra XR (codeine polistirex and chlorpheniramine polistirex), extended-release oral suspension, CIII (DEA Schedule III) is now available to adult patients and physicians in the United States.

8 Sep 2015

Why do we sleep? An interview with Professor Wisden

It is true that we still do not know why we need to sleep every night. Sleep is essential for health. We have to do it every day. But nobody yet knows why. This fact amazes me.

8 Sep 2015

Study demonstrates effectiveness of new approach to protect humans from infectious disease

There are two common approaches to protecting humans from infectious disease: Targeting pathogens and parasites with medicines like antibiotics, or dealing with the conditions that allow transmission.

8 Sep 2015

New study reveals pivotal role of miR-506 biomarker in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer poses a significant health problem in developing countries and is typically associated with late-stage diagnosis and high mortality. A new study in The American Journal of Pathology points to a pivotal role played by the biomarker microRNA (miR)-506 in gastric cancer.

8 Sep 2015

CEVEC launches unique cell-expression system for scalable production of gene therapy vectors

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals GmbH, the expert in the production of tailor-made recombinant glycoproteins and gene therapy vectors, today announced the introduction of its unique cell-expression system, CAP GT, for the fully scalable production of gene therapy vectors, based on the Company's proprietary CAP technology.

8 Sep 2015

Desmoplasmic melanoma may possess unprecedented burden of gene mutations, say UCSF scientists

A rare, deadly form of skin cancer known as desmoplasmic melanoma (DM) may possess the highest burden of gene mutations of any cancer, suggesting that immunotherapy may be a promising approach for treatment, according to an international team led by UC San Francisco scientists. One of these mutations, never before observed in any cancer, may shield nascent DM tumors from destruction by the immune system and allow further mutations to develop.

7 Sep 2015

UCLA study questions value of BRCA genetic testing in general population

Women who are carriers of mutated BRCA genes are known to have a significantly higher risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers than those who don't have the mutations.

4 Sep 2015

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers take new line of approach to combat Alzheimer's disease

CRISPR tool streamlines gene editing

Cortical hyperexcitability has a driving role in ALS

Nearly 50% of testicular cancer risk passed down genetically, new study reports

UI scientists discover protein that causes muscle weakness and loss during aging

Dietary uptake of microRNAs certainly insufficient to affect physiological functions, reveal ETH biologists

New study reveals conflicting role of two subtypes of pancreatic cancer stroma

Researchers use stem cell-derived 'mini-brains' to identify drug candidate for rare neurological disorder

UCSF researchers lead $10 million research project on pediatric cancer

University of Helsinki researchers develop new method for controlling the activation of genes in a cell

MU researchers identify age-related cause of arterial dysfunction

Researchers find answer to continuing debate in the cardiovascular scientific world

Molecular evolution in separate species predicts convergence of toxin resistance

Vernalis Therapeutics announces availability of codeine-based cough and cold syrup in the U.S.

Why do we sleep? An interview with Professor Wisden

Study demonstrates effectiveness of new approach to protect humans from infectious disease

New study reveals pivotal role of miR-506 biomarker in gastric cancer

CEVEC launches unique cell-expression system for scalable production of gene therapy vectors

Desmoplasmic melanoma may possess unprecedented burden of gene mutations, say UCSF scientists

UCLA study questions value of BRCA genetic testing in general population

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

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research